Top above 2nd node?

[PersonalProvide]

Hi all. I'm attempting my first go at topping. I've read through a lot of the information in some of the forums and understand that I ideally would like to cut above the 3rd node after 5 or 6 are present. This is what I planned to do. However, the 3rd node only has one shoot. The second node has two and they're parallel to each other.

Should I top above the second or 4th? Does it matter? Thanks in advance for any information, advice, and experiences.

P.P.

 

[HqFarms]

Every plant is different and some don't take to topping very well. You might want to try some low stress training

 

[Dirt Life]

^True, but, the way this seedling is branching, Id would bet on it responding decently. Are you flowering this out, or bushing for cuts? Thats how Id make my decision on where to cut. If your 3rd node truly only has one branch and you top @ the 3rd node, what will happen is after a little while, that one little branch will soon become the main top again. But, this will take a little time, which will allow the side branches to take off. Thats my $0.02 anyways, take with a grain of salt.

If youre not sure all around, Id second lst, or even supercropping.

 

[PersonalProvide]

I would like to top it a total of two times. I am not planning on taking any cuts as clones and plan on switching to flowering after second cut. I understand that some plants respond differently to everything. I could absolutely damage the plant and negatively affect her outcome but then again she could be a strong, resilient plant and produce nicely. I thank you both for your responses. I am going to throw out an assumption on the plant...She responds well to topping. She will obviously be stressed once cut, but is the stress noticeably greater from a cut above the 2nd node as opposed to above the 3rd? If it helps I have two other regulars that, if it works out right, I will top once around the time this one gets it's second cut and switch them both into flowing.

 

[Dirt Life]

I top plants all the time, which includes taking cuttings, then flowering out old mothers or seedplants with no problems, which I think youll experience... No problems. Topping @ any node does create stress but its all the same. If kept healthy, she'll be just fine no matter how she responds, weather big and bushy, or needing multiple cuts/piches/bends over time, because she grows columnar. Ive never killed a plant via topping, but, I only cut what needs to be cut.

Heres a haze/skunk of mine which grows columnar naturally, but cuts over time force her to bush...


Edit: In the second pic, you can see a "knot" in the main stem under where I topped... Just wanted to say, I also use the "pinch & bend" (supercrop) method with great success, too... In this case, both.

 

[prune]

Not a big fan of topping in general (lowers ultimate quality), but especially in cases where the plant has not reached sexual maturity (usually alternating phyllotaxy?).
If you want the plant to be peak, the apical growing tip is crucial for maintaining general array.

 

[Dirt Life]

How does it lower ultimate quality? Ive heard of it actually hurting yield due to plant tendencies, but quality? Ive flowered multiple plants of same lines both topped and untopped, and never experienced a reduction in quality topped vs untopped unless I made a mistake in flower unrelated to pruning/training.



P.S. - Im not arguing, so I hope you dont take it that way, prune...

 

[PersonalProvide]

I haven't heard about loss of overall quality of the flowers from topping. Would also be interested in hearing a little more. In terms of the plants apical growing tip, and I most certainly am ignorant in terms of overall botany, but isn't one of the goals of topping is to double the colas and wouldn't they both/all have apical growing tips? I may have completely missed what you were meaning by that and if that's the case, I apologize.

 

[EL1M1N80R]

Every plant is different and some don't take to topping very well. You might want to try some low stress training

Is it possible to tell how a plant will respond to topping before actually topping?

I topped my first plant and it stunted the growth only for a couple days, then what it looked like, was the growth came back with a vengeance.

How can you tell if a plant respondes well to topping?

 

[Betterhaff]

When you remove the apical growing tip you are also removing the growth inhibiting hormones/auxins it produces that keep the buds below it from growing vigorously. Ever notice how the branch development increases the further down the plant you go. This is because the affect of the auxins becomes less and less.

You are correct, when you remove an apical tip, new ones will arise below. You remove those and the same pattern will repeat.

As mentioned before some varieties respond better to topping than others. It’s not really that stressful but does delay the plants overall development. The plant now has to kick start some new growth centers.

 

[Stan G.]

Top, Dawg.

 

[Bud Green]

Instead of topping your girl, try this...

Squeeze the stem between thumb and finger until the stem collapses and bends over.
Then squeeze and bend again, 8 to 10 inches away, and bend it back up...
Hold it together with string (as shown here) or with narrow masking tape..

This slows down the growth of the top, without stressing the plant.
The small branches below the bends will grow like crazy and catch up with the top...


..

 

[HqFarms]

Is it possible to tell how a plant will respond to topping before actually topping?

I topped my first plant and it stunted the growth only for a couple days, then what it looked like, was the growth came back with a vengeance.

How can you tell if a plant respondes well to topping?

It's possible to tell how well a plant might take to topping but that will come from experienced more than anything else

 

[PersonalProvide]

Success

Success

Thanks for everyone's input. I topped her at the second node and she rebounded almost immediately.

Immediately after topping

2 days after

 

[Budley Doright]

I dont think there is any question that this plant would respond well to topping since the lower branches have begun to grow out....

However you might consider an alternate method..... take a piece of wire 12 or 15 inches in length and make a shepherds hook....

Hook the top of the plant and simply bend/pin it down below some of the other growth....

This will inhibit the apical dominance.... and when the lower stuff catches up ...simply release it....

I rarely top the plant but will pull the tops down to allow the lower growth to catch up...

As a part of the plant begins to become dominant ..... pull it down...... you will eventually have quite a number of tops...all about equal in dominance.....

Sorry I didnt know you had topped the plant....imo that was not the best decision...

You might consider training vs topping on another plant....

 

[Budley Doright]

The most negative thing you have done by topping vs training....is to slow the plant down by 7 to 10 days....

IMO that was completely unnecessary.......

In the same way you could pin one of the two branches down...... and create a dominant branch..... you could have done the same thing with the top of the plant.....

as a part becomes dominant.... pin it down....as another becomes dominant....pin it down and release the first part.....

 

[PersonalProvide]

Thanks for your response. I'm not sure you read through the whole thread as I mentioned I was intent on trying topping this time. I've played with LST. I plan on trying FIM and other techniques on future grows. Everyone swears by what they do and I plan on trying different techniques to hone my "craft". Also, this plant hasn't really slowed down, evidenced by the photos, any slowing down with this plant will be welcomed as I have 2 other strains a couple weeks behind. Thanks again for your input and I will keep that in mind in my future grows.

 

[DjKinetics]

I kind of agree with the loss of quality with topping, my one homey always tops I generally don't, and my buds are always more potent,though we don't use the same genetics or grow method so idk. But in terms of topping I topped at the second node last grow and got a interesting 3 shoot happen ie instead of " V " I got " \|/ "

 

[DjKinetics]

The middle shoot stayed shorter

 

[PersonalProvide]

They are interesting plants. You never know how they will respond for sure.