Should You Defoliate Cannabis?
It may surprise you to hear, that there is a small but very dedicated group of cannabis farmers who firmly believe they can increasing their crop production by removing the big leaves – even during the later parts of the flower cycle. The technique has come to be known as “Schwazzing” or more commonly, “Big Leafing.”
Proponents of the technique insist that they’ve done it forever and they absolutely KNOW it works, and hundreds of their buddies do it too, but I’ve asked quite a few of them to show me some reason for why they believe in this, and so far none of those I’ve spoken with can produce a single study or data of any kind – even of their own.
(This was the spark for another article I've written on Dogma.)
I’ve always disagreed with this defoliation technique, but guess what…
I can’t show my data either because this study has never been done!
Here’s what I "think" I know about flowering Cannabis…?
#1) The simplest fact that I think we can all agree on, is that leaves are the solar panels that gather energy from light and convert that energy into food, which is then used to combine the nutrition we provide and grow the body of the plant. Nobody seems to argue about that part.
#2) When you flip the lights to 12/12, the race is on and the clock starts counting down on a fixed timeline. After that point, creating a stress event?is the equivalent of tripping a runner in the middle of a race. That runner can still get up and continue on to the finish, but potential performance will be diminished. Either the flowers will mature later, or the flowers will be smaller. Either way, you lose money.
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This is where the disagreement begins…
This article takes a close look at defoliation studies that have been done on several other types of plants to see what information we can get that might be applied to all plants in general - including cannabis.
Other articles by Glen Johnson:
Copyright Glen Johnson 2020 [email protected]
PhD in Cannabis Genetics | Cannabis Research & Science | Cannabis Education | Botanical Illustration
5 年Let's do one!!
Cannabis consultant, cultivator, and advocate.
5 年I believe leaf removal should be circumstantial to the environment and conditions the plant is in. Pest populations? Humidity? Genetics prone to certain ailments?Outdoor vs. Indoor? A lot of factors besides overall yield go into tending to your plants leaves. It is not so black and white, but generally speaking in a perfect garden with perfect conditions yes, leave for leaf on the plant.
Plant scientist????
5 年May want to consult older tomato and apple literature. Timing and strength of sources and proximity to developing sinks come to mind.
Facility maintenance
5 年I would like to add, defoliation, when done within the last weeks before harvest acts as an environmental trigger to speed maturation in cannabis. Like flushing with pure water and cold nights. Causing new calyx formation and swelling of existing calyx. But as everyone stated timing and quantity are critical.?