Trimming lower branches in Flower..

[mcrob44]

I've seen lots of people trim the lower branches of thier plants during flower... does this increase the main cola quality/yield?

I currently have large bins with 5 plants in one and 6 in the other (5 jack herer, 5 Belladonna)... They are just in thier first few weeks of flower and was wondering if this was a good idea. All under 430w HPS.

they are planted fairly close together so i thought it may be better to focus on developing the best buds on the main stock. Or am i better off letting things run their natural course.

they are looking really nice and healthy right now, perhaps a tad shocked from the transition from a shiete fertilizer to a basic advanced nutrients... i think i may have mixed too strong, but still looking very healthly.

they're starting to smell really nice... who needs inscense when you've got some dope smelling plants... yum.

-peace.

 

[Guest]

I jst started experimenting with this and with FS grapefruit,the yield definately increases,other strains may not fare so well I dont know.Its pretty strain specific I'm sure,so you'll have to do a side by side.Flowering with 400 watt though it probably would be a good idea

 

[Lofty]

Hi mcrob44, if yr using 430w hps u'd prob b best talking off small branchs that arnt guna get good lite penetration, it'll only end up as fluffy pop corn, trimming does cause a bit off stress and u'd b better doing it a cople of weeks b4 flowering tolet them recover and the top will bush up better.

good luck

 

[Guest]

I dont think I agree with that lofty,all the reasearch I've done and responses on the other thread I posted on this exact subject in the equit forum duh,leads me to believe it is strain dependent,but around 14 days flower is about right.You want to let the nodes "stretch" a bit it'll give you a better picture of exactly what to remove,you dont want to wait too long however because you may stress out the plant removing the nodes.I'm going for betweem 14-21 days of 12/12 before I remove the bottom third or so of the nodes.I'm not new to growing but I'm new to this,the experiment I did with a grapefruit plant really took me by surprise.The cola was bigger and the pheno yielded more flowering in 2 gallon with 1/3rd of the nodes removes then left untouched and flowered in 3 gallon.I was quite pleased and real surprised.I cant wait to see how my blockhead reacts.Always take your cuts before switching to 12/12,but I thnik its best to go a couple weeks into the 12/12 photocycle before removing any nodes.I cant believe I posted a thread about this very thing in equptment forum lol,dont they have folks around here that can press a button and move it to the right forum?The inmates run this assylum for sure.Where's my buddy mars 2112 been that really is starting to bum me out!

 

[Dan42nepa]

i cant bring myself to cut any of my babies... besides i like the popcorn buds for hash.

 

[Guest]

I've had that problem for several years now,especially with my blockhead when the popcorn buds blow away the average strain but I'm about to get over it,in a big way I think.The results from female seeds grapefruit are unquestionable,I will do it with this pheno for however long I decide to keep her.I'll know in 50 days or so how effective it is on blockhead and female seeds ice and white widow because I'm doing side by sides with all pheno's,only way to know for sure.

 

[Tom Hill]

You want to manage/divert this energy before sending the plant to flower, plus a couple days recovery time as well. Once the plant stacks up bud its too late for thinning cuts, other than to cut down on bud trimming (& yield).
Also, regarding advanced plant energy management (pruning ), you should never thin all of the way back to main stalks/branches. Instead, cut back to one node out from branch/stalk. This prevents die-back related infections on very important parts of the plant. It also increases the energy reserve (leafs) to budsite ratio, giving you the larger colas. Here's a pic of what thinning cuts should look like, imo

 

[jojajico]

You want to manage/divert this energy before sending the plant to flower, plus a couple days recovery time as well. Once the plant stacks up bud its too late for thinning cuts, other than to cut down on bud trimming (& yield).
Also, regarding advanced plant energy management (pruning ), you should never thin all of the way back to main stalks/branches. Instead, cut back to one node out from branch/stalk. This prevents die-back related infections on very important parts of the plant. It also increases the energy reserve (leafs) to budsite ratio, giving you the larger colas. Here's a pic of what thinning cuts should look like, imo

some would disagree... how do you train for a single main cola in SOG setup with little to no veg time.

 

[Lofty]

Hi Ballestman, i use a flower stimulator so i dont get any stretch, the way i do or dont trim is effective for me, i also use a beneficial fungus so the bottom pop corn is still quite solid buds.

i'm going to 12/12 from seed next time so wont b doing any trimming anyway lol.

peace out

 

[THCV]

i try to get most pruning done 2 weeks before flower. I'll do another light round of pruning (light assuming i pruned well in veg) as needed right before they go into 12/12 (usually, 10-20% of my plants will need a little more pruning at that point, mostly "sucker shoots" that dive up from the bottom with thin stalks and bad internode spacing). I avoid any pruning once in 12/12. Pruning causes the plant to release vegetqative hormones to repair the damage from the prune, and that can delay the maturation rate if you do it during or too close to flower. Once you get to know a strain, you can pre-emptively prune for max yield in veg and avoid the hormone issues completely.

Some keep the fan leaves when pruning stalks, but since i only prune lower stuff i usually remove their fans too so that the airflow is increased near the roots.

And yes, pruning like this focuses yield onto the bigger buds, and doesn't reduce yield at all from my experience. Also, makes trim much easier. Of course it is strain specific--get to know your strains and it becomes intuitive.

 

[Guest]

Damn that gives me something to think about now,the 2 weeks into flower camp is much larger although its been through the years observing,this camp however gives valid sounding reasons for,and issues that may result if cuts are taken after 12/12.I have no choice now,most are a couple weeks in and will get the trim,in the meantime this is a good one to keep going for more input.Love the tip of not cutting to the stalk to prevent die-back infection,pretty nifty.

 

[Guest]

I'm gonna do this in just a couple hours,any more input/suggestions?Some are just over 2 weeks in,some just went in.

 

[invision]

if light doesnt get there including fan leaves i remove them and they take off like rockets, the root system can support what is already there so by removing the wasted leaves and nodes the root system can now bring bigger quanities of nutes to the plant.

 

[Guest]

Well the deed is done,I let some untouched to have a comparison,the whole time I was doing it though it felt right,even if yield changes little its worth it not to fuck with popcorn all the time

 

[dubracer]

everyone has their own take on this. I have found that if I trim 1 week into flowering I will be just fine and my harvest length is not dramtically increased. great yields. I tend to smash as many plants together as I can which means that lots of undergrowth and lower branches will not get any light and will decrease circulation and lead to higher change of pests and mildew, etc. I have found no big stress from this but I dont do it past 1 week into flowering unless I absolutely have to. After 2 weeks, regardless of whether it is getting light or not, I dont touch it. However if you can trim them before...then there is nothing wrong with that and its probably ideal. My problem is that many branches seem good one day and the next they are outgrown and completely under the canopy.

 

[Guest]

Well I did several today that were 2 weeks in,and several just a few days in so I'll see.I can see already I can push my 3 gallon(NSI classic 1200) together until they touch on my blockhead pheno thats a bonus,FS ice though is too massive lol.One day Ima gonna fill this entire room with nothing but the block,I dont know why I'm always experimenting lol

 

[Guest]

i cant bring myself to cut any of my babies... besides i like the popcorn buds for hash.

ditto. but if the branches are in the dirt or are getting dirt on them when you water, trim them off. breeding ground for mold. these sometimes make nice little clones. this one was taken 6 weeks into flower.



mind you, this one accidently broke off...

 

[mcrob44]

From what i can tell the best advantage is that it would be good time to cut clones off the lower part of the plant that wouldn't develop as much while leaving the main cola's intact and maybe increasing their yield...

I don't see any reason beyond cutting clones... i'm pretty good at rotating and training my garden for equal light distribution.

I'm also a fan of letting the plants find their way they work hard to grow their best.

Anyway my garden is entering week four flower so I think any experimentation will be on the next crop.