I "think" I'm ready to top this weekend

[Prodigus]

2 are at 6" and one is at about 8" and all have (I think) at least 4 true nodes. Ultimately these 3 are going to be in a SCROG. I don't want to do this too soon but I also am height restricted (7' tall tent but with lights and inline that takes it down about a foot) so I don't want to wait too long either although I guess with the training under the scrog net I should be able to control this more? Also, thinking when these move from 1 gallon to 5 gallon of maybe transplanting at a bit of an angle? Just thinking that may make training to go more horizontal may be be a bit easier if it's already directed that way?? I dunno..

Thoughts? Advice?

 

[LeastExpectedGrower]

Lot of ways to play this. I personally plant into the full sized pot before topping, but my more recent strategy is to grow to 6th node then top down to the 4th or 3rd and then trim out the bottom one or two so you have some room under the plant.

From there I train out two nodes into a cross and re-top those once they've hit 3 or 4 then flip once they've turned to the light.

 

[Prodigus]

Nice! So, once I top the first time, that turns 1 into 2? Additional toppings (wait the same number of nodes before doing again?) Then 2 turns into 4? Has anyone ever gone to 8? LOL I have a 3x3 net with 3" holes and have 3 plants. I'd obviously like to fill as many of those with good tops as I can.

 

[Prodigus]

I'm also assuming that although I will train those side nodes up through the net as well that they may not be big cola nodes still even though they get just as much light due to the scrog? Or do those turn into big girls as well?

Thanks!

 

[LeastExpectedGrower]

Nice! So, once I top the first time, that turns 1 into 2? Additional toppings (wait the same number of nodes before doing again?) Then 2 turns into 4? Has anyone ever gone to 8? LOL I have a 3x3 net with 3" holes and have 3 plants. I'd obviously like to fill as many of those with good tops as I can.

So picture it this way. Each node normally has two branches that come out of it (above the two leaves. Each node is offset 90 degrees from the ones above/below it (basically alternating where the branches come out). So if you top and you have two nodes to work with, you can form a cross:



From there, choose your own adventure. Top out the 'arms' once they get longer and let each of the shoots at the ends of those branches turn into two colas and you have 8. Or let a few of the branches stay in the middle of the plant and get 10 or 12 or whatever you want.

 

[LeastExpectedGrower]

I'm also assuming that although I will train those side nodes up through the net as well that they may not be big cola nodes still even though they get just as much light due to the scrog? Or do those turn into big girls as well?

Thanks!

Once you snip that main cola/stem, the dominance in the height of that one stem is broken and you're more likely to get closer to even growth across the plant. Though if you're netting I'd worry less about having a dominant cola, because you'll be shoving them all below the net.

I'm not using a SCROG net so I'm training out the 'arms' a bit more for them to have some room and not be too tight:



Here's a few weeks down the line. You can still see the 'cross' but the mains have all started stretching. Every couple days, I go and tighten the ties to keep the branches low for the stretch. Also at this point I've started to trim out the 'lower' or inside bud sites so that there won't be flowering there, but the plant can build the stuff on the parts of the plant that are stretching vertically.

 

[Prodigus]

That's awesome! Thank you so much!

 

[Jjgrow420]

I like to top mine when it's a few nodes high then wait and bend it over, top and strip the remaining branches and let er ride

 

[Prodigus]

View attachment 5132899
I like to top mine when it's a few nodes high then wait and bend it over, top and strip the remaining branches and let er ride

Do you top once or multiple times?

 

[Jjgrow420]

Do you top once or multiple times?

I top multiple times. Then I'll remove any branches that don't get light. I aim for 8-12 colas per plant
There's a ton of different ways to ride it out, this works for me.

 

[manfredo]

I top multiple times. Then I'll remove any branches that don't get light. I aim for 8-12 colas per plant
There's a ton of different ways to ride it out, this works for me.

That's what I use to do, but now I super crop. It's so simple....You just bend the plant over and it does the same thing, without losing weeks of grow time...and it's a hell of a lot faster....like you can do 20 plants in a few minutes....and a week later, they are all bushes.

Not my pic, but like this...Best to do after a good watering.

 

[Jjgrow420]

That's what I use to do, but now I super crop. It's so simple....You just bend the plant over and it does the same thing, without losing weeks of grow time...and it's a hell of a lot faster....like you can do 20 plants in a few minutes....and a week later, they are all bushes.

Not my pic, but like this...Best to do after a good watering.

View attachment 5132903

View attachment 5132904

Yea supercropping is great of you have the room. I'm generally trying to fill the 5x5 like a pine tree forest with just enough room around each other for airflow and light penetration. Because I have low ceilings in the basement, and I've been running in a 5x5, space can be a bit of an issue both vertically and horizontally. Basically every inch is spoken for so I have to keep things fairly straight.

 

[Prodigus]

That's what I use to do, but now I super crop. It's so simple....You just bend the plant over and it does the same thing, without losing weeks of grow time...and it's a hell of a lot faster....like you can do 20 plants in a few minutes....and a week later, they are all bushes.

Not my pic, but like this...Best to do after a good watering.

View attachment 5132903

View attachment 5132904

I think I need a Xanax after looking at that... LOL I'm fairly new to this as the only other grows I've done were in my garage back in 2011 and I didn't have all the cool toys to control my environment like I do now. This is fun! I think I may like the growing part better than the smoking part (not really). It's somehow relaxing to me. Well, when I'm not looking at a broken (I know, not technically) stem. HAHA

 

[Prodigus]

Do y'all know of any good guides or videos on how to train to do that cross you mention above etc.? Topping, I think I'm pretty comfortable with but I see people stripping all the lower stuff (probably comfortable there too) but then they start tying everything down etc..

I feel like a person who is scared that if they hold a newborn baby that they are going to somehow hurt it. From watching y'all, I'm thinking this is about as baseless fear as the other. People be in there man handling their plants, bending and breaking stuff. Running around like Edward Scissorhands and shite. I mean, look at this guy. That plant looks about a foot tall and is about as bald as my head after he was done. That scares me although I know it's the tops we really care about.

 

[Grojak]

Is this correct - 4 plants that need to stay under 4-4.5’ tall, grown in a scrog and you want max yield?

I would top now, and I would top 2-3 more times before flip, depending on how they stretch in flower, and finish in 5-7gal pots. Make sure you’re under netting once you up pot so you got a good idea of height with the larger pot

 

[Grojak]

Do y'all know of any good guides or videos on how to train to do that cross you mention above etc.? Topping, I think I'm pretty comfortable with but I see people stripping all the lower stuff (probably comfortable there too) but then they start tying everything down etc..

I feel like a person who is scared that if they hold a newborn baby that they are going to somehow hurt it. From watching y'all, I'm thinking this is about as baseless fear as the other. People be in there man handling their plants, bending and breaking stuff. Running around like Edward Scissorhands and shite. I mean, look at this guy. That plant looks about a foot tall and is about as bald as my head after he was done. That scares me although I know it's the tops we really care about.

once you flip and all your netting squares are full anything below the net, anything not getting direct light, remove it. You can get a jump start on this by removing the lower third but I typically wait 10-14 days after flip for final removal of lower stuff.

 

[manfredo]

Do y'all know of any good guides or videos on how to train to do that cross you mention above etc.? Topping, I think I'm pretty comfortable with but I see people stripping all the lower stuff (probably comfortable there too) but then they start tying everything down etc..

I feel like a person who is scared that if they hold a newborn baby that they are going to somehow hurt it. From watching y'all, I'm thinking this is about as baseless fear as the other. People be in there man handling their plants, bending and breaking stuff. Running around like Edward Scissorhands and shite. I mean, look at this guy. That plant looks about a foot tall and is about as bald as my head after he was done. That scares me although I know it's the tops we really care about.

Yeah, this I wouldn't recommend, but it does show how tuff the plants are.

With supercropping, if you do by some chance break the hole stem off, it's no worse than topping the plant...and you can make a clone out of the top. Try it on just one and see. Water the plant well a few hours or the day before so the stems aren't dry.

 

[Prodigus]

once you flip and all your netting squares are full anything below the net, anything not getting direct light, remove it. You can get a jump start on this by removing the lower third but I typically wait 10-14 days after flip for final removal of lower stuff.

Got it. So:

Top this weekend
Trim the undergrowth a bit (more later)
Tie down the branches that are left and then let them grow a bit and then continue topping and training horizontally
Allow them to turn to the light in an even top
Top a few more times to max my tops that I can feed through the net to make a complete canopy
Net it
Flip to Flower
Clean up anything under the net
Don't overwater or give too many nutes (I'm going to try this Cultivation Nation 3 pack and see what 's up but will probably go half dose to start)
Test Ph after adding nutes on my R/O water
Keep environment right as far as temp and humidity goes (running like 77 degrees and 57% humidity right now but I'll start dropping that some second half of flower?)
Relax and have fun with it
Reap the rewards of my hobby

Bout right?

 

[HydoDan]

The Main-Lining Thread | Rollitup

 

[Prodigus]

Yeah, this I wouldn't recommend, but it does show how tuff the plants are.

With supercropping, if you do by some chance break the hole stem off, it's no worse than topping the plant...and you can make a clone out of the top. Try it on just one and see. Water the plant well a few hours or the day before so the stems aren't dry.

Good point. I want to top this weekend but I'm thinking it's about time to water as well. Should I water tonight if I'm going to top this weekend?