To remove or not?

[Frank56]

Hi guys,

So my first grow seems to be going alright, and I'm on about day 60 since sprout (didn't think I'd make it this far if I'm honest)! My plant has just recently finished stretching and has starting to pack on mass around the bud sites, but it's become clear that some of them are never going to match the potential of others. The yellow leaves on the branches only happened when I used LST to get them into more light, so I'd rather snip them to possibly divert more energy to the main colas.

My question is, would it be safe to remove these branches completely without shocking her (maybe one every other day), and would they be good for anything or should I toss them? Would I be able to use them as an early tester if I quick dried?

 

[Sheriffatman]

Very pretty girl, nice job. I was the same mate , didn’t think I would make it past day one, I’ve now harvested dried and curing. Doing a great job there. I snipped a few of those kind of stems off here n there throughout the grow, she didn’t seem to mind just go easy On her.

 

[armanidog]

As marijuana enters the flowering stage, it is natural for the lower fan leaves to turn yellow. The plant is sending most of the nutrients to the flowering area.
You could go ahead and trim those lower leaves that are turning yellow, this will help with air flow through the branches.
In the first photos you see how the leaf tips are curling up? That is a sign of nutrient burn:

How to Fix Cannabis Nutrient Burn - Pics & Symptoms

Nutrient burn causes the tips of cannabis leaves to turn yellow or brown. The burnt tips are the result of too-high levels of nutrients. Learn how to fix it!

www.growweedeasy.com

Your next step is to support those branches with the buds on them. As the buds get fatter the branches will be weighed down or even break.
Also since your buds are looking like they will be fat, I suggest a fan to blow on them to help keep bud rot away.
About a week before you plan to harvest, stop feeding the plant and just give it water. This will help reduce the level of nitrogen in the plant.
Congratulations! you are doing well.

 

[Frank56]

Very pretty girl, nice job. I was the same mate , didn’t think I would make it past day one, I’ve now harvested dried and curing. Doing a great job there. I snipped a few of those kind of stems off here n there throughout the grow, she didn’t seem to mind just go easy On her.

Cheers man! Yeah, I think I'm going to cut them, but do so very slowly and not all at once. What did you do with the removed branches? Are they good for anything?

 

[Frank56]

As marijuana enters the flowering stage, it is natural for the lower fan leaves to turn yellow. The plant is sending most of the nutrients to the flowering area.
You could go ahead and trim those lower leaves that are turning yellow, this will help with air flow through the branches.
In the first photos you see how the leaf tips are curling up? That is a sign of nutrient burn:

How to Fix Cannabis Nutrient Burn - Pics & Symptoms

Nutrient burn causes the tips of cannabis leaves to turn yellow or brown. The burnt tips are the result of too-high levels of nutrients. Learn how to fix it!

www.growweedeasy.com

Your next step is to support those branches with the buds on them. As the buds get fatter the branches will be weighed down or even break.
Also since your buds are looking like they will be fat, I suggest a fan to blow on them to help keep bud rot away.
About a week before you plan to harvest, stop feeding the plant and just give it water. This will help reduce the level of nitrogen in the plant.
Congratulations! you are doing well.

Thanks for the pointers mate. I've been struggling with the yellowing for about three weeks now, and I thought it was a nutrient deficiency as it was happening so soon into flower, so I have been feeding quite heavily (but not more than full strength). The yellowing is happening quite quickly, and I didn't want to lose too many leaves before harvest. Should I just dilute the feeding a bit and ride it out because it's part of the natural process? How long do you reckon she's got left before I start to flush?

 

[Sheriffatman]

Cheers man! Yeah, I think I'm going to cut them, but do so very slowly and not all at once. What did you do with the removed branches? Are they good for anything?

You could dry it out and sample lol

 

[armanidog]

Thanks for the pointers mate. I've been struggling with the yellowing for about three weeks now, and I thought it was a nutrient deficiency as it was happening so soon into flower, so I have been feeding quite heavily (but not more than full strength). The yellowing is happening quite quickly, and I didn't want to lose too many leaves before harvest. Should I just dilute the feeding a bit and ride it out because it's part of the natural process? How long do you reckon she's got left before I start to flush?

Go ahead and trim off those yellow leaves. Step your nutrients down to a quarter of what you were using before.
As far as when to harvest, you will need at least a 30X jewelers loupe (around $10) or a microscope. You will need to look at the trichomes (resin glands) on the flowers.
Right now they will be crystal clear, then they will will start to get cloudy, and then they will start to turn amber.

 

[Doug58]

When I have leaves that turn yellow they are gone. Make sure you get the entire stem of the leaf off. I grow mostly outdoors and a dead leaf coming out of a bud is where budrot usually starts. When growing outdoors in my location humidity is the problem. I go from drought conditions to plenty of rain and high humidity.

I also had it happen in a tent when heat and humidity gets high and a smaller leaf dies and is left on the plant. Due to conditions outdoors right now, high humidity, when a plant gets close to finishing I have to defoliate extensively with certain strains.

Your plant looks very good to me in the photo. I'd personally get rid of the yellowing lower leaves. Sometimes I will get rid of tiny lower branches, sometimes I don't.

 

[Frank56]

You could dry it out and sample lol

Well if there's one thing I don't need, it's telling twice!