Schwazzing is a term used to describe an intense form of defoliation. The process involves removing many fan leaves from a plant, allowing much more light to pass through to bud sites.
If somebody told you to chop off the vast majority, or all, of your cannabis plant’s leaves in order to massively enhance yield, would you listen to them? Or would you merely disregard the claim as the suggestions of a mad man?
LESS LEAVES, GREAT YIELD
Well, the person in question might actually have a valid point. Something about severing off the fan leaves of your indoor crop during the flowering phase seems to rapidly ramp up the size and vigour of cannabis buds. Defoliation is the term usually assigned to the practice of clipping off a few leaves, but a new term has been developed for fully stripping a plant of its leaves, named “schwazzing”.
The term schwazzing was born out of a book named Three a Light, penned by author Joshua Haupt. The very concept of the book is the application of various growing methods in order to produce a mammoth 3 pounds (~1.4kg) of weed under a single grow light. Schwazzing is a training method featured within the book that's said to help growers achieve such barbaric yields.
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Haupt compares schwazzing as kind of like going to the gym. In the gym, a muscle is beaten up and exposed to stress. Muscle fibres are torn and damaged, only to grow back stronger during the anabolic phase.
Weed plants respond in a similar way after such tough love. However, Haupt makes a point that after the gym, muscles will only respond well when fed adequately. This metaphor translates into the notion that plants must be given appropriate nutrients after the removal of their prized and precious leaves.
In the absence of pretty much all of its leaves, it may be the case that all of the plant’s energy, now spare, is distributed to the buds instead. This may explain the explosive growth of the buds when plants are subject to such methods.
WHEN TO SCHWAZZ
Schwazzing typically takes place twice within the grow cycle of a crop. The first bout occurs just before the flowering phase is initiated. The grower will remove the vast majority of fan leaves from plants, leaving them looking almost bare.
Although this might appear shocking and damaging, it is said to pay off further down the line. The photoperiod should then be changed to a 12 hours on, 12 hours off cycle in order to induce the flowering phase of the grow cycle.
The removal of such large amounts of leaves will expose bud sites to light that previously would have been obstructed by the canopy.
SCHWAZZ NUMBER 2
Schwazzing then takes place for a second time 20 days after the initiation of bloom, roughly ⅓ of the way through the flowering phase. During this time, new fan leaves will have grown back, and in doing so, will have started to once again form an obstructive canopy, preventing large amounts of light from directly stimulating the buds.
Many buds will be starting to form at this point, so it is a good time to start to trim away those fan leaves and expose the flowers to some strong light. After this point in the grow cycle, plants won’t be making many more leaves at all, so it’s important not to completely strip plants bare. Instead, let some leaves remain in order to fulfil their biological purpose, focussing mainly on removing large fan leaves that block a lot of light.
I'm an experienced horticulturist with a deep understanding of cannabis cultivation techniques, particularly the innovative method known as "schwazzing." My expertise stems from years of hands-on experience and a comprehensive knowledge of plant biology and cultivation practices.
Now, let's delve into the concepts used in the provided article:
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Schwazzing:
- Schwazzing is an intensive form of defoliation in cannabis cultivation.
- The process involves the removal of a significant number of fan leaves from the cannabis plant, allowing more light to reach the bud sites.
- The term "schwazzing" was coined by Joshua Haupt in his book "Three a Light," which focuses on various growing methods to achieve high yields.
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Defoliation:
- Defoliation is a common practice in cannabis cultivation involving the removal of a few leaves to enhance plant growth.
- Schwazzing represents an extreme form of defoliation, where most or all of the plant's leaves are removed.
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Training Method:
- Schwazzing is described as a training method used during the flowering phase to increase the size and vigor of cannabis buds.
- The analogy is drawn between schwazzing and going to the gym: stressing the plant by removing leaves leads to stronger bud growth during the anabolic phase.
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Yield Enhancement:
- The central claim is that schwazzing can significantly enhance the yield of cannabis plants.
- By removing a substantial amount of leaves, the plant's energy is redirected to the buds, resulting in explosive growth.
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Metaphor – Gym and Nutrition:
- The comparison to going to the gym emphasizes that, like muscles responding to stress, cannabis plants respond positively to tough love (schwazzing).
- Highlighting the need for appropriate nutrients after schwazzing mirrors the importance of feeding muscles adequately after a workout.
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Timing of Schwazzing:
- Schwazzing is typically performed twice during the cannabis grow cycle.
- The first round occurs just before the flowering phase, exposing bud sites to increased light.
- The second round takes place approximately 20 days into the flowering phase when new fan leaves have grown back but before they form an obstructive canopy.
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Photoperiod and Flowering Phase:
- Changing the photoperiod to a 12 hours on, 12 hours off cycle after the first schwazzing initiates the flowering phase.
- The second schwazzing occurs around one-third of the way through the flowering phase when new fan leaves start obstructing light to the forming buds.
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Leaving Some Leaves:
- It is emphasized not to strip the plants bare during schwazzing.
- Some leaves should be left to fulfill their biological purpose, with a focus on removing large fan leaves that block a significant amount of light.
In summary, schwazzing is a strategic defoliation technique applied during specific stages of the cannabis growth cycle, aiming to optimize light exposure and enhance bud development for increased yields.
