Topping your plant questions

I topped my plants for the first time about 3 days ago and see no new growth. Can you top them wrong? To the point we're you won't get any new tops?

ThereJustTomatoPlants said:

I topped my plants for the first time about 3 days ago and see no new growth. Can you top them wrong? To the point we're you won't get any new tops?

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Pics?

3 different plants. My camera sucks balls that's why I didn't put pics originally

I suppose its possible if you massacre the node.
But it would only start vigorous growth from the ones below.

Give it time. Some people say they shock for a few days after you top.

Yeah one seems to be in shock outta the 5 i topped, they all look healthy except one started sagging pretty bad.

Just be patient.

The node will eventually fill in with 2 shoots. Like has already been mentioned, just be patient.

I wouldn't worry. Your plants are still early in veg state and that means the plants are spending most of their energy laying down a root mass large enough to stabilize the plants. You topped them nice and early, just about when I would recommend.

You can either top them or FIM them to change the branching structure so you wind up with more than one main stem. Topping, removing the top node by cutting the main stem, will usually result in 2 main stems starting at the cut spot. FIMing is when you remove most of the top node by slicing straight through the top node and leaving just a bit of the top node intact. If done correctly a good FIM trim will result in 4 main colas growing out from where the cut took place. FIMing is less predictable, resultswise, and I will often end up with anywhere from 2 to 5 or 6 stems growing from the FIM spot.

Experiment with cutting in different spots but try to remember to make all cuts a straight line parallel to the floor. In your notes draw a picture of each cut as you mane them so you can go back and repeat those cuts that gave you the best results.

Good luck, BigSteve.,

Thanks allot guys, my biggest problem is patience..... They all have 2 new tops coming in but really small. That one that I mentioned might be in shock is doing pretty bad, I'm using supports to keep the leaves from sagging into the dirt, other 4 look to be doing very well. I post a pic of the sagger when I get home tonight

Finally got the pics, they all seem to be sagging a bit to me, even the ones that were not topped. Been like this a couple days now, what do you guys think? The first pic is the plant that's the worst and the last pic is the new tops coming in

That's great healthy new shoots...

This looks like a watering issue...

bigsteve said:

Experiment with cutting in different spots but try to remember to make all cuts a straight line parallel to the floor.

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Why level with floor? Most pruning techniques are 45 degrees to prevent standing fluid/water and its resulting potential to cause disease if im not mistaken.

I took those pics about 8 hours ago and when I came home they all perked back up, I think you were right budman i wasn't letting em dry out enough, a few started sagging because I topped em and I thought they needed water because they were sagging lol. The one on the first pic was the really saggy one.

Cool! Glad they are bouncing back. Sometimes it takes some time for them to get growing fast again after topping, but you mostly can’t do it wrong unless you cut off all the leaves, that would be wrong, lol. The idea is to subvert the apical dominance of the plant, which you have done They are pretty tough, yours look like they will be fine, don’t love them to death, cheers!

Haha yeah Michael I've been trying not to love em to death but that's been the hardest part. I've been a daily smoker for around 15 years and this is my first grow attempt, so o have to keep fighting the urge to go look at them every hour haha. But this may be a stupid question but how does topping the plant get you a bigger harvest? I was under the impression that 2 new growth nodes would come from the part I cut. But the 2 new growth spots you get woulda grown anyway.. I just didn't really See the benefits.

ThereJustTomatoPlants said:

Haha yeah Michael I've been trying not to love em to death but that's been the hardest part. I've been a daily smoker for around 15 years and this is my first grow attempt, so o have to keep fighting the urge to go look at them every hour haha. But this may be a stupid question but how does topping the plant get you a bigger harvest? I was under the impression that 2 new growth nodes would come from the part I cut. But the 2 new growth spots you get woulda grown anyway.. I just didn't really See the benefits.

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When you top the top of each of those tops, then you will have 4 tops. Top all 4 of those again, and you end up with 8 tops. Your tops keep multiplying with every topping while keeping an even canopy.

GrowGorilla said:

When you top the top of each of those tops, then you will have 4 tops. Top all 4 of those again, and you end up with 8 tops. Your tops keep multiplying with every topping while keeping an even canopy.

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More or less this, and the tops are where the goodies are best.
I would even top once if I was doing SOG. I have grown some without topping, but never again.

ThereJustTomatoPlants said:

I topped my plants for the first time about 3 days ago and see no new growth. Can you top them wrong? To the point we're you won't get any new tops?

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I like to wait until the pair of tops behind the top I'm pruning are more separated from the top I'm removing. It seems to help reduce the shock. That said, there will always be at least a little bit of a slow down when you first top a young plant, especially from seed. It doesn't usually seem to effect clones as much. It will also vary from strain to strain though.

Haven't had any problems since, about 2 weeks into flowering