SCHWAZZING AUTOFLOWER

DISCLAIMER
I'm just getting a topic going and If you decide to try it and don't like the results then don't be blaming me lol

But ive done it & others have too and have liked the results
​

I see that a lot off people is interested in learning about the method of heavy Defoliation at certain points of a grow. (SCHWAZZING)
So I would like to get a thread going regarding this so people can see the benefits off it and how this method is used to increase yeild and to also help out in other factors too.

I copied and pasted the info below from the THREE A lIGHT Google post
to help people out​

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SCHWAZZING
WHAT IS SCHWAZZING?
A Schwazze is essentially an extreme defoliation. Where 100% of the fan leaves are removed from the plant during specific times of the flowering cycle.

How can trimming and pruning a cannabis plant possibly increase its yield? It’s kind of Yin and Yang if you think about it. On one hand we take away, and on the other, we receive!

Our favorite comparison is working out at the gym. When you break down your muscles through constant repetition and heavier weight, your muscles grow stronger and larger. By removing fan leaves from the plant, we are creating more space for airflow, light penetration, and most importantly, we are refocusing the plant’s energy where it matters most: flower development.

WHY USE THE SCHWAZZING METHOD?
One word: Yield. We’ve found that we can dramatically increase our total yield with just 2 Schwazzes at key points in the flowering cycle. The industry standard yield without Schwazzing is around 1.5 to 2lbs per 1000 watt bulb. With Schwazzing, we’ve been able to consistently produce 3 pounds per light and are seeing results north of 4 pounds per light as we continue to optimize the process.

This leads to savings on all fronts, you can generate the same amount of cannabis from a smaller area, meaning you need less space to grow. Energy is saved as you’ll produce so much more per square foot.

If you’re looking for a corporate board room description: Schwazzing allows the plants’ resources to be more effectively allocated. Think of it this way, every single leaf and bud on the plant is pulling nutrients from the soil, using more water, and requiring more light. With a good Schwazze, you reallocate these resources to provide them where we want them most, in the buds.

WHY DOES SCHWAZZING WORK?
Schwazzing works for multiple reasons. The more you think about why this is helping, the more it makes sense. It seems counter-intuitive and destructive at first, but it’s a process that naturally trains the plant to produce more.

A Schwazze will provide the optimum light penetration through the canopy. This increases airflow and light to the lower nodes on the plant. You are essentially eliminating all shade spots. Allowing the energy to focus on the tips instead, where it needs to be focused for more flowering.

The increased airflow provides the plant with a much stronger O2 and CO2 exchange. Basically, it lets it breathe!

In addition, Schwazzing eliminates homes for pests and mildew that can ruin your plants.
IS SCHWAZZING THE SAME AS DEFOLIATION?
Although the idea is similar, defoliation is almost never taken to this extreme of a level. Defoliation is a process that has been used for centuries for many different plants and helps to achieve higher crop yields, it’s even used to produce cotton.
SCHWAZZING IN A HOME GROW SETUP
Schwazzing began in a home grow setup and can be used very effectively on a small scale. Schwazzing has also been scaled up to accommodate larger commercial grows as well.

The only tools you will need are a sharp pair of scissors and patience.
HOW DO YOU SCHWAZZE?
Before we go too deep here, let’s get a little disclaimer in. Schwazzing is a method that can either help you deliver your highest yield ever, or cause plant lock and hermaphroditic plants. Please proceed with caution!

You probably have the basic idea now, trim away the fan leaves. Be advised timing, approach, quantity, and nutrients all play a huge part in this equation. If these exercises aren’t executed properly you can ruin your crop.

You can use this method if you have a hydroponic setup.

If any one would like to add any pics or info to get this thread going then your more than welcome to.

 

[Growtogrow]

Did u do a light deph grow journal on a few sites a few years ago, on a few sites with photos?
Got a back garden with chicken run looking setups going along the fences ?

Yes if you're talking to me.?

Yes I've done many light depth grows on AFN forum since 2017 I believe.
I don't practice light depth right now. the main reason is because I'm not automated Right now,
I would have to be married to my grow for at least 4 weeks. also I don't need that kind of yield quantity any more. Has everybody in this state that has an address can grow 12 plants without a license.
So no need. But next year if I grow the Neville's Haze I may make a tent up just for it to jump start it because that's a 14 to 18 week flowering plant. L I want to finish it all the way out to see what it's really all about. As the last time I grew it it took 14 weeks. She took me all the way up to the first freeze in November. If I jump start it by 4 weeks. I can still finish out with the rest of my crop in mid October...

 

[420autoflower]

Have any of you actually schwazzed autoflowers though?

I've schwazzed countless photoperiods commercially (I have mixed feelings about it, yes it definitely brings back the new growth, but are the plants really showing better growth than had they not had the deep strip? That I would debate (coming from growing thousands upon thousands upon thousands of plants.)

I grow using the SOG method and schwazz all my autos… I would end up with over half of it being airy fluff bud if I didn’t.

Here are a few SOG crops I just harvested a few weeks ago that were all schwazzed twice during their flowering period.
2x2”

2x4”

5x5”

 

[Son of Hobbes]

Autoflower's are fine for Niche growing wanting something different so on. But as far as a production plant I have not found one yet that's consistent like a photosynthesis plant can be, consistent in bud structure, flavor n terp profile, growth consistency certain amount of weeks of veg n consistent flower time, yields, and repetitive.

We're seeing more and more autoflowers grown commercially for full spectrum products; not necessarily the specific flower market. Edibles, topicals, vape carts, etc. There's a lot of processes and products out there not as dependent on having that "replicable flower experience."

 

[Growtogrow]

We're seeing more and more autoflowers grown commercially for full spectrum products; not necessarily the specific flower market. Edibles, topicals, vape carts, etc. There's a lot of processes and products out there not as dependent on having that "replicable flower experience."

Yes the market's changing here all the time in the states.
We're considering doing more autoflowers just for the concentrate purposes.
We right now pretty much primarily have a flower market. And so I've honed my skills towards growing only triple AAA flower. Because of Bud density and repetitiveness of the photosynthesis strains.
I expect by probably this spring that I will see much more autoflowering in the commercial industry in this state. At the very least maybe some more semi-auto flowering plants.
I'm all the time trying to throw new things at the owner of the farm. But he's old school and tends to come across things in his own time if you know what I mean.? LOL. It took me a while to get him on to the defolarization techniques, but once he went to it he went hog wild. And I had to calm him down a little bit cuz he was stripping the plants too much. Not allowing the solar panels to give the plant ample nutrients and pick up. And so the yields suffered some on that. But he's pretty much got it dialed in now. As he did change synthetic feed. And is still working with the dialing in of that, but it's getting better all the time.

 

[Son of Hobbes]

Yes the market's changing here all the time in the states.
We're considering doing more autoflowers just for the concentrate purposes.
We right now pretty much primarily have a flower market. And so I've honed my skills towards growing only triple AAA flower. Because of Bud density and repetitiveness of the photosynthesis strains.
I expect by probably this spring that I will see much more autoflowering in the commercial industry in this state. At the very least maybe some more semi-auto flowering plants.
I'm all the time trying to throw new things at the owner of the farm. But he's old school and tends to come across things in his own time if you know what I mean.? LOL. It took me a while to get him on to the defolarization techniques, but once he went to it he went hog wild. And I had to calm him down a little bit cuz he was stripping the plants too much. Not allowing the solar panels to give the plant ample nutrients and pick up. And so the yields suffered some on that. But he's pretty much got it dialed in now. As he did change synthetic feed. And is still working with the dialing in of that, but it's getting better all the time.

The farm I work for currently just bought a farm down in Arizona and they are considering running 30,000 autoflowers on it. We grow only photoperiods here, but the farm itself is pretty bunk lol... over 15,000 plant count between all of our licenses on this farm in Colorado, but the head growers (that have been here for years) are really, really, really inexperienced, and it shows in the plants. This is the 2nd farm now that literally has stated, verbatim, "we don't have to grow good weed, we just have to grow a lot of weed." Well fuck that. Why not grow BOTH?

Right now Colorado wholesale pounds are selling for $200 out the door to dispensaries. The cost to produce a pound is typically much higher than that for most grows here. Lots of farms going out of business, liquidating inventory, etc.

We did a very, very late planting on this farm this year, and the results are pitiful; autoflowers would have 100% kicked the shit out of this crop hands down, any day of the week.

 

[Son of Hobbes]

I grow using the SOG method and schwazz all my autos… I would end up with over half of it being airy fluff bud if I didn’t.

Here are a few SOG crops I just harvested a few weeks ago that were all schwazzed twice during their flowering period.
2x2”
View attachment 1515445

2x4”
View attachment 1515442

5x5”
View attachment 1515440

Brother that's super impressive!

 

[420autoflower]

Brother that's super impressive!

Thank you @Son of Hobbes

 

[Growtogrow]

The farm I work for currently just bought a farm down in Arizona and they are considering running 30,000 autoflowers on it. We grow only photoperiods here, but the farm itself is pretty bunk lol... over 15,000 plant count between all of our licenses on this farm in Colorado, but the head growers (that have been here for years) are really, really, really inexperienced, and it shows in the plants. This is the 2nd farm now that literally has stated, verbatim, "we don't have to grow good weed, we just have to grow a lot of weed." Well fuck that. Why not grow BOTH?

Right now Colorado wholesale pounds are selling for $200 out the door to dispensaries. The cost to produce a pound is typically much higher than that for most grows here. Lots of farms going out of business, liquidating inventory, etc.

We did a very, very late planting on this farm this year, and the results are pitiful; autoflowers would have 100% kicked the shit out of this crop hands down, any day of the week.

That's pretty low for a pound. I wouldn't even bother to do half of what I do for that kind of money for a pound. It's not that bad here. Retail they're still getting about 150oz at the dispensary for mid grade weed. I've seen as low as $100 for an ounce again retail.

I'm not in the loop to know what a wholesale to The dispensary is.? But I'm pretty sure it's still around 1200 to 1300 what it was about 6 months ago. But it may be lower than that. A lot of the dispensaries are closed loop now. Meaning that they have their growers that are only in their dispensaries. As this state as in Colorado I'm sure it is a seed to sale recording system. Which is a real pain in the ass.
I personally am not licensed commercially but I m license for 24 and a caregiver. The guy I work for whom is and he's a very small commercial farm. Only licensed for 144 plants right now. Next year though we're going to double that and will be outside primarily.

What Auto flowers do you find with most consistent with heavy trichomes?

No I've been practicing much shorter veg times with my plants. I did a test run this last winter. And I was able to pull consistently off in each plant an ounce and a half or around 38 g per plant with a 2-week veg. Depending on the strain. The strain with the 38 g average per plant was modified grapes 25 local genetics. And then I ran a headband A and a B also our cross genetics local. And was able to pull 63g off one plant and the other plant pulled 61. And those all were AAA flour no larf scores. 2 week veg

 

[NORBY]

I've

Have any of you actually schwazzed autoflowers though?

I've schwazzed countless photoperiods commercially (I have mixed feelings about it, yes it definitely brings back the new growth, but are the plants really showing better growth than had they not had the deep strip? That I would debate (coming from growing thousands upon thousands upon thousands of plants.)

I've only done it once and have seen it done loads of times now,
But I know what you mean, how do I know if it made a difference as it may of grew like that anyways.

I think In a SOG style grow its a big benefit for increasing the airflow and reduce the chance of bud rot or that powder mildew on the lower branches,
I did notice that the lower buds that would normally be larfy aint larfy & alot bigger than when I never done it before
using the same strain, light and same growspace as the last time
But I changed nutrients range tho.

That's why I wanted to start a thread on it to see what people think of it and hopefully see other people's experiences doing it.
Alot of auto growers are saying yeah it's a big benefit with noticable results and Thier grows do look like it was beneficial doing it.
Would love to see a really well done test on it to see how much difference it makes.

 

[NORBY]

I'm

Yes if you're talking to me.?

Yes I've done many light depth grows on AFN forum since 2017 I believe.
I don't practice light depth right now. the main reason is because I'm not automated Right now,
I would have to be married to my grow for at least 4 weeks. also I don't need that kind of yield quantity any more. Has everybody in this state that has an address can grow 12 plants without a license.
So no need. But next year if I grow the Neville's Haze I may make a tent up just for it to jump start it because that's a 14 to 18 week flowering plant. L I want to finish it all the way out to see what it's really all about. As the last time I grew it it took 14 weeks. She took me all the way up to the first freeze in November. If I jump start it by 4 weeks. I can still finish out with the rest of my crop in mid October...

I'm a fan of your work lol,
Must of been 2017- 2018 but it wasn't on AFN, I can't mind were it was but I was only in my reading stage and wondering how am I Gona do this and reading articles & stuff all over the net and u were the guy I was reading about cos I was considering growing photoperiod outside and your outdoor garden inside the mesh runs was wanting me to get growing but the UK climates shit so went with Autos.
What's the chance of you making an appearance on my thread
One of my inspirations to growing tbh as your threads was the first of my reading to try learn this growing carry on.
That's crazy lol