Let me talk a little bit more about lollipopping, to ease Rosemans fears. In my opinion, whether or not or how much you should lollipop is dependent on several factors, which include:
1. Lighting: I would not lollipop if I had sufficient side-lighting or penetration. So if youre growing with CFLs shaped around the plant, or with high-wattage bulbs and especially multiple high-wattage bulbs, then you shouldnt be listening to me, listen to the guys that grow that way, and they say NO PRUNING. I only speak from a lower-wattage, single light frame of reference. I need to milk every lumen of available light if I want to get a decent yield of good bud, and pruning is one of the tools I use.
2. Grow style: I wouldnt prune unused side branches if I was growing SOG-style, but I wouldnt vegetate, either. If I didnt have the maximum number of plants in there, then I would vegetate long enough to fill the canopy in flowering; any side branches that wont make it into the flower box should go in my opinion. Remember, I planned the grow to fill the canopy with primary branches; I dont need any secondary branches to fill it up. I also wouldnt prune if I was growing trees, but I would make sure my lighting was sufficient enough to light the sides. I would prune as much as necessary if I was growing in a screen, it would get way too dense if you didnt. And so on.
3. Strain: different strains require different levels of (or no) pruning. No need to prune a sparse, small-bud plant, or a stout indica whose side branches grow nearly as fast as the main stem. And some strains react more favorably to pruning than others. You need to know your plants traits when planning a grow.
So yeah, use common sense when lollipopping and remember that every single grow is different and unique; there is no one single recipe that will be optimal for everyone.
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