A Complete Guide to Topping, Training and Pruning

[Sourbear]

Hi guys, I'm glad that you enjoyed the guide.

BigBear, I don't think that you will have time to top the plants twice within 2 weeks. It might take a bit longer but you can also top them in early flowering, as long as they are strong enough for it. Top too soon and you might not get the results that you are hoping for. Watch and see how it goes.

Yeah, training the plants during the first two weeks of flowering is not a bad idea since you can reduce the stretch by working with them during this time. LST or low stress training can be done after that if you feel like it's necessary. I would not remove much growth once the plants start flowering. Perhaps some of the lower branches that take up too much energy, but that's about it.

Good Luck

Yeah we had a few change of plans here in the grow tent.
We decided that due to how big the plants where already they didn't need more veg. and how well they where taking to the transplant, we just topped them once about 5 days ago and flipped them in to flower today after 24 hours of darkness. I was fearing that they will stretch to much and I will have really big plants, which I'm just trying to start a perpetual thing.

The topping went well, the plants are over the "confusion" stage as you mentioned and new growth has started EVERYWHERE. some as new as 4 shoots have popped up on two of the plants.

We had 5 strains two doubles and 1 other.
So we took one each of the extras and decided to mother them out and get clones to start a perpetual grow and just add plants weekly into the flower room and see how that works.

Also another question.
Last night in the 24 hours of darkness right before flower, I was looking at our Grand Daddy Purple plant and I was looking where the second topping spot would be, but I did not plan on doing a second topping until early in flower or not at all. But I accidentally did... don't ask how.... but it was topped right where it was supposed to be.

I'm kinda worried for the plant since this is my first experience growing/topping. About 4-5 days ago they got their first toppings and showed new growth already, some ALOT MORE than other. so I think they took to the first topping really well.

But I'm not sure how the GDP will handle getting a second topping from having it just done 5 days ago, during the transition to flower. (accident happened about 4 hours before the light started its 12/12 schedule.) I looked at the second node of the plant and the second node already has 6 fan leafs off it. And thats above the recommended amount right? 5 on the second node? Idk I just hope I didn't hurt anything by accidentally topping it like that right before flower.


Also different strains take to topping differently....

The Gran Daddy Purple, which is an Indica dominate only sprouted 2 new shoots but all the fan leafs just got FAT, and the stems near the topping got THICK, but not to much new growth.

As for the Durban Poison, my Sativa of choice
the new growth is insane, new shoots, 4 of them in-fact near the topping and the leafs are long and skinny and getting bigger every day.

The Alaskan Thunder Fuck, my hybrid of choice
Has just started new growth EVERYWHERE lol
4 new shoots at the top and all the lower stuff bulked up and got new growth too.

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

Kodiak - thank you for an AMAZING guide.

Everyone - I made a linked PDF of Kodiak's guide so it's more convenient to carry around on my Blackberry - if anyone's interested, please feel free to download it from: http://gorestep.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/How-to-Improve-on-Your-Harvest.pdf

Kodiak - I hope you don't mind - I fully credited you in the document - if it's an issue, please let me know and I'll pull the file down right away!

 

[Kodiak]

Hi BigBear, you've got some nice plants there. Loved the scent on the old school Durban Skunk that I grew outdoors a few years back. I don't think that you have anything to worry about. As long as the plants are standing, they will recover. Sounds like they might even need some encouragement. Cannabis is a weed after all and it grows almost as fast as bamboo. I'm sure that they will catch up and fill out nicely. Topping the plant causes it some stress but I don't think that there will be any major snags. Some plants even thrive when you prune them, you'll know soon enough how it worked out. Sounds like they are doing good so far.

A little bit of stress-testing is always in order. Stable and strong plants are after all what we are looking for.

Hi IncredibowlBoss. No worries. Thanks for taking the time and putting it together. I was planning on doing it myself but never got around to it. The idea was to link it to the top of the guide so that people can download the whole thing, pictures included. I try to find some time for that project later on.

Keep up the good work guys

 

[Sourbear]

Hi BigBear, you've got some nice plants there. Loved the scent on the old school Durban Skunk that I grew outdoors a few years back. I don't think that you have anything to worry about. As long as the plants are standing, they will recover. Sounds like they might even need some encouragement. Cannabis is a weed after all and it grows almost as fast as bamboo. I'm sure that they will catch up and fill out nicely. Topping the plant causes it some stress but I don't think that there will be any major snags. Some plants even thrive when you prune them, you'll know soon enough how it worked out. Sounds like they are doing good so far.

A little bit of stress-testing is always in order. Stable and strong plants are after all what we are looking for.

Hi IncredibowlBoss. No worries. Thanks for taking the time and putting it together. I was planning on doing it myself but never got around to it. The idea was to link it to the top of the guide so that people can download the whole thing, pictures included. I try to find some time for that project later on.

Keep up the good work guys

Mmm durban skunk sounds like it would have a hashy smell....
The Durban Poison smelled like a real strong hashy type juice... like one of those LOST juice energy drinks.

The Grand Daddy Purple, pure grapes... the big as purple grapes with seeds that taste like heaven.

And the Alaskan, its like... spearment...its got a sweet minty mild smell....

CANT wait and this is 3 days into flower lol.

I think the topping was fine, the plants have only improved and the GDP started new growth from the accidental second topping.

I will get some pictures up to see if I topped in the right spots and what not!

Also I'm not sure if some LST would be worth doing

Currently i'm doing a perpetual grow, adding 8 plants in 1 gal pots every 2 weeks. But the 3 girls i got in there now have been topped and vegged for 2 weeks lol.

The other ones i will be bringing in wont be topped just flowered out.

But for these 3 big guys I have some gardening wire string, stuff to low stress train super easy. But im not sure whats the best way to LST i will have to re-read the guide!

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

Hi IncredibowlBoss. No worries. Thanks for taking the time and putting it together. I was planning on doing it myself but never got around to it. The idea was to link it to the top of the guide so that people can download the whole thing, pictures included. I try to find some time for that project later on.

Keep up the good work guys

I tried to get all the pics in there laid out so they're easy to see - also, if you click on the By Kodiak on ICMag, it links to the top of the thread

Let me know if you'd like to see it any different and I'd be more than happy to take responsibility for maintaining the document - I already have dispensaries around here asking me to reformat it into a booklet they can offer patients (for free, of course).

 

[Sourbear]

here is the Alaskan thunder fuck I topped, it's new growth in 5 days has blown me away.
thanks for the guide again lol

 

[Kodiak]

Hi BigBear. The Durban Skunk actually smelled like a mix of anise and liquorice, pretty sweet. I've heard that the ATF is an awesome plant. By the looks of it, they could probably use an extra week or two in 12/12, juding by their size. You can scrog them if you want and then LST as they grow through the net. You have several options here. You could also do a vertical scrog if you feel like it. Just bend or super crop. Here's an example.

Great work IncredibowlBoss Pretty awesome to see it as a stand-alone guide. I think that it looks pretty good. There were a few gaps on some of the pages but other than that it's great. Either way, it does the job. I feel pretty honored now when you say that people want this in booklet form. That must mean that I did a good job putting it together. Perhaps I should get started on that book after all

As long as the guide is free for all, I have aboslutely no problem with people sharing it, especially if it can help medical growers to grow better herb.

I will also add a link to the pdf document to the guide so that people can download it from there. If you feel that my grow guide deserves the same attention, please feel free to save that one as well as a pdf.

Grow Guide

Thanks a bunch man.

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

Whoa! Fuck yeah, Kodiak - that grow guide is chock full of awesome stuff! I'm gonna take a little more time with this one so I can make sure all the graphics look proper - I'll shoot you a message once I've got it in a draft form (probably by Friday).

 

[Kodiak]

Awesome! You did a really good job on the first one, linking all the chapters etc. Apart from the small gaps on a few of the pages, it's perfect, so I'm looking forward to seeing the grow guide complied as well.

The first one is now linked in at the end of the guide.

I'm sure that people are going to love them. Please keep me informed on updates etc.

 

[Sourbear]

Hi BigBear. The Durban Skunk actually smelled like a mix of anise and liquorice, pretty sweet. I've heard that the ATF is an awesome plant. By the looks of it, they could probably use an extra week or two in 12/12, juding by their size. You can scrog them if you want and then LST as they grow through the net. You have several options here. You could also do a vertical scrog if you feel like it. Just bend or super crop. Here's an example.

Yeah i've heard Durban strains smelling like Liquorice.
And the ATF plant I'm so excited about, Its not the Mantuka thunder fuck, which is a low yielder with about 12% thc content.
But the Alaskan thunder fuck is a Northern lights crossed with something, can't remember off hand, but the strains came from the University in Oakland so I trust they are the right strains.


I put them in 12/12 5 days ago, they are now nearing there first week completion of 12/12. I really don't plan on doing much with these 3 plants, Besides knuckling(super cropping) some. The reason for that is, I plan on adding 31 more plants in the room. 8 every 2 weeks or so to start my perpetual grow. I plan on getting clones rootbound in rockwool cubes then putting them into 1 gal pots and flowering them out single cola SOG style, these 3 are just bigger and topped for experimenting lol.

 

[Kodiak]

Yeah ok, I see what you mean. I would not train the plants too much in SOG either since you only want the main cola from a bunch of smaller plants.

Good luck with your grow

 

[MickeyBlue42]

brilliant! Thanks so much

 

[Farmer Stealth]

Don't know if I missed it or not but when do you recomend first topping a plant?

I got 9 Fem AK48s from Gypsy Nirvana, about 3 weeks old, that are about 5" to 6" tall. They were sprouted under a 2' 4 bulb T5 and I just put them under a 600w 3 days ago and so far it looks GOOD.
Just wondering when I should top em'?

Thank y'all.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Don't know if I missed it or not but when do you recomend first topping a plant?

I got 9 Fem AK48s from Gypsy Nirvana, about 3 weeks old, that are about 5" to 6" tall. They were sprouted under a 2' 4 bulb T5 and I just put them under a 600w 3 days ago and so far it looks GOOD.
Just wondering when I should top em'?

Thank y'all.

It depends on a lot like how long u plan to veg for, what strain, what u want ur plant too look like yada yada. im sure you can top now it you want..... itll slow down the stetch if it is stretching. I prefer LST or scrogg over topping.

 

[Kodiak]

You can top the plant when it has 4 or 5 leaf pairs but I usually wait until I see secondary growth at the lower nodes. Once they show up, you can safely remove the top.

Try FIM topping, you might get four tops instead of two.

 

[Sourbear]

So... within a 3 week period... my plant accidentally got topped 2 more times than just the one time I had planned...Yet the plant that was topped is bushier and healthier looking than the rest, it got a topping 1 week before flower, accidental topping during the 24 hours of darkness before flower, then 7 days into flower, another accidental topping, yet my grand daddy purple is thriving like crazy!

Here is the GDP that accidentally got 3 toppings

And here is the Alaskan Thunder Fuck that only got one topping

 

[Kodiak]

Very nice plants BigBear

Green and healthy. Yeah, that just goes to show that there are no set rules for how you should treat your plant. Even plants that come from the same pack of seeds can be very different depending on the strain. Usually you get at least two different phenotypes.

I like to stress-test the plants for hermaphroditism and that also gives me an indea of how much they can handle. The outdoor environment is the ultimate test. Some plants perish while others shine when they are pushed to the limit. Overall resistance is very high on my list along with potency.

Keep up the good work

 

[Howard Marks]

Hi
I have fimed my plant today, its in day 21 of veg, have 5 sets of leaves and have secondary lower leaves too. Its my first grow, my first fim so i thought ill posta picture of the cutting. Did i do it well? Can you tell me by this pic or just time will tel me?

P.S. its a White Rhino

 

[Farmer Stealth]

What have I got goin on here? Topped about 3-4 days ago.


I thought they should look like this,

 

[High Country]

What have I got goin on here? Topped about 3-4 days ago.


I thought they should look like this,

Looks like you might have FIMMED it, multiple branches are been produced, well done.