[_the420guy]

Good read!

[Kodiak]

Thanks, I'm glad that you found it helpful.

I have been topping, training and scrogging my plants for several years now and that is the only thing that makes sense to me when it comes to growing indoors, especially if limited space is of concern.

When the LST trained plants go into flowering, remember to remove all the weaker branches that draw energy from the stronger main shoots. This is very important because if you leave every single branch on the plant, it will take much longer to finish and a lot of the energy that the plant distributes to these lesser branches and shoots is completely wasted in the end.

It is however a gradual process and remove only a few branches now and then. If you remove everything in one go, the plant might get stunted and slow down considerably for up to a few weeks. Only remove thin branches and inferior shoots, leave the fan leafs be as the plant wil eventually draw energy from them and drop them once they no longer serve a purpose.

[rando]

A couple of questions:

1) I plan to flower in about a week, at this point would I be better off just leaving them alone or is topping them still a viable/useful option?

2) How much stress does topping cause to the plant? I will be cutting clones in the next couple of days as well and don't want to overdo it and cause them to slow down too much or stunt them.

Thanks.

[Kodiak]

I wouldn't top them at this stage but you can still LST train them by tying down branches if you like. That way they will stay low and you'll get an even canopy with many flowering shoots, if you can manage to bend the stem without breaking it that is. If the stems are too rigid I would leave them be. Only top them in flowering if you really have to, most of the time you can redirect the branches by bending them horizontally and tying them down. The shoots will make the turn upwards within a day or two and continue growing from there. You can repeat this process many times without and achieve the same results without topping them.

Topping the plant during veg can be considered low stress as long as you don't top the plants while they are still very young or remove too many shoots at once. Some plants do not like to be topped and will get stunted but this is individual so you will just have to try and see how it goes.

[jamrockjay]

U gotta have patience growing some of those sativas (respect kodiak), one day i hope to grow something a little exoctic...

Equilibrium, i love ur self topping plant, she is a awsome looking plant a nice and healthy looking

[Equilibrium]

Originally Posted by Kodiak

You can keep topping them several times over if you like, Equilibrium. They will grow bushier each time, try tying down some branches and you will see how LST works.

I have no picture of FIM topping but perhaps someone else could post a good pic here if they have one. It's not that complicated, just cut the top shoot so that you leave a bit of the leaf tissue left on the plant.

Happy Growing and Keep it Green

Your topic got stickied! Congrats, it's more than deserved.
I think I'll top them one more time before flowering, so I'll have 4 main colas. I'll leave one or two big buds untouched to see the difference.

About the FIM, I think I got it so I'll try to do it the next time. Thanks again for all the advices Kodiak. :smile:

Originally Posted by jamrockjay

U gotta have patience growing some of those sativas (respect kodiak), one day i hope to grow something a little exoctic...

Equilibrium, i love ur self topping plant, she is a awsome looking plant a nice and healthy looking

Thanks Jamrockjay. I must say she's one of my favorites, I was going to trash her and she just did an awesome job. The only thing is that she's late on the numbers of internodes compared to the others, but I think it's normal.

[Kodiak]

Thanks Equilibrium, It's really an honor and I am happy that so many people found the guide useful, or at least entertaining.

Good idea, the untopped colas will most likely become dominant and grow a bit taller than the topped ones but you will be able to see the difference between the two, which will help you to make up your mind on how to grow in the future. It all depends on your setup and preference really.

I always try to get an even canopy on all the plants due to height issues but sometimes that is difficult as I grow both indicas and sativas and everyhting in between. This time around I had to do some early flowering LST just to keep some of the plants in check. I also have one untopped plant that stopped stretching at just the right height so I will also get one big main cola for a change. All the bud gets trimmed and manicured in the end so it does not matter that much how they were grown. The really important things are quality and quantity.

[nuitari]

This is the best pictorial thread about topping that I've ever seen.Great info.

[shmooothsmoke]

now that i like! good work! im slow training a hindu kush ,ive recently had to repot her,removed all the soil from the root ball and repotted in canna terra plus she now loving it and its a struggle to keep up with her. shes got so many growing tips its awsome.really loving this method!! topped 2 out of the 6 and fim'd another 2 all looking awsome they now in bud and the nyd are looking quality!!top top chop chop!!!

My problem is hazes ref above are on 11/13 and week 17 they just fatten up bu budds never tighten...im about to turn them into oil