Cut last lady at the 3rd day of week 9. Probably too early. I caught some mold and was afraid of getting more of it, and wanted to finish the cycle in general since I need to disassemble the box soonish.
I think this is the most controversial topic around growing cannabis and it is very difficult to find a good side by side comparison online. I plan to do one on my next grow.
At the moment I defoliate. My thought is that it will increase air flow and will direct the plants energy to the appropriate place. I generally do a first defoliation right before flower and then another after 21 days.
Hopefully this helps! Happy Growing!