Lollipoping Pros and Cons

C

Carolina Green Bud

Active Member
I've got 5 plants growing in 5 gallon buckets.
I read one post on here were the guys said he always Lollipoped his plants, removed about 30% of the lower growth, shoots and leaves. Channels more energy to the tops. Anyone have opinions? It makes sense to me particularly in my situation were I'm going to be limited by my container size. They grow a lot of tobacco in my area, and the farmers do the same thing, the break off the bottom leaves and leave them on the ground. The top leaves are higher quality, and removing the bottom leaves makes to top leaves grow larger and develop more weight.
 
wallycork

wallycork

Well-Known Member
Beaner said:
thats just retarded! your plant needs those leafs to grow!
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How is it retarded???

Your plants need those leaves to grow in whatever area of the palnt you want growth. If you cut the lower 3rd of all branches where the light penetration is minimal you cut-out the crap popcorn buds and just have either one big top eg sog, many main colas, ie if you fim or top the plant, SCROG.

These are the the part of the plant that needs heatlhy leaves and in cutting out the lower 1/3 this is achieved.

Also with the lower 1/3rd gone air movement is dramatically increased reducing mold and pest issues.

Still seem retarded?

Lollipopping is good, especially when using lower wattage lights, from 400w down and also CFL's
 
C

Carolina Green Bud

Active Member
wallycork said:
How is it retarded???

Your plants need those leaves to grow in whatever area of the palnt you want growth. If you cut the lower 3rd of all branches where the light penetration is minimal you cut-out the crap popcorn buds and just have either one big top eg sog, many main colas, ie if you fim or top the plant, SCROG.

These are the the part of the plant that needs heatlhy leaves and in cutting out the lower 1/3 this is achieved.

Also with the lower 1/3rd gone air movement is dramatically increased reducing mold and pest issues.

Still seem retarded?

Lollipopping is good, especially when using lower wattage lights, from 400w down and also CFL's
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Yeah, I searched old Beaner, and he's got a lot of posts, but not much to say. Sad story about how his whole crop was wiped out, wah wah wah.

I got it from a post I read, a guy who had been growing for 30 years and always lollipopped. Makes sense to me. I'm growing outdoors in 5 gallon buckets, and I have limited room to move the plants around. The bottoms aren't going to get much light. Attached are pics I took on june 2nd, you see what I mean? I think I'm going to do it.
 

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wallycork

wallycork

Well-Known Member
Nice plants. Have you considered topping or LST'ing your plants before lollipopping them.

A more even canopy of buds and lollipopping should yield some nice rewards
 
veggiegardener

veggiegardener

Well-Known Member
"Lollypopping" has its place, but not outdoors, except in VERY unusual situations.

Some kinds of indoor scrogs benefit from the practice. Especially in commercial grows where "pretty" buds are a selling point.

My outdoor and greenhouse plants are LST'd to minimize the shading out of branches, but late in the season, the stragglers die as the plant draws the energy from them into bud growth. Once dead, I remove them.

Where I live, ventilation isn't an issue, outdoors.

In my greenhouses, I use large fans that replace the air more than once a minute. The design encourages air movement throughout the space.

Anyway, without a commercial incentive, I just don't see the point.

It amounts to the same sort of counterproductive method as removing large sun leaves to allow light penetration.
 
veggiegardener

veggiegardener

Well-Known Member
The branches that become shaded out, die slowly as the plant draws off the carbs.

I had three plants almost shaded to death, last year.

They were unfamiliar strains which were much slower growing than my normal line up.
 
wallycork

wallycork

Well-Known Member
veggiegardener said:
The branches that become shaded out, die slowly as the plant draws off the carbs.

I had three plants almost shaded to death, last year.

They were unfamiliar strains which were much slower growing than my normal line up.
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So the branches that die slowly, are these removed before flowering or is this during floweing?

I know you said "when the plant draws off the carbs" which i would assume youe speaking about the floweing period as thats when the plant mainly uses them up.

Sorry just trying to get my head around what your saying
 
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