What’s Schwazzing technique and how to apply it

Every grower’s aim is to improve their yields and heightens potency. With a view to achieve its maximum potential, different aspects such as the ground, the air circulation or the light, must be controlled. In order to expose the whole plant to more light, there are many types of pruning, among which is the Schwazzing technique.

The Schwazzing technique and the term itself were developed by Joshua Haupt. He’s the book ‘Three A Light’ author; and refers to this training method which helps to attain 3 pounds or 1,4 kg of cannabis, with only one light. Its name is due to the noise that the scissors make during defoliation.

What’s the Schwazzing technique?

It’s a type of trimming method for cannabis plants. It involves an extreme defoliation, removing all fan leaves at different moments during flowering. By doing so, plants will absorb more light as well as creating more space to improve ventilation and light penetration. On the other hand, the plant’s energy is focused on flowers and productivity.

Besides permitting an equitable distribution of light, the aim is to cause a controlled stress enough to increase buds production. When getting more light, the CO2 and O2 exchange grows, while the risk of mold and plagues decreases.

Defoliation has been used for many years and is very similar to Schwazzing but not as intense; in an attempt to build on crops and get higher cannabis plant yields.

Advantages and disadvantages of Schwazzing

Benefits of this type of pruning

• Facilitates air circulation, increasing light penetration throughout the plant structure.
• Stimulates the distribution and production of substances such as auxins and cytokinins.
• Promotes flower development.
• Boosts the final yield.

Risks of this technique

• Causes stressful situations in the plant. Fan leaves, which play a key role in the plant’s health all over the crop cycle, need supervision. They’re responsible for the reception of carbon dioxide or the release of oxygen.
• The results can be variable depending on the variety grown.
• A lot of experience in growing cannabis will be helpful to be able to apply pruning.
• If you want to guarantee good results, test ir before on a small scale; then you can apply this method to the whole crop.

How to perform the Schwazzing technique?

To be able to perform this technique you will simply need a pair of sharp, clean scissors, along with a large dose of patience. Indeed, this is a task that must be carried out with caution.

The first thing to do when applying this pruning is to study the genetics that are most stable and stress tolerant. Also, an 18/6 photoperiod is suitable for this vegetation; his cycle should change to 12/12 when the flowering process begins.

Thus, this method is done in two times, on day 1 and day 20. These have been selected for trimming due to the state of development of the roots at that time. After day 20, pruning can be detrimental to the plant. I can be more of a risk than a benefit for them, as they focus all their potential on production. On the other hand, it is very important to finish Schwazzing the whole room on the same day.

Steps to follow:

• Remove the fan leaves before the flowering phase begins. This should be done before switching to the 12/12 light cycle. The focus is on removing the largest leaves, which allows as much light as possible to enter. The aim is to leave the plants practically bare.

• Day 20, prune only the largest leaves. Carry out this step 20 days after the previous pruning, when these leaves have grown again. In this case, the aim is to expose the buds that are just starting to appear to the light. However, it is important not to cut off all the leaves; simply observe which ones do not allow the light to reach the buds.

To carry out this method, it is advisable to work your way from the bottom to the top, removing the fan leaves that are present. One way to check that it worked is to place your hand on the ground and check that the light reaches it.

The Schwazzing method can be very useful, especially for more experienced growers. However, due to its aggressiveness, it can cause irreparable damage. Factors such as nutrients, quantities and time must be taken into account when performing the Schwazzing method. For more information or if you have any doubts, you can refer to the book “Three a Light” where it is explained in detail.