Seeking Truth

Somebody help me save my plant!
I'm just sure this is going to sound like a "girl question" but here goes. I'm a first time plant grower. I only have one little plant growing in my back yard (very well protected) It's about 4 maybe 5 ft. tall and is loaded with buds! Dark green leafy thing, just not very dense at the bottom! My lower leaves are yellow and sparse. The buds are about an inch or two long now. When I transplanted it the first week in July I put a hand full of Asmacote in the hole first, dropped the plant in the hole, said a prayer and covered it's roots and prayed over it again My question is this. What is causing my lower leaves to turn yellow? Should I be pinching them off? And most importently........What should I be doing to the buds? What's with all the green leaves that are inner twining with the bud? Should I be trying to pinch them away? Should I still be topping them? I'm really excited about this plant! I've never seen one grow and actually produce something. Will somebody PLEASE let me know if I need to be doing anything to it other than watering it, watching it grow and doing a "little prayer dance for the gods"
Peace be with you ALL!

buzzmobile

As long as you are not watering your plant too much, flowering is causing leaves to turn yellow. As flowering continues the plant will look worse and worse as the Nitrogen in the big fan leaves is used up and they turn yellow and drop. The small leaves surrounding your buds are just fine and need no removal. Topping now is not an option. By doing so now you would only lose buds and not gain anything.

Do whatever dance you feel like, but don't worry too much about the plant. It knows what to do.

Seeking Truth

Thank you for the advice. Now, however I have a BIGGER problem! The rain! It's been raining now for 2 solid days. Not hard, just lot's of it. I went out this morning to check on my plant and the brush surrounding it has been washed out and all bent over and hanging over it. I moved everything away but as I was doing so, my plant SPLIT! Right at the base of the plant! One branch had branched off and begun growing streight up and had lots of buds on it. I guess with the rain, the weight of the other brush laying on it over night weakened it. I gave my plant just a little shake to remove the access water and it flipp'en split right down the middle of the stalk. I quickly dug a small hole and put the branch in the ground hoping it will do something other than die. Then I covered the exposed part of the base of it with potting soil as to cover the wound. Am I screwed? Will it survive the brutal disruption of growth