Topping and Growing 12-12 from Seed?

I am growing 12-12 straight from seed. I have wanted to top/FIM my plants for a while, but since I dont have a veg period with the light schedule at 18-6, 24-0, etc., is that even possible? I would think I shouldnt go cutting my plants that are already on 12-12, but just wondering if anyone does it, and if it would actually help. I know someone is probably going just be like "are you some kind of dumbass?", but just wondering?

Hey man, I am fairly new to the game of training plants and restricting height so I can't help you unfortunately. I am curious to see what someone with a bit of experience has to say though as I was wondering the same thing and am keen to give it a go.

if you want i guess you could, but you should use lst, its a much much better option. trust me. lol

Hey bro, I had the same question a while back and that led me to my current experiment. I am about six weeks into this grow cycle. Here are some observations so far:

1. Topping of the plants two times takes about a month to achieve. During the same time, the light cycle is forcing a rapid bloom (2-4 weeks). When you cut the plants, it takes a while to heal itself. This takes away from good veg time.
2. The strains are a huge factor. My hindu kush is much more compact than my AK-47, Pineapple Express(my fav), White Widow and Red Dragon (awesome).
3. some are going to produce more than others but i have been able to cram 26 fems in my grow space. That is the only plus I can see at this point.

I have already made up my mind that to top and run 12/12 you wont get near the production of a good vegged plant and at the same amount of time. I would recommend that if you start from seed, give it one month veg before switching lights. My personal favorite is to allow them reach an average height of 10-12 inches, then switch the lights. That works great for my personal grow space. Hope this helps man. Dont worry about what everyone else says about asking questions, we are all learning all the time. You asked the question that most growers ask themselves. Oh, make sure you use a MH bulb to veg and a HPS for bloom phase. I use two 400 watt mh/hps lamps. Having seen what the above strains can do under a one month veg cycle, i wont stray again from my schedule. It was worth the try and I have some really resinous plants going here. It will be awesome, just not enough. Stay blazed bro

RollTide said:

I am growing 12-12 straight from seed. I have wanted to top/FIM my plants for a while, but since I dont have a veg period with the light schedule at 18-6, 24-0, etc., is that even possible? I would think I shouldnt go cutting my plants that are already on 12-12, but just wondering if anyone does it, and if it would actually help. I know someone is probably going just be like "are you some kind of dumbass?", but just wondering?

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Won't work well, at all.
I grow White Widow in a 1 meter square tent 2 meters tall with a 400 HPS.
I do not understand the 12/12 cycle. I did that when I did SOG in a small box perpetual harvest, but found that vertical growing gave me better buds. Much less hassle with just a few starts.
I veg under 400 MH conv. for 18 hours/day until they reach 5-6 internodes. I top 'em back just above the second true node, and get four colas/plant with some secondary buds. When they reach 14 inches or so, I flower for 2 weeks under MH to slow the bolt, then add a 400 HPS. My yield is close to 400gm/crop. I flower the Widow for 10 weeks, so the total process is 16 weeks. 3 times/year. Total couch lock. All I ever need. I do take a few colas early(10-12 days) to get the more energetic social buzz.
Growing popsicle buds is cool, but is problematic. You need 4 per square foot to maximize production. A 6 sq.ft garden would require 24 plants. If you get caught, that will definitely spell i-n-t-e-n-t t-o d-i-s-t-r-i-b-u-t-e. 5 plants in my space, vegged properly will be easier to claim personal use.
Have you thought about screen of green methods? Train a few plants to fill a screen hung just above the containers, then flower. 1 plant/foot might give a better harvest, while keeping the crop low and gaining maximum light to all nodes. Just a thought.
It would be easier if I knew what size and type of garden you are working with.