Tutorial on Crimping Tops for a bushier plant instead of cutting them

I have done this same tutorial probably 6 times on different forums over the past 10-12 years (http://forums.cannabisculture.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=69122#Post69122
(they deleted the pictures for this one since my membership lapsed, LOL)

And I promise you that it will lead to a much bushier and healthier plant that still has it's top cola and also more "top" budsites than methods that use the actual cutting of the top stem.
And this is the reason. When you cut your main stem at the top you basically stop all growth of that main stem and loose many huge future bud sites that would have developed off of that main stem at the top and also all the growth of other limbs with bud sites at new internodes that would have come off of that main stem. So in otherwords you are "cutting" yourself short.

**I don't want this to become a big fight with you people who believe that topping your plants is the best way to do things. If you want to chop and hack your plants, have at it. It makes no difference to me. This tutorial is for people that are new to growing or are not sure what is the best way to get their plants bushier and want some options other than cutting off the top.**

DO NOT USE THIS METHOD ON PLANTS IN FLOWER. THE STEMS ARE TOO HARDENED AND THEY WILL USUALLY BREAK OFF.

So away we go. First of all you will want your plants to be approx. 12" tall before you start useing this method. Plants smaller than that usually have too delicate of a stem which leads to breaking off the tops. This is something we don't want to do, LOL!

For the example I have used my little mother plants that I want to bush up so that I have more future clone cutting sites. I will be taking progress pictures as this tutorial develops and those that want can follow along over the next few weeks to see how the plants progress and how this technique applys to not just the top, but the limbs of the entire plant until we end up with a nice dome top bush with tons of bud sites on the top.
I will end up flowering out one of the extra mother plants to take this all the way to the end too.



Next we gently (and I mean GENTLY!) crush the stem all the way around. You will feel the stem walls crush under your fingers as you do this and you will want to work your way all the way around or you will end up snapping off the stem.
I go about 1" down from the top growth, but this varies by internodal distance so you may have to adjust that measurement to accomodate your strain.


Now that the stem is crushed and soft all the way around it will look like this.


Then we just bend it over to about a 45 degree angle being carefull not to break it off.


Simple eh?

So as this heals the lower limbs will be growing up towards the top. What we are doing is slowing the growth of the top to allow more limbs to reach top of the plant and then later we will be crimping the limbs that have reached the top of the plant so that the smaller limbs on them can also reach to the top of what will become a dome.

Have fun, love your plants and they will love you back.

so basically its a carefully placed supercrop? i always thought pinching was where u pinch the very new leafs where you normally would cut for a fim and the plant wouldnt open its top until it repaired the leafs and that gave the side branches time to repair, K+ for the tut

Nice to read as I am just considering doing this very thing.

Remember Goldie locks and the three Bears? I have such a situation in that I have a big, medium and small growing mix in a confined space.

On the Big growers they face height limits and the whole crew has to share the same lights.

So, since i don't usually have to with the genetics I have grown in the past,
I should wait to 12 inches and then break the "inner curd" of the main stem and practice that on all branches reaching a general height?
Inner Curd is the correct term yes?

I can use all the trimming advice I can get as two are lanky growers from what I have seen in photos.


Jack

I have always (30 years since my father taught me this) called it crimping. It doesn't damage any leaves like this either. I can't think of any reason to ever damage the leaves on a growing plant. They are the solar panels that supply all the energy!

Practice bending just the tallest two or three leaders until the others catch up. You can pretty much get all branches to the top if you do this a few times a day. Sooner or later the first ones you bend keep tight internodes and as the lower branches shoot up, bend them. This also strengthens the stems.

JackTheGrower said:

Nice to read as I am just considering doing this very thing.

Remember Goldie locks and the three Bears? I have such a situation in that I have a big, medium and small growing mix in a confined space.

On the Big growers they face height limits and the whole crew has to share the same lights.

So, since i don't usually have to with the genetics I have grown in the past,
I should wait to 12 inches and then break the "inner curd" of the main stem and practice that on all branches reaching a general height?
Inner Curd is the correct term yes?

I can use all the trimming advice I can get as two are lanky growers from what I have seen in photos.


Jack

Click to expand...

You are correct. When the branches get up to the top of the "canopy" you can crimp them too and their branches can reach up to the top too.

I have never heard it called the inner curd, but that is just me.

I'm going to need to.. My first thought is to let it use energy in multiple branches and then ;'Crimp" ?

Mist said:

I have always (30 years since my father taught me this) called it crimping. It doesn't damage any leaves like this either. I can't think of any reason to ever damage the leaves on a growing plant. They are the solar panels that supply all the energy!

Click to expand...

yeah i tried it and it didnt do anything but give me crinkled and damaged leaves on that node, thought i messed up no more assuming LOL


its also almost like last without bending half the plant over, recently ive been thinkin of how lst works and topping, and what i knew crimping did without experimenting it, making the branches basically grow for a new dominant branch, ive had a few ideas id like to try

JackTheGrower said:

I'm going to need to.. My first thought is to let it use energy in multiple branches and then ;'Crimp" ?

Click to expand...

Yes, that is pretty much it. The "tops" that you crimp will be standing up again within 12hrs or so, but the plant is putting energy into healing the stem where you crimped it. So while this is going on the other branches are growing unimpeded and heading for their spot in the light up above. Once they reach their destination you can crimp them and let their lower branches reach for the top too.

Mist said:

You are correct. When the branches get up to the top of the "canopy" you can crimp them too and their branches can reach up to the top too.

I have never heard it called the inner curd, but that is just me.

Click to expand...

Heh! I'm asking you LOL!

Anyone read it called the Inner Curd or hurd or something like that?

Jack

I must read this! Not now, as I'm too high to follow it.. but I'll be back!

Thanks!!

lol...i think we used to call it "smashing the stem and bending it over".
aka: supercropping

This can be done to plants well into flowering stage.

hoosierdaddy said:

lol...i think we used to call it "smashing the stem and bending it over".
aka: supercropping

This can be done to plants well into flowering stage.

Click to expand...

I guess it is pretty much the same by some peoples definition. I have been doing it so long that I really never payed much attention to what others were calling it.

This is what I thought SuperCropping refered to>

http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-growing/6971-supercropping.html

That refers to something a bit different than what I am doing but with simular results I imagine. It seems like things are called by different terms in different regions and the names of these methods have been a bit blurred on the forums.

It is still an effective method whatever you like to call it that people are interested in and I will continue the tutorial. And I still don't recomend doing this in the flowering stage. By the time you put them into flower there shouldn't be any need to continue doing it.
Thanks for your input too.

hoosierdaddy said:

lol...i think we used to call it "smashing the stem and bending it over".
aka: supercropping

This can be done to plants well into flowering stage.

Click to expand...

most people supercrop the main cola(s) so that the stem gets fatter to provide more nutrients to them, when he crushes the stem its like lst, while being a little forcefully persuading with the top

very interesting i like doing this in flower to plants that grow to taller then rest of canopy, i'll pinch and bend it over 90 egree.

heres another method to achieve more growth it involves cutting the new growth tip leaves 1-2 sets grow out cut but rest grow proper.

FIM

Thanks bro i am going to try this with my current grow so i can veg a bit longer with my Jack o nesia that will stretch 2-3 times
Thanks for the tips
peace and good harvests

Waiting for 12"

Waiting for 12"

We will see.. Waiting for 12 inches at 4 now..


Jack

Thanks for posting.

ahhh
supercropping, or pinching, or stalling

great technique no matter what you call it.

Mist said:

I can't think of any reason to ever damage the leaves on a growing plant. They are the solar panels that supply all the energy!

Click to expand...

Canopy control (be it ScrOG, Super Crop, LST) is the only area in which I'd disagree with that. Bending causes explosive side growth, folding can cause plants to over lap. The canopy becomes incredibly dense and moisture starts to collect. When I see leaves soaking wet, I'll pull the lower leaf. If leaves are dry and in the light, I'm with you. Leaves are our batteries.