RE: stretch - since I use side-lighting, I have observed ZERO stretch for this grow. I think maybe the top of one plant might have stretched (i.e. continued to grow) about 6 inches after 12 / 12 initiation.
If anything, the lower branches grow more horizontally towards the light, and the whole plant will "spread" as it "stretches" itself (?) towards the horizontal light.
This is why I would like to try my U-L-T-I-M-A-T-E lighting set up to make the light pervade everywhere like the sun.
The Sun's Light pervades everywhere. It is not from one direction only as people have wrongly posted here. The sunlights light is refracted through our atmosphere and is reflected from everywhere in all directions. Plants get sunlight from all directions: direct light, refracted light, reflected light...
Stretch proves nothing about fan leaves / SLASH / trimming.
Though I think there is something about the statement that cutting the adjacent leaves stop feeding the bud. Yes, I agree these leaves HELP to feed the bud, but I think the whole plant is attached, so it compensates by drawing resources from elsewhere.