What's new
  • As of today ICMag has his own Discord server. In this Discord server you can chat, talk with eachother, listen to music, share stories and pictures...and much more. Join now and let's grow together! Join ICMag Discord here! More details in this thread here: here.

How to FIM?

G

Guest

I've been searching and i cant seem to find a good tutorial/explanation on it. I know it can give you 2 tops or even more, but i dont know what to cut and where to cut and when to cut?

so could someone please help me figure this out? my plants second node is developing.
 

Socrates

Member
There was a really good how-to on overgrow about this with pictures, unfortunately I don't think the rescued faq has those pictures, but i could be wrong (do a forum search for the overgrow FAQ).

Basically, you know where the main growth tip is, yes? At the top of the plant, where the new tiny leaves are coming out? What you want to do is like clip off about 2/3 of that new growth on the very inside (not leaves that have already emerged), but like almost like scooping the middle out, so that it leaves part of the outsides. You can do this by cutting, I found it easier to just sort of pinch with my fingernails. Sometimes it takes one or two tries to get the hang of it, I got lucky the first time.

Its hard to explain without pictures, but that's the best I can do. Anyone else wanna jump in here and augment/correct what I said?
 
G

Guest

pictures would really help, i dont understand that well. can you only fim once? can i do it along with LST? i plan on lst'ing and scrogging maybe even fim but im not sure yet. oh yeah, how do i know when to fim?
 
G

Guest

i have looked through there and i saw an explanation, but not really a how to do it... im just looking for a few pictures of where to do it and how to do it etc.
 

Wacky Tobacky

Active member
here ya go

This is from the old OG faq

Some growers are now using the "FIM technique" as a way to get more growing shoots per each time you top. The strategy involves cutting off 90% of the growing shoot and leaving 10% intact. From that 10%, up to 8 more branches can emerge. This is useful for those growing SCROG style or those wanting lots of clones from a mother plant.
FIM20Dia.gif

Diagram A shows the tradional method of topping: cutting the whole node off cleanly, to induce the stalk to split into two. But diagram B indicates to make the cut below the center of the node, leaving about 10% intact. This is the key, because the vegetation left behind has cells that are rapidly dividing in many different directions. This can lead to as many as EIGHT tops from a single pruning.

Additional image contributed by: Bubbasix
cuts0000.jpg


Additional image contributed by: Foz
FIM00000.jpg
 

Socrates

Member
There you go, that's the diagram I was talking about...see what I mean about scooping, so that it makes a little inverted cone where the growth tip was.
 
G

Guest

thanks for the pictures, i think i kinda got it now. when is the earliest i can fim?
 
G

Guest

You can fim the plant whenever you want. Some people fim multiple times in veg to increase branching. I personally fim about 3 weeks in veg just so I can let it grow a week or two more before flowering.
 

Maj.PotHead

End Cannibis Prohibition Now Realize Legalize !!
Mentor
Veteran
Socrates said:
There was a really good how-to on overgrow about this with pictures, unfortunately I don't think the rescued faq has those pictures, but i could be wrong (do a forum search for the overgrow FAQ).

Basically, you know where the main growth tip is, yes? At the top of the plant, where the new tiny leaves are coming out? What you want to do is like clip off about 2/3 of that new growth on the very inside (not leaves that have already emerged), but like almost like scooping the middle out, so that it leaves part of the outsides. You can do this by cutting, I found it easier to just sort of pinch with my fingernails. Sometimes it takes one or two tries to get the hang of it, I got lucky the first time.

Its hard to explain without pictures, but that's the best I can do. Anyone else wanna jump in here and augment/correct what I said?
the pic along with the wording is in my gallery from OG i really wish the admin would let us old former OG members submit the tutorials we have. myself i have several some in my gallery here some still on my pc, of course a few would need to be assigned to seperate them so theres no dbl postn :). these few should know each other so as to trust ! and get the job done in a professional manner and quickly.

call it ICMag facts
have a quation of what submissions where from OG i do believe all of my saved tutorials have the authors name. if this task can be done im sure a fact section itself would save some bandwidth. instead of re posting the same tutorials and pic we could just post a link to it instead.


anywho the idea behind FIM is to take the very tip of the new growth its just protruding maybe halfway out now. i grab it gently thumb and forefinger and cut all but 10% showing just snip the tutrial say try n cut in bowl shape. lol my old welder eyes cant see that small so i just snip and leave the bottom 10% showing. when my FIM'd leaves grow out 1 - 2 sets will be around half missing :).

when ya FIM and this is one of the procuduers i do you'll get between 4-8 new branchs. when you FIM the plant will still retain a singel cola top with lots of small to medium side growth :).

now if you combine FIM say with LST you'll for sure maximize your yield potental ! i have Big_Budda his LST tutorial also in my gallery very easy simple pics/diagrams

now if you combine both of the above lol along with say scrogg :woohoo: Happy camper for many moons he he
 
G

Guest

is it possible to tell where i should FIM from these pictures i just took:

pict0021gn8.jpg


pict0022cf9.jpg


pict0023cp5.jpg



The plant is nine days old. i know the third picture is blurry, if you need a better shot i can probably take another one.
 

Wacky Tobacky

Active member
i would FIM it at the 5th node. so in about 1-2 weeks depending on how fast your plant grows.

heres some info i got from grat3fulh3ad
"If I am not mistaken, FIM is 'fuck I missed', and was discovered accidentally when someone tried to top their plant and only got most of the top, not all of it. The cells in the growing tip are kind of like 'stem cells', and leaving some of them allows them to differentiate into multiple branches as the wounded area heals."
 
G

Guest

You will know you are successful when you get "cut off" leaves for only a node or two then the leaves return to normal,if you leave too much on top the funky growth continues node after node and you get a clusterfuck,take off too much and no harm done you've just topped her normally.Thats why its best to take off too much than not enough in my opinion but its pretty easy to get it right after you do it a few times
 
G

Guest

well..........i let mine get to ,say....5 nodes....

and cut myself a cutting , leave two nodes....then i get 4 new grow spots
and get a clone going...
 
Top