should I top my plants
- Thread starter crazybear
- Start date
durka_durka420
Member
if you use clones you barley need to top your plants..if using seed i top mine smaller so they can begin to bush out sooner but thats just me i top when theres about 4 nodes on the plant....
MAZEinaHAZE
Member
i would say that topping for height restrictions is a must....and topping otherwise is a preference.
durka_durka420
Member
i agree with penguin indicas really bush out on thier own but if you top....they really get going as it allows the side shoots to grow out and reach level of center stem one indica i lst'd all the side branches and left main branch straight was like a space ship taking off from a ring of smaller buds hehe.....but that same strain/pheno(clone) grown in same media is insanly bushy its a fairly rare(to my knowledge) pheno of female seeds purple maroc...but indica clones in general bush ALOT its crazy(first time with a clone) but to answer your question top at the 5-7th node and wait for the bush to form!
I would take clones...and do an experiment. Top one and not the others. Some strains like it, and others do not.
If height is an issue...than go for it. If height is not an issue...unless you are taking clones...I would not bother with topping them.
If height is an issue...than go for it. If height is not an issue...unless you are taking clones...I would not bother with topping them.
I dun wanna hijack this guys thread...but I found myself asking the same question a few hours ago.
The two on the right are pretty much twins from seed. Both 9" tall and with 7 nodes a piece. (I fucked up n' they stretched last week.)
I wanna chop their tops because , a)the flower room is still as hot as molten magma...I'm working on it. b) they're to be SCRoG'ed with the screen at the 10" mark.
I reckon the topping will hopefully stunt the buggers for a week, which is enough time for me to get the flower cab sorted out.
So in your opinion.....???
5th
The two on the right are pretty much twins from seed. Both 9" tall and with 7 nodes a piece. (I fucked up n' they stretched last week.)
I wanna chop their tops because , a)the flower room is still as hot as molten magma...I'm working on it. b) they're to be SCRoG'ed with the screen at the 10" mark.
I reckon the topping will hopefully stunt the buggers for a week, which is enough time for me to get the flower cab sorted out.
So in your opinion.....???
5th
Penguin59
Member
Yeah for sure 5th. Topping is just a good idea in any case IMHO. As long as your lights are close enough to the plants you can afford to let the plant spend a bit of time bulking up. It's only going to increase your budding sites and therefore your yield.
If you're using the Scrog method then topping is the only way to go because the side laterals & growing tips is wat you want to be growing tall, not the main stem.
The only time i wouldnt top is in the SOG style. This is just to make fuck off big colas like Dr.BudGreenGenes does. Check him out, he's awesome!
Good luck,
Penguin
If you're using the Scrog method then topping is the only way to go because the side laterals & growing tips is wat you want to be growing tall, not the main stem.
The only time i wouldnt top is in the SOG style. This is just to make fuck off big colas like Dr.BudGreenGenes does. Check him out, he's awesome!
Good luck,
Penguin
dankydoodle
Member
Good reason right there not to top. I prefer SOG, for yield, and speedy grow cycle from clone to bud. But if time isn't an issue, and space is not a problem, definately top them and veg a little longer for max yield. SCROGing IMO would need to be topped at least once in the beginning, and then the resulting growing tips can be trained under the screen. So yeah.
Thanks for the speedy reply Penguin59. Yeah I don't think there are many threads on here I haven't read geared towards what I wanted to do. The Dr. is truly a great grower and an excellent teacher. Thundrkle(sp?) and Anti are prime examples of taking his proven method, tweaking it, and coming out like a champ.
Yeah I want to put the screen on at about 10", then veg for another three or four weeks.
Post Script: to the left of the pic you can see some clones that were gifted to me as well as some Blueberry seedlings. Gonna leave a few inches beside the scrog screen available to turn them into "fuck off big colas"
Thanks again.
5th
Yeah I want to put the screen on at about 10", then veg for another three or four weeks.
Post Script: to the left of the pic you can see some clones that were gifted to me as well as some Blueberry seedlings. Gonna leave a few inches beside the scrog screen available to turn them into "fuck off big colas"
Thanks again.
5th
I should of added a little more information their from seed bagseed, and I did top them. I hope I topped in the correct place I pinched off the top hopefully I didn't screw-up, if I did screw-up I'm used to it so please correct me. Thanks everybody, this site is filled with very helpful people, just what a newb needs.
I hear that. I looked at tons of pictures here n' elsewhere before I got cut happy....but it's two days later and I've noticed no stunting whatsoever. Matter o' fact the growth from the new "tops" is looking pretty damn good. Hows yours looking?
dankydoodle
Member
Veg for as long as it takes to fill all the area of the screen with the plant. Then flip to 12/12 and you will make the most out of it. May take a little longer veg time but will be well worth the wait. Once the main stems have covered the entire screen (under side of screen), the many side shoots will grow vertically into many nice colas once flowering is induced.
I have had this same question, a lil trial and error, and found that topping isn't the best, in my quest I found out that Supercropping, is the answer for any problem. If you have height, space, or jus want control of things, go with supercropping.
When I used to top I would get, for example, 2 oz per plant. Now with doing supercropping, I'm getn more than 3-3.5 oz per plant. I have tried this on several strains, and some do jus prefer topping, or jus being left alone to do it's thing.
If have any questions on supercropping, jus ask around, or look around in here.. There is alot of info on it. Good luck, man.
When I used to top I would get, for example, 2 oz per plant. Now with doing supercropping, I'm getn more than 3-3.5 oz per plant. I have tried this on several strains, and some do jus prefer topping, or jus being left alone to do it's thing.
If have any questions on supercropping, jus ask around, or look around in here.. There is alot of info on it. Good luck, man.
Penguin59
Member
That's true, deviant1. But supercropping you need to tweak the internal hormone levels of a plant in order for it to supercrop of its own accord. Topping or FIM-ing is a simple process that anyone can do however supercropping usually requires the grower to flower a plant out & harvest its main colas, then reveg it with only a few growing tips and hope that its hormone levels go crazy so that it supercrops itself. A lot of plants will always supercrop if you do this, but some plants wont.
Penguin
Penguin
So help out a dumb f**k , what is supercropping? Or maybe I'm not a dumb f**k & just too much tramadol & rum lastnite!
dankydoodle
Member
Man super cropping is as simple as can be. No re-vegging for wild hormones needed. Just below a growing tip, where the stem is still green and fleshy, just give it a nice pinch until you feel the stem crush slightly under the pressure. If done right, the stem will flop over a bit, but don't worry, it will heal itself and within days, or less it will resume growing. This accomplishes the same thing as topping or FIM'ing, which stands for FUCK I MISSED! Same as topping basically. Cropping will encourage branching, but allows you to keep the main tips intact. Those are where the biggest buds usually form anyway. Got it? Peace.
I don't think there's one universal answer ... depends on the strain, it's growth pattern, your grow set up, space requirements, etc. Super cola's will , with many strains, yield more, but if you've got any humidity to deal with, 4 smaller colas better than one giant DD.
That being said, I agree with the majority here saying that in most cases, top 'em.
That being said, I agree with the majority here saying that in most cases, top 'em.
i used to only do 1 or 2 tops but now im realizing its not enough. on my next run they have been topped like 4-5 times. way more cola action in the top tiers now...i really hate growing plants only topped two times because then you only have two colas and a ton of unused space in the top canopy....
