A Complete Guide to Topping, Training and Pruning

[Kodiak]

You could trim some of the lower branches if they look like they are just using up energy and will never really flower properly beyond the occasional "popcorn" bud. This is usually the case as these branches receive less light than the rest of the plant and thereby become energy sinks. Since you are almost 3 weeks into flowering, you can probably tell which branches would qualify for removal.

On the other hand you could leave them on and then harvest the plant in two goes, the top half first and then the lower half.

It's up to you but personally I don't think that it's worth the wait. In case you have a mixed indica/sativa grow it's another deal, then you could easily leave the lower half of the plant to flower on while the sativas mature. If all your plants will finish at the same time, then you could consider removing some of the lower branches so that the plant will direct more energy into the larger main colas.

 

[Elite]

Excellent work Kodiak !!

Great for newbies and those of us that forgot more than we know...

Elite

 

[Smoke Kush]

very helpful, thanks for the info
sk

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.

It's always good to know your options from the start.

Training your plants also makes vegging a bit more interesting.

 

[SmokyMtnToker]

Just a note for MANDALA growers: Be careful with how much you FIM the Hashberry strain; I used FIM a lot during the early weeks of the growth of a particular plant and now it is TOO thick !! The FIMMING produced so many new shoots that it is almost impossible to see any branch t all; it is all leaf and hairs and so thick that light cannot penetrate hardly at all. I have to tie down and open up the mddle just to get it going.

So caution to all: Some strains need only moderate FIM...something to ponder.

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks for the info SmokyMtnToker, ýou made a good point there, sometimes less is more. I just ordered the Mandala Hashberry and Satori so I'll keep that in mind.

I am still fairly sure that any plant can be grown in any space as long as the right training method is applied. Some plants require more training while others require less, like SmokyMtnToker pointed out. Plants are individual as well as strain specific. Some don't require any training at all and produce the most amount of bud when left untopped.

Topping and training serve two purposes; mainly to increase the yeild but also to gain some control over the stretch in grow areas where height is an issue. Topping the plant also gives us more options on how to train it but sometimes you have to decide which branches to keep and which to remove.

The training becomes counterproductive if the end result is that you have to remove a lot of growth. The energy that the plant spent on growing all those branches and leafs that you remove was therefore wasted. It is better to remove these branches early on so that less energy is spent on them and more on the larger main cola/colas. Topping and LST'in work well together as you can shape the plant as you see fit. Most cannabis strains respond quite well to LST training so it's a matter of picturing in your mind what the plant might look like once the training is complete. I mean, you can train a plant to grow into a any desired shape, it's all up to the imagination.

Sometimes you don't have to remove anything at all. This time round I only topped my plants twice and then flowered them once they had branched out a little. I intend to leave as much growth as I can on the plant. It all depends on the grow and how you train the plants.

I think that they will fill out the scrog net quite nicely, still allowing for some light to reach the lower nodes. I will probably have to remove some of the lower branches as these usually draw energy from the main colas.

With a lot of topping and LST training I could have just one plant occupying the same space. Take a look at this example. That's some serious training right there.

Plants that stretch a lot can be kept shorter with LST training while heavily topped plants will befenit from a scrog. With a bit more time you can LST train your plants without ever topping or pinching them. Sometimes you can use every trick in the book. If you have a lot of space, you can grow some real monster plants by vegging them for a longer time, allowing the roots to gain size. Sometimes a single massive plant can yield more than a whole bunch of smaller ones. It all depends really.

Happy Growing

 

[Jamerican63]

Freaking Awesome

Freaking Awesome

Thanks for the great information!!!

 

[irieeyes808]

I just can't help myself I always top my plants. Great threads, made for an interesting night.

 

[Kodiak]

Yeah, I have the same problem. I always top the plants at least once.. or maybe twice

 

[Hank Hemp]

Great Quide

Great Quide

Wish I had seen this twenty years ago! I just went out and am trying that super cropping on a few of my C99XWW. We`ll see hey.

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks Hank. That C99xWW sure sounds like a winner.

The best of luck with your grow.

 

[Genetics]

This thread is helpful

 

[afgooey]

very informative even for the experianced grower,thanks

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks, I am glad that so many are finding this thread useful. Training your plants adds a whole new dimension to growing. I guess you could say that it's an art form just like bonsai gardening.

Keep it green.

Kodiak

 

[Securityfirst]

Thanks , nice tutorial

 

[rasputin]

Kodiak, this is a great resource. Props man for putting this out there.

I've got a Q for ya, tho... a buddy and I were wondering if when topping the cut need be on angle? I go straight across, he hasn't done it yet and when we talked about it he said it's gotta be on an angle so when his our ready for it he's going to do that. But that's a good week or two away so we wanted to see what the popular opinion is in the meantime.
I jus told him I didn't think it needed to be, I've seen it typically straight across. So should I be cutting on an angle or should my boy go right across?

 

[Kodiak]

Thanks guys.

I my opinion it makes no difference whether the cut is straight or diagonal, the plant will behave in the same way. Furthermore, the diagonal cut makes the surface area of the cut greater which means that more of the inner tissue becomes exposed. This in turn increases the risk of diseases, mold and so on.

I would recommend making the cut straight across and you should also leave a little bit of stem intact below the cut. It will later on dry up and fall off. If you make the cut too close to the nodes you could possibly get problems but in my experience it is very rare that topping a plant in any way would cause any problems at all.

Also, some people go to great lengths to keep everything sterile. I used to do that but got lazy later on and noticed that it makes no difference. Sometimes I just pinch or twist away the top shoot if I forget to bring scissors to the grow room. These plants of ours are quite sturdy after all so I don't think that there is any reason to worry. Not that there is anything wrong with playing it safe, especially if the grow environment is high in humidity.

Usually it makes no difference how you top or trim your plant.

 

[zalias]

Hello Kodiak, I have a request for you,could we copy your grow guide and translate to Lithuanian language, for Lithuanian growers, there is no many info in Lithuanian for growers there. Thank you we would be very appreciated.
Regards,
zalias

 

[Guest423]

Nice thread with hella info....been doing all those methods for years...this guide is really good at explaining each method and its purpose with pics to boot....every new member or newbie growers should be required to read this lol.

 

[Kodiak]

Sure thing zalias, go right ahead.

If you press the "quote" button in my post you will get the text in raw format. That way you'll get all the pics ready linked. This will save you some time as all you have to do is copy paste the whole thing into a new post and translate the text in between the linked pictures. I hope that made sense.

Thanks Time2Unite, I am glad that you approve. Training your plants is a great way to control the stretch and increase your yield indoors.

Bonsai gardening also teaches you a lot about plants and how they grow.