pruning fan leaves

[trumpet]

Hey, my afghani#1 are 9 days into flowering,

Is it ok to remove fan leaves to allow light for the lower parts of the plant? due to me putting 5 plants in my grow box, light is not penetrating below the top canopy.

 

thanks for the help.

[boulder]

From a post by Penguin.

 

A raging debate exists as to whether its appropriate to remove fan leaves, from flowering plants, in order to get more light to lower bud sites. Two distinct schools of thought have emerged:

 

First, there are those that say that if a fan leaf is blocking a lower bud it ought to be removed. These buds cannot develop as well because their light is blocked.

 

Second, there are those that say that the fan leaves, whether they are blocking budsites or not, are the plant's primary solar collectors. Remove these and your are taking away the plant's ability to gather light and convert it into energy. Moreover, the fan leaves store sugars thats the plants need to develop buds. When a plant has no more need for a leaf, it will drop it.

 

Finally, a compromise position, advocated by Overgrow contributor realhigh. The upper fan leaves may be pared in half so as to permit light to the lower buds. Further, lower fan leaves may be tucked so that light penetrates to the lower budsites. The leaves still can collect light and act as a food source for the buds, without blocking budsites.

 

http://www.overgrow.com/faq/browse.php?qa=864

 

Personally i would leave the leaves alone, the extra plants you put in should make up for the loss of a few lower buds.

 

Also my personal belief is that by removing or damaging the fan leaves causes the plant to use "energy" to repair that injury instead of using the same for budding.

 

Cheers