topping, at least in my experience, causes more stretching than any other pruning technique..
i think its because the 2 tops that grow out were originally meant as side branches to the plant.. so they begin growing like that... side branches tend to stretch more when they first grow out since they have to get out from under the top foliage to get light... if that makes sense... its only after they grow out and up some that they begin acting like the main stem and grow tighter spaced nodes...
so i dont think that super cropping itself produces tighter node spacing.. but i think that super cropping allows the plant to maintain tighter node spacing throughout the grow... since it never actually affects how the branches them selves grow, more the direction that they grow... once they are close to the light source, or closer to the light source, they begin growing tighter nodes...
basically i believe the kind of light, amount of usable light the plant recieves, and distance from the light source(s) are the main factors that control stretching..
and since we are on the topic of topping.. i will recommend FIM'ing over topping... here is why and how to do it...
first FIM'ing actually works somewhat like topping.. it gives multiple tops for flowers.. but FIM'ing is much less stressful and can more often than not cause more than just 2 tops...
in order to FIM you must first locate a new growth bud.. this isnt a flower bud.. its a spot where new growth comes from.. using BB's pic i can explain where they are.. at the end of each branch, on the branch tip, is light green growth.. this is new growth emerging from the plant... in the center of all the new growth is a small "bud"... its just the actual spot where all new growth starts.. you may have to fold back a few small leaves to get to it, but its there... once you find it you simply pinch off about 75% of it... using your fingers is easiest... you can use scissors if you want.. but the uneveness caused by using your fingers, IMO, helps cause more tops to form...
if you do this right at the switch to 12/12.. or slightly before the switch, you can get crazy flower tops...
now... my personal program is this...
about 2 weeks after transplant, when the plants have a few sets of nodes.. i start to super crop... at first its just the main stem.. then as more tops emerge and push up i increase the amount of them i do... i just do this throughout veg.. and this only.. i want to expose and create as many tops as i can.. while keeping the plants short and bush... the more spots i can do the better..
about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through veg i begin really trying to get an even canopy... this is done by just making all the super cropped spots even across the top.. let branches that aren't as near the top push up, or work at pushing up, to get as close to the top as they can... this is important for indoors more than outdoors... but works on the same principal either way.. the more tops closer to the light the more flowers and larger flowers you can have..
when i get ready to flip to flower i FIM all the tops i can.. again i usually wait until right at the flip.. sometimes even a week into flowering.. but never sooner than a week before flowering.. this is because i dont want the FIM'd areas to grow out at all.. just be the to grow buds.. if that makes sense...
when going into 12/12 i give 24 to 36 hours of dark.. depending on when i want the lights on to be... and then finish things out.. but thats another story..
