"Topping" my plant

Couldnt find a straight answer kept getting mixed replies when I searched but question is

What is the point of topping, is it proven to be effective, and when should it be done

topping will split the the top growth into 2 heads, so instead of having one top u will have 2. theres a lot of info on here about it. FIMMING will give u 4 tops if done right. i tried FIMMING and faild but did it again with another [plant a couple days ago and i think i got it right this time.

If you are growing in a confined space, topping your plant regularly is definitely the way to go. It is absolutely proven effective, although topping some strains could stress them. Generally one will start topping 4-5 nodes into growth, anywhere from 4-12 inches tall (generally 6+) but it really all depends on your grow room and how much space you have to work with.

My grow closet is only 3 feet tall and I begin topping after the 3rd node has grown. Although typically I wait until the 5th node, this grow I am experimenting a bit to see if topping earlier in life will effect the plant later on. I guess we'll see....

Pst some pics!

Can you take a look at my journal and give me your feed back after looking at room and height of the 2 plants?

If grown from seed a good time to top is when it reaches 12"
Cut at the second node and you will have successfully topped a plant
(use the "top" for a clone if you want)

Or sometimes nature does it for you :]

Here is a blackberry im vegging from seed. It split into two tops at about 2 weeks from seed (ive seen this happen before and its pretty incredible)

Happy topping :]

i wait till the plant has like 7 or 8 nodes then snip about half way between the second and third node. still gives u enough of a top to clone and gives u 4 main branches. u should see the 4 branches grow fast within a few days of cutting. but remember some plants dont respond to topping its all strain dependent. just like lsting some plants dig it some not so much.

Sorry to not include this, It's white widow and the other im about to start is hawaii mauii

i would top the white widow. seen bangin results with them topped. just make sure u give it a little veg time after. as for the hawaii mauii no idea. havent seen or heard anything about topping them. searched online and still found nothing. thanks google. lmao. post a new thread asking about the hawaii mauii and if anyone has ever topped them. or find a thread about topping and pop in to ask a few questions.

I have to wait more time to rep you haha, so what I just take some scissors and snip it off below the 2nd node from the top?

u count up from the bottom. lol. above the second node. make sure u have 4 branches below where u cut. if the two bottom branches look too small or u feel uncomfy doing it so low u can go higher above the third node and just cut the two smallest lower branches off. altho u can rock it with two branches i just preffer the extra yield so i go with 4 instead of the 2.


oh and make sure ur using a clean set of trimmers if ur gonna clone the top.

When you say node, you mean the part where the branch breaks away from the stem, correct?

wheels619 said:

u count up from the bottom. lol. above the second node. make sure u have 4 branches below where u cut. if the two bottom branches look too small or u feel uncomfy doing it so low u can go higher above the third node and just cut the two smallest lower branches off. altho u can rock it with two branches i just preffer the extra yield so i go with 4 instead of the 2.


oh and make sure ur using a clean set of trimmers if ur gonna clone the top.

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Sorry but cutting at the 2nd node from the bottom-up is crazy, that's taking all the plant off! (i usually have 6-8 nodes before ill top)
2nd node from the top-down is your best bet for topping to make 2 colas as opposed to 1. If you wanna make 4 go to the 4th node down.
Node is were the "true leaves" are attached and meet the main stem creating a V with a pistil and bud forming between

Good luck

Cannabisculture said:

Sorry but cutting at the 2nd node from the bottom-up is crazy, that's taking all the plant off! (i usually have 6-8 nodes before ill top)
2nd node from the top-down is your best bet for topping to make 2 colas as opposed to 1. If you wanna make 4 go to the 4th node down.
Node is were the "true leaves" are attached and meet the main stem creating a V with a pistil and bud forming between

Good luck

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the two bottom nodes should be big enough to top by the time u have 8 nodes. mine always are and ive got the pics to prove it works for me everytime. like i said if the lower two branches are two small go a node higher. say the third node and cut the lower two branches off. u should still have 4 healthy branches afterwards.

and yes that is a node.

Cannabisculture said:

Sorry but cutting at the 2nd node from the bottom-up is crazy, that's taking all the plant off! (i usually have 6-8 nodes before ill top)
2nd node from the top-down is your best bet for topping to make 2 colas as opposed to 1. If you wanna make 4 go to the 4th node down.
Node is were the "true leaves" are attached and meet the main stem creating a V with a pistil and bud forming between

Good luck

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did u even read my post? u just repeated what i said with dif words.

Yes, the difference is i did NOT advise Rolficer to cut the plant to less than half its size. Your technique may work i am not doubting that, cannabis can be grown many ways. Which ways are helping and which are hindering is a factor to weigh in. If cutting at the second node from the bottom is what works for you go for it. But you essentially waste all the time growing it to that specific size just to chop down once it gets there? doesnt make sense to me
The larger the plant the more buds you get, the more you cut the less you get. And you can achieve 2 tops at the 1st upper node(though they will be smaller i don't recommend it)so why go down that many nodes. Its un-neccesary cutting of good plant material.
IMO

Cannabisculture said:

Yes, the difference is i did NOT advise Rolficer to cut the plant to less than half its size. Your technique may work i am not doubting that, cannabis can be grown many ways. Which ways are helping and which are hindering is a factor to weigh in. If cutting at the second node from the bottom is what works for you go for it. But you essentially waste all the time growing it to that specific size just to chop down once it gets there? doesnt make sense to me
The larger the plant the more buds you get, the more you cut the less you get. And you can achieve 2 tops at the 1st upper node(though they will be smaller i don't recommend it)so why go down that many nodes. Its un-neccesary cutting of good plant material.
IMO

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the higher u cut it the more of the plant u waste if its not enough to clone. its a weed and its resiliant. he is thinking about cloning the top. so if u have a better idea to get the top for clone without cutting that much of the plant off. u let me know. plus if he has any common sence which i personnaly think he does since ive been fallowing his posts. he will do fine.

the point of taking so much off of the plant is to increase the speed of growth of the remaining branches. which in turn gives u more yield and so on and so forth. the higher u cut the more remaining branches u have. but not all of them will grow as fast nore as even as if u only had the 4. even faster if u only have the 2. but hey what do i know. its just science. the only reason i would cut higher is to clone the remaining branches once they are big enough.

Thank you both for your opinions, you both are awesome. And I am going to clone what I cut off so nothing is wasted, it just doubles

exactly. lol. good luck man. just remember when cloning cut between the bottom node diaganolly before dipping it in ur cloning gel. trim the bigger leaf tips off. only the leaf tip as it help premote rooting. not the whole leaf. it u wait ill take a clone tomorrow and ill take some step by step pics. i have no rappid rooters so it will be in the bubbler but the steps are pretty much the same. just gotta soak the rapid rooters overnight so they are moist. or whatever u happen to be using.

Its your personal grow dude, not martial law. I do know what you are talking about, i have done what you are doing. And yes it does create large fat buds but you only have 4 of them and maybe some smaller buds. AND you have to wait 3 weeks for it to get to topping size, and THEN wait another 2 or 3 weeks so those smaller branches can mature. Unless you grow hydro or aero in which you would get a more speedy growth. I grow organic soil so these are the numbers i would be looking at
I don't even top my plants anymore because i found it a waste of time and it doesn't really change your overall yeild
I grow from clone to 12" and flower for 2 weeks then cut the lower 1/3 branches(which i clone) and fan leaves usually getting 6-10 clones out of each plant. If the plant is too tall i will supercrop or if my strains stems are known to be weak i will twist the branches. Then i flower until the plants last week and trim all foliage leaving buds... which then fatten more over a week and i harvest. This is my way and im NOT telling you to do what i do. But with my method it reduced my veg time to 2-3 weeks from rooting to flower and decreased stress on my plants. I essentially combined my needed pruning (for bud growth) and cloning in 1 step.
And if you flower every week like i do.. soon your garden will be full of clones ready to be flowered

Not trying to insult your way of growing, everyone has their own methods that work for them. But for those still learning i feel they should be provided all options and information possible then decide for themselves what works for them.

-CC