Oh yes, a newbie topping question...WITH DIAGRAM!!!!!111!!!ONE!!!

[CarlinistFellow]

I want to follow Uncle Ben's guide for topping to get 4 main cola's, so I need to top just above the 2nd true node. Question, in the below diagram, is A or B the second true node? Am I counting from the bottom of the plant or the top?



{{{EDIT}}} And the consensus seems to be, cut just above A for 4 main colas {{{/EDIT}}}

 

[CarlinistFellow]

Seems like the answer is A, count from the bottom up. anyone confirm that for me before I go all Freddy Kruger on these females?

 

[Great Lemon Skunk]

you can top at either.

 

[MizzMellow]

WAIT id top at B if i were u strike my last comment

 

[ArCaned]

A is the first true set (3 blades or more per leaf with sawtooth edges). I would FIM, not top. More colas, and its very similar to topping, just being more accurate

 

[CarlinistFellow]

you can top at either.

Answer can't be right. UB is quite specific ( https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/151706-uncle-bens-topping-technique-get.html ) about the hormonal response topping creates, and quite specific about topping "just above the 2nd true node" to get 4 main colas, which is my goal. He just left out the part about where you start counting from...

 

[CarlinistFellow]

A is the first true set (3 blades or more per leaf with sawtooth edges). I would FIM, not top. More colas, and its very similar to topping, just being more accurate

So the node with the single leaf is not considered a true node for counting purposes?

Thought about FIM, but given this is my first grow, I want to try topping first, especially given the more reliable results I'm reading about. I also have limited space (shove 6 beans into a 4x2 tent) so I don't want monster bushes.

Really appreciate the advice, thanks!

 

[fogo4life]

dude. . .you are over thinking this times 1000. you can chop your plant in half with a samuri sword (as long as it sterile) and it will top itself everytime.

i prefer to just tie down my plants. this will allow your undergrowth to stay on par with your cola. see with my girls

 

[CarlinistFellow]

View attachment 2778989dude. . .you are over thinking this times 1000. you can chop your plant in half with a samuri sword (as long as it sterile) and it will top itself everytime.

i prefer to just tie down my plants. this will allow your undergrowth to stay on par with your cola. see with my girls

1. Over thinking is fun, and a byproduct of me having nothing to smoke until I get this grow finished
2. Do I check the PH of the samurai sword first? I'm in soil.

 

[prosperian]

OP, I use the same technique from UB. Answer is "A". Make the cut after you have at least seven sets of true leaves.

Here is my current grow with the topping completed.

 

[CarlinistFellow]

Thanks prosperian. And just so I'm totally sorted...you count the node that produces the first, single, serrated leaf, as a true node, or you start with the first multi-leaf petiole?

I assume waiting for 7 sets is to make sure you have a good root system in place?

 

[prosperian]

It's easier than you think. Count up two from the round leaves and make your cut right above that second set. On the mature stem pic above, you can still see where the first set of leaves were trimmed off later in the grow (little nubs right above cigar ring).

The first set of true leaves are your life support leaves for a short period until the growth takes off, usually in 12-24 hours you will have new leaves popping out just like in the first photo. Eventually, the first set of leaves just like the coty leaves will fall off towards the end of veg, usually because they don't get enough light way down there.

 

[CarlinistFellow]

Thanks prosp, really respect your grows (VERY jealous of that closet you have), and appreciate you taking the time to point me in the right direction on this.

Cheers!

 

[prosperian]

No prob, here to help out when I have hands on experience. Good luck on your grow and thanks for the compliment.

 

[mycomaster]

Remember if you get a little more stem than you'd like after she grows a little, you can always bury the stem some when you Xplant. Peace out.

 

[CarlinistFellow]

Thanks, myco! I've actually done that once already, just adding some of my soil mix to a dirt line that was probably an inch too far beneath the tops of my pots. Worked like a charm. Really appreciate you jumping in here, you're definitely one of the folks I've been reading closely since finding RIU. Happy growing!

 

[fogo4life]

OP, I use the same technique from UB. Answer is "A". Make the cut after you have at least seven sets of true leaves.

Here is my current grow with the topping completed.

thats cool you took pics of it before and after. did you clone the top part of the plant?

 

[ThorGanjason]

Man, at the end of the day its all hormone driven, and plants vary.

Using the math can help increase the chances that the auxin will turn your cut job into multiple tops, but there's no guarantee. I'd try and use the FIM technique as well as count the nodes.

Fwiw, I topped a plant (before I saw that guide) and did it at the spot he was talking about (I just counted up from the first leaves (not the round cotyledons, the other ones with just 1 tip) and let it grow to where the sixth node was just barely starting to grow, then cut it (so the cut was between the 5th and 6th from the bottom). I wound up getting 6 tops, but one of them was really weak and broke off, and one is small and growing slower than the rest, but its worked out really well. I have one more round of topping to do and she'll have 28 true tops. She has 14 now and she's only about 5 inches tall.

Edit: here's a pic of it
View attachment 2779330

Something that I think helped the fim, when I cut the tip top off, the side branches (that BC the tops) were reallllly small. Usually when you top, the part that is cut stops growing bit I cut mine really low, to where you couldn't really see what was goinng to grow. The two branches grew as tops, plus 4 grew out of the middle (the part that was actually cut)

 

[CarlinistFellow]

Damn, Thor, 14 tops at 5"??? That's sweet. I'm working in a limited space, so I don't think I can support that kind of bush, but it sure does give me dreams. I also figure to keep things simple for my first run (well, as simple as can be running 6 strains with one an auto), but I figure a single topping won't upset the normal flow of things too much.

Appreciate the advice, thanks bro.

 

[ThorGanjason]

Yeah, that's counting 8 of the tops from 4 cuts I just made, they are only like a millimeter or two right now BC I have been topping every time a new node grows out. Usually you want to give the plant time to recuperate after topping by letting each new top get two or 3 nodes before you top again, but not this guy lol.

I'm sure he would've grown a little faster if I gave him recupe time, but he's all by himself (age wise) so hell be getting cropped out by himself, I wanna make him as big with as many tops as possible