The process of cutting the fan leaves during the flowering stage will be the same when you're cutting leaves during the vegetation stage. In case you're not familiar with this process, here's how to do it: Prune large leaves that are covering the bud sites. Then, remove dead or drying fan leaves. Do it slowly and in an alternating pattern. For the pruning, use a pair of pruning scissors for it. NOTE: For pruning, make sure that you do it in a week-to-week interval. Pruning regularly can do damage to the plant.