I say it comes down to the individual plant on recovery time, some don't mind and can take a full leaf strip but others will wilt at the mere thought of loosing a few leaves. Most of the time they are OK with it by just take small few at a time to be safe... now if we was talking photos you could be a bit more adventurous on the leaf strip.
I'm forever removing leave's during flower, especially if they are blocking a bud sites
what foliar spray do you use... I use Optic Foliar and can't live with out it, noticeably speeds up all recovery and growth... I have seen an acceleration in auto's when used on them, mine always got that bit more bushy.
I defoliate heavily. I’m what they call a “serial leaf snatcher”. I often end up with palms full of leaves. I’d say the only bad thing Ive noticed is that it slows growth a little. These plants in the wild get nibbled on by animals and they don’t know the difference between human or critter. When their get leaves taken they compensate. Ive only ever gotten better results from defoliation than not. It helps those little baby buds grow bigger. Try it and let us know. Try a bucket of rice to obsorb the humidity. Good luck on your grow.
