fdd2blk's Basic Trimming And Topping Techniques

i start by letting my plants get at least 12 or so nodes tall, then the trimming begins. i always remove the first 3 or 4 sets of leaves and branches, often more. the first set of leaves a plant puts out are only single bladed. i find the branches from these nodes are often thin and weak, comparative to the coming growth. the second set of leaves has 3 nodes, the third set 5, and so on ... i like to remove all of the bottom growth, up to the point of that the plant produces two sets of the same amount of leaf blades, or the 5th or 6th node. some plants produce 5 bladed leaves, some up to 11+ so i don't always follow this rule. most commonly i let the growth rate decide.


by removing the lower growth you are also raising your future canopy. this will allow plenty of space for watering and soil/media maintenance. it also causes the plant to get a thicker, more sturdy main stalk.


once the lower growth is removed you can now top the plant. if you want a plant with only 2 main colas you top it down to the first set of nodes that were left on the plant. if you want 4 main colas you top it above the second set of nodes left on the plant. for 6 colas top at the third set, and so on. each set of nodes should produce a set of colas.

once your plant is trimmed at the bottom and topped the side branches will start shooting out. these may then be "topped" as well. the sooner you top your side branches the tighter your plant structure will be. when topping side branches you must take note to how many nodes you are leaving on the branch. if you leave 2 sets of nodes on a side branch it will produce two new branches. if you leave 3 sets, 3 branches. and so on.

once you start topping things can get pretty bushy. you have to plan ahead and trim according. trial and error is your best teacher. have fun with it. grow a few extra plants to practice with so if you clip the wrong branch it won't be such a worry. did i mention to have fun with it?

these plants are currently still in veg so i will be updating pics as they progress.

man,.,that bush in the 55gal is tightness!
nice post

i practice a lot of bonsai techniques.

Thanks for posting this!!! Look forward to updates.

that plant is huge very nice

Looks like its gong to be and other good year for you fdd...what strains are you growing...

is that a fake snake to keep the birds away or is it real?

Haha yea it held that pose for every shot, well trained snake

smallclosetgrowr said:

is that a fake snake to keep the birds away or is it real?

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lmfao looks fake to me lmfao

damn sweet plants man, your living in heaven man !!!

wow you grow bushes man, i just started LST and i started with the suckers from the second set of leaves, and i would like to clone the plant and i was thinking of using the lowest suckers, you said that these are usually week, would this effect it as a clone. basically if i clone using the lowest shoots will it give me a week clone?

wow

thought you wernt into 'rocket science'

i see your on your way to becoming a w33db4r0n

good show lad....

i wonder what Uncle Ben's opinion on this technique is

dont worry if you clone using the bottom nodes, they will bulk up nicely. i did mine 2-3 weeks ago and they are just as thick as if i would have let them go, i would definately rather use this teqnique once if itd get me the 4 mains like uncle bens topping did. very nice looking bush though man, wish i had some real sun to give mine. ive seen pics of giant 8 ft bushes and shit but about how long are you all vegging those and how labor intensive is it? is it only possible to do in the central-northern geographic regions? ive heard of the multi pound plants and i would really like to grow one.

mugan said:

wow you grow bushes man, i just started LST and i started with the suckers from the second set of leaves, and i would like to clone the plant and i was thinking of using the lowest suckers, you said that these are usually week, would this effect it as a clone. basically if i clone using the lowest shoots will it give me a week clone?

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i prefer not to use the bottom branches for cloning. i find they tend to be weak and spindly.

i do use my tops for clones though.

mrorganics said:

dont worry if you clone using the bottom nodes, they will bulk up nicely. i did mine 2-3 weeks ago and they are just as thick as if i would have let them go, i would definately rather use this teqnique once if itd get me the 4 mains like uncle bens topping did. very nice looking bush though man, wish i had some real sun to give mine. ive seen pics of giant 8 ft bushes and shit but about how long are you all vegging those and how labor intensive is it? is it only possible to do in the central-northern geographic regions? ive heard of the multi pound plants and i would really like to grow one.

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anyone can apply these techniques, indoors or out. i just happen to have an outdoor grow going right now. these plants have been outside a few weeks. now that i have the drip system set up labor is at a minimum.


these were topped and stripped of their lower growth throughout vegging, ....

Yea what strains are those?

tryingtogrow89 said:

Yea what strains are those?

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they are a variety of strains. strain choice isn't really important. though trimming techniques per strain can vary greatly. sativas require a lot more attention, typically.

fdd2blk said:

anyone can apply these techniques, indoors or out. i just happen to have an outdoor grow going right now. these plants have been outside a few weeks. now that i have the drip system set up labor is at a minimum.


these were topped and stripped of their lower growth throughout vegging, .... View attachment 1665098

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isn't that nicknamed "lollipopping"?

Thanks for taking the time to write this important info!

303 said:

isn't that nicknamed "lollipopping"?

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somewhat, yeah. i'm not sure if 'lollipopping' includes topping. if it does, then yes, i am lollipopping.