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When growing weed plants, there are several different methods, styles, and techniques you can use. As growers, trying out these techniques is what makes the cultivation process so satisfying and stimulating.
In this new age of ganja legalization, the lucky ones living in recreational or medically legal areas have the opportunity to try different ways of growing everyone’s favorite plant.
Whether it’s aiming to get a larger yield, creating a more intense high or testing what methods are most compatible with different seeds and strains (for example; Apples and Bananas seeds or Bubblegum Popperz seeds are examples of strains with totally different growth patterns but they can both be schwazzed) the growing process opens its arms to a ton of different practices and methods.
One of the lesser-known plant training techniques that is slowly but surely creeping into both hobby and commercial grows is Schwazzing, an extreme defoliation technique in which fan leaves are removed during early flowering production.
Although this may seem like a bit of a backward way of growing weed, the proof is in the pudding – Schwazzing has clearly shown that it can significantly increase yields at harvest time (check out these tips for a successful harvest) as long as it is done correctly.
But where did this technique come from and how do you properly Schwazz during your own crop?
Schwazzing was popularized by renowned cannabis cultivator Joshua Haupt in his book “Three a Light”. In this book, Haupt shares his knowledge and experience on how to maximize yields and quality during the growing process. One of the techniques he discusses in detail is Schwazzing.
Haupt’s method involves removing almost all fan leaves during the first two weeks of flowering, leaving only the top 2-3 sets of leaves on each branch. While this may seem extreme, it does work, and you’ve landed in the right place if you want to learn how to properly Schwazz your own crop.
As we mentioned above, defoliation techniques like Schwazzing are used to improve the cannabis growing process and to get bigger and better buds from your plants when it comes to harvest.
In this case, when we Schwazz a plant by removing or pruning fan leaves, we are looking to increase the yield. With the fan leaves removed, we allow space for more light penetration and airflow and, most importantly, encourage the plant to focus its energy on growing the most important part—the flowers.
By Schwazzing twice during key points in the flowering cycle, you can potentially double the yield, but the success of this method will depend on a few factors.
Schwazzing is also a great way to reduce costs and save time and money. By removing your fan leaves, you can grow the same amount of cannabis from a far smaller area. This means you can use less grow lights and produce higher yields using less square footage. When you consider this on a large commercial scale, the savings are significant.
The simplest way to look at Schwazzing and its benefits is this.
Each and every leaf and bud on a plant is pulling nutrients from the soil, absorbing light and using water. By removing the fan leaves, you can reallocate all of these resources to the parts of the plant that matter the most, which are the buds.
This will make the buds grow larger and stronger and produce a better yield for you at the end of the grow process.
The Schwazzing method can feel a little bit counterintuitive at times, as you are removing the leaves that help the plant grow by absorbing light and passing these nutrients to the rest of the plant.
However, as explained above, getting rid of these leaves, at the right time and in the right way, can allow your plant to thrive and suck up all the best nutrients, directing them to the most important areas of the plant.
Fan leaves tend to take up quite a lot of space. This can be detrimental to your plant when it gets to the point that the fan leaves are blocking the buds from light and airflow.
Light and airflow are two of the most important aspects of growing a cannabis plant, and they should be directed towards the buds as much as possible. If there is a chance for you as the grower to increase the likelihood of these parts of the plant getting what they need, you should take it.
Trimming fan leaves allows you to manipulate your plant in certain ways. If there are signs of disease on the leaves, this may be a reason to trim or completely remove them.
When you Schwazz your crop, you remove the fan leaves to redirect nutrients to the plant’s flowers to increase yield at harvest time.
We haven’t explained the process fully just yet, but by now, you probably have a pretty good understanding of what Schwazzing is and how it can be beneficial to produce an increased yield.
That said, it is very important to note the risks that Schwazzing comes with.
If you do it at the wrong time, or to the wrong type of plant, it can cause a whole host of issues, like:
So, before you begin Schwazzing, make sure you have a thorough understanding of the process and its potential risks.
First up, Schwazzing is a better idea for indoor growers than those of us working with Mother Nature.
That’s not to say that outdoor growers can’t do it or that you shouldn’t, but if you are growing outside, there is a higher chance that shit will go south. There so many variables at play with outdoor grows, and the stress you are going to put on your plants might not be worth the potential increase in yield.
Make sure you are using sharp, clean scissors. This is a time-consuming task, so patience is key.
Be careful not to interfere with the flowers as much as you can. The buds hate being f***ed with, so if you can leave them be, do so. Start pruning your fan leaves from top to bottom.
Now this is the part that can come as more than a little bit shocking. When we say we prune the fan leaves, what we mean is get rid of every single one of those green guys, except for a few at the very tippy top.
You are going to leave the top two or three sets of leaves because they are needed for photosynthesis purposes, but everything else has got to go.
When doing this in a grow room, it is important to trim all of your plants on the same day so that they receive the same amount of light and airflow. This allows you to maintain consistency across all your plants during the grow.
Schwazz pruning is done twice during the flowering stage.
We recommend cutting away your fan leaves on day 1 and day 20 of the flowering stage.
These times are based on root development and timing of the flowering cycle. If you remove the fan leaves after day 20, it can do more harm than good to your plant. This is because the plant has already started to redirect all of its energy and nutrients away from rooting and growing taller, to flowering and stacking weight.
After day 20, it’s time to leave your ladies alone to do their thing.
Choosing the right phenotypes to Schwazz will give you more confidence in this method and produce better results.
The best plants are the ones with genetics that are most resistant and tolerant to the stresses that will be imposed on the plant. It may take you some time to figure this out, through trial and error, but when you do find a strain that responds well to projects and techniques such as Schwazzing, you can clone these plants for the future.
Keep in mind that autoflowering plants do not respond well to Schwazzing. There will be more on this later in the article.
Pruning fan leaves during the vegetative stage can be super helpful in setting your plant up for successful cultivation. If you choose to trim your fan leaves at this stage, we recommend you start by pruning the leaves at the bottom of the plant. This is generally the area that receives the least amount of light, so pruning these leaves can be beneficial for the buds at the bottom.
Be sure to have a close look at your plant and figure out if any of the fan leaves are creating a shadow over your flowers. If they are, you can get rid of these leaves, allowing more light to hit the buds.
We also recommend removing all the fan leaves that are growing inwards towards the plant, as they may cause issues later on in the flowering stage.
Lastly, it is important to trim away any dead, dying or damaged leaves during the vegetative stage. Not only will they block sun and airflow, but they may also have a detrimental effect on other leaves and flowers down the line.
Instead of going for a full Schwazz, you can just trim some of the fan leaves. This is a less risky option compared to full defoliation and means your plant will be under less stress and be less likely to experience nutrient lock and or turn into a hermy.
For this method, remove the fan leaves in a similar way that you would during the vegetative stage.
During the flowering stage, look for leaves that are blocking light from hitting the buds, and get rid of any leaves that are dead or dying. When Schwazzing during this point of the grow, we recommend that you start trimming from the bottom of the plant, rather than the top. This is because the buds at the bottom will receive less light than those at the top, so they need all the help they can get.
This is the type of pruning method that we have been referring to for the majority of this article. It involves removing all the fan leaves on day 1 and day 20 of the flowering stage.
As mentioned before, it is extremely important to understand the potential stressors that you can put your plant under by using this method, so go into it knowing the risks. In saying that, if you Schwazz correctly during this stage, and remove all the fan leaves, you can end up with a very high yield.
Make sure you are using resistant strains that can withstand this type of manipulation. Also, be extremely gentle with your plant when you are trimming. Try your best to avoid handling the buds, especially during the day 1 trim, as they are still very fragile.
Start from the top of the plant and work your way down, trimming the fan leaves with sharp, clean scissors. When you are done, you should be able to see the light shine through from the top of the plant all the way to the ground.
Almost all growers remove as many of the fan leaves as possible right before they harvest so their buds dry quicker. The more fan leaves left after harvest, the less airflow will reach the buds, making them dry slowly.
This can also change depending on the type of drying that you are looking for. If you live in a hot and dry climate, you may want to slow the drying process down, which might mean leaving the plant whole (not removing the fan leaves). Drying your buds too quickly can make them brittle and harsher to smoke. It can also significantly reduce the quality, potency, and flavor.
On the other hand, if you are drying your buds in a damp and cool environment, you want to help the drying process as much as you can. This generally means cutting down all the way to the bud, leaving no fan leaves at all.
The simple answer is no. That’s not to say you can’t try it, but be ready for lower-than-expected yields (or worse).
Schwazzing refers to a heavy defoliation process in which all of the fan leaves are removed from the plant over two intervals during the flowering stage. Photoperiod plants have a much longer cultivation process (and usually handle stress a little better than their little sisters), which means they have more time to bounce back from the potential stressors that Schwazzing puts on a plant.
Due to their shorter grow cycle, autoflowers simply don’t have enough time to recover from a technique like Schwazzing.
Lightly trimming autoflowers’ fan leaves can be beneficial, especially during the vegetative growth stage. A light defoliation in which you remove fan leaves that are dead or dying, growing inwards towards the plant, or blocking light from hitting the flowers (especially on the lower portion of the plant) can encourage growth and increase yield.
Nope, Schwazzing is an advanced cannabis cultivation technique. It takes a certain level of precision, knowledge, and experience to successfully implement this method without causing harm to your plants.
We highly recommend that novice growers stick to less intense pruning methods, like light defoliation or targeted leaf removal during the vegetative stage.
Schwazzing is a high-risk, high-reward technique that can greatly increase yields if done correctly, but it also has the potential to cause major damage if not executed properly. Novice growers should focus on mastering basic plant care practices before attempting advanced techniques like Schwazzing.
You can, but get ready to watch your grow room goddesses turn into an early Halloween nightmare. Using dull or dirty scissors can cause damage and stress to your plants, increasing the risk of infections and reducing their ability to recover from pruning.
It is essential to use clean, sharp scissors when Schwazzing or performing any type of trimming on your cannabis plants. Any pair of newish, well-maintained scissors will do.
Think of it like this – you are essentially doing surgery on your plants, so you want to use the best “tools” possible to ensure a successful and healthy outcome. Plus, sharp scissors will make the trimming process much easier and more precise.
As we have discussed previously in this article, the main reason for doing a Schwazz is to increase the yield of your grow as much as possible. The great thing about indoor grows is that they can be managed extremely closely to see which methods work for the strains you are growing.
Over the years, growers have shown that Schwazzing the right plants, at the right time, can increase your yield by almost double.
Although there are a heap of benefits to Schwazzing, it is also super important to understand the risks you take if you do it wrong. Removing all the fan leaves on a plant exposes it to stressors that would otherwise be avoided. If you remove these leaves at the wrong time, or from a less robust and resistant strain, your plant could simply stop growing and produce next to no buds at all.
Stick to the recommended Schwazzing times of day 1 and day 20 of the flowering stage. These are the best times to trim away your fan leaves to get us much yield as possible. If you are pruning the fan leaves during the vegetative stage, think of it more as setting your plant up for the flowering stage, rather than making drastic changes to it. In the vegetative stage trim away dead or dying leaves, or leaves that look like they are growing inwards towards the plant. You can also trim away leaves that look like they are shading or blocking light from hitting the flowers. Focus on the bottom area of the plant during this stage of trimming.
All in all, Schwazzing has proven to be an extremely useful technique that can significantly increase your yield, albeit a little risky. Before you give it a go, be sure to do your research on which strains handle Schwazzing best. Also, don’t be afraid to gradually build your way up from a light trim to heavy defoliation and see what works best for your plants.
Growing your own plants is meant to be a fun experience, and one that you can learn from along the way. Be observational, try different techniques and give different strains a go. Every person likes their weed a certain way, however, but one thing we can all agree on is boosting the yield potential is a good thing!
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