Completely Removing The Top To Reset Height

This is my first grow and I initially got off to a bad start with lighting and have a couple of plants that really stretched. I'd like to top it to shorten the height. I've seen a few methods around here where people pluck off the top node to lose some height and make it bushier. The problem is that that does not lose enough height for me. Can I remove the whole top and cut it down a way so I am left with just a stem 4 or 5 inches tall? Will it survive? Basically, a total reset.

Yes youl be ok, keep in mind its a weed,

Have you thought about lst? That seems to be the most recommended type of height control. No stress to the plant that way.

HowardWCampbell said:

Have you thought about lst? That seems to be the most recommended type of height control. No stress to the plant that way.

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Not sure what you mean. All of the leaves/growth is happening at the top. I'd say 7 of the 9 inches of height is all stem. Cutting off the very top would only reduce the height by 1/4" - I need a more drastic reduction. I just was not sure if the plant could grow without any leaves.

Can I also assume wherever I cut the stem new growth will appear in two or four directions instead of the one?

lst= Low Stress Training...a fancy way of saying to tie it down. Read up on it in the Growfaq. I'll probably have to try it on my tallest plant soon.

Well, I am going with the complete topping method. I was reading another post or two where people use the tops as clones to start new plants. As it turns out, I have three plants that are too tall that I am going to top and three available holes in my hydro system that I wish I had clones for. So this will work out well.

I doubt that. It might seem like a plan, it will not work out well.VV

VictorVIcious said:

I doubt that. It might seem like a plan, it will not work out well.VV

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No? Will topping not work or planting the tops not work.

you could plant the tops, thats the same as cloning. But as far as chopping all the branches off of the plant, leaving just the stem, is a bad idea. My advice would be to top it all the way down to where you have two sets of branches left, and then replant the fucker to where the stem is buried, all the way up to the first set of branches. If you leave the plant with nothing but a stem ,then there is nowhere for new growth to come from. You gotta have those tiny little tufts growing in the innernodes, because those are what sprouts out n becomes the new main branches.

N if your gonna plant the tops that you trim off, make sure you follow the cloning procedure for soil, otherwise they might not take root. N until they do, foliar feed to keep them alive, because they wont have a root system to uptake any water or food.

good luck with your grow man, i hope it works out for ya

So, is Banger off on this? New plants won't grow from a stem? I will look into LST - just thought I saw a win-win with topping and cloning.

Whatever you decide, let us know how it works out for you.

westmich said:

This is my first grow and I initially got off to a bad start with lighting and have a couple of plants that really stretched. I'd like to top it to shorten the height. I've seen a few methods around here where people pluck off the top node to lose some height and make it bushier. The problem is that that does not lose enough height for me. Can I remove the whole top and cut it down a way so I am left with just a stem 4 or 5 inches tall? Will it survive? Basically, a total reset.

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No, you have to have some leaves for growth, otherwise, it'll die quickly. You can top it a few times as it continues growing, but leave some leaves/branches for sure.

I had some satavias in my first grow, I thought I would just cut the tops off and clone them. It worked as far as the cloning is concerned, it did not stop those plants from growing.
I read the articles about fim and supercropping, had a nice looking widow plant, used the fim method, had 8 colas on that plant. I got the same production out of one cola I didn't cut as I got off the plant that had 8 colas.
I am not saying your plants will die, I am saying you won't get the results you think you will. The lst method would be less stressful on your plant, of course you wouldn't get the clones you want that way.
And. no, no one can guarantee you will have two or four branches from the spot you cut. VV