Uncle Ben,
Amazing thread. I stumbled upon it years ago and I'm amazed to see it active still. I have read through a couple hundred pages and have found tons of answers but there are a couple things I am still not clear on. I apologize if it's been covered but I missed the points.
-If a grower is looking to cut veg time by increasing plant numbers, lets say 16 plants per 600w light, do you think the grower would see better yields using the topping for 2 colas, 4 colas or perhaps just letting it go natural and trying to limit the plant to one main cola? It seems most people here are using lower plant numbers.
I was imagining possibly a set up with 2 colas per plant , meaning 32 colas per 600w. obviously each plant will be smaller, but by cutting down veg time I think I can get 1 more grow out per year and I have limited space, so I can't veg for longer in another room.
-Also, I have read the FAQ and frequent questions about clones with alternating nodes. I see that you have stated that if you give these clones a long light cycle they will revert back to opposing nodes. Any idea of how long that would take? Do they always revert to opposing nodes? And if you do top a plant with alternating nodes, I understand that you will not necessarily get the uniform 4 colas, but what will the effect be? A generally bushy plant? More colas but an unpredictable number of them?
-In a garden with 16 plants per 600w , in the case that the clone has alternating nodes or perhaps it would take too long to revert to opposing, would you think I would be best: a) letting the plant grow naturally with no topping, b) still topping above the 1st or 2nd node and hoping for the best, 2 - 4 colas c) topping higher up the plant below the newest node, essentially just making the plant into a big bush with no true cola.
-I also see that you and others here are against removing leaves that obviously collect the light to drive plant growth. But when you say that you don't like to remove foliage, are you saying that you would not prune any growth shoots from the lower third of the plant?
I have been thinking of using either your method or pistilwhipt's topping method but I am not sure what would be best considering my high plant numbers and the fact I am using clones. pistilwhipt reccomend something similar to you but slightly different. He says to let it grow to 7 nodes, prune bottom 3 nodes, top below upper node or second from the top, which leaves you with 2-3 pairs (yet a longer stem below those pairs). Another difference being that he also reccomends that before the 2nd week of flower, trip all lower growth shoots that are too close to the main stem or will not receive enough light to produce dense nug. I know you disagree with the idea of redistributing 'energy' etc, but perhaps it has benefits of at least promoting airflow and therefore reducing mold risk.
I appreciate the clarification. Sorry for the longwinded post. It's obvious that this thread has helped tons of gardeners and I plan on giving it a try myself. I typically haven't topped at all and go for higher plant numbers and 1 single cola - more of a SOG approach.
Thanks again for a great discussion and for introducing your topping method and taking the time to help out growers looking to increase yields. I will report back with pics to show the effects on smaller plants with high numbers.
-
Amazing thread. I stumbled upon it years ago and I'm amazed to see it active still. I have read through a couple hundred pages and have found tons of answers but there are a couple things I am still not clear on. I apologize if it's been covered but I missed the points.
-If a grower is looking to cut veg time by increasing plant numbers, lets say 16 plants per 600w light, do you think the grower would see better yields using the topping for 2 colas, 4 colas or perhaps just letting it go natural and trying to limit the plant to one main cola? It seems most people here are using lower plant numbers.
I was imagining possibly a set up with 2 colas per plant , meaning 32 colas per 600w. obviously each plant will be smaller, but by cutting down veg time I think I can get 1 more grow out per year and I have limited space, so I can't veg for longer in another room.
-Also, I have read the FAQ and frequent questions about clones with alternating nodes. I see that you have stated that if you give these clones a long light cycle they will revert back to opposing nodes. Any idea of how long that would take? Do they always revert to opposing nodes? And if you do top a plant with alternating nodes, I understand that you will not necessarily get the uniform 4 colas, but what will the effect be? A generally bushy plant? More colas but an unpredictable number of them?
-In a garden with 16 plants per 600w , in the case that the clone has alternating nodes or perhaps it would take too long to revert to opposing, would you think I would be best: a) letting the plant grow naturally with no topping, b) still topping above the 1st or 2nd node and hoping for the best, 2 - 4 colas c) topping higher up the plant below the newest node, essentially just making the plant into a big bush with no true cola.
-I also see that you and others here are against removing leaves that obviously collect the light to drive plant growth. But when you say that you don't like to remove foliage, are you saying that you would not prune any growth shoots from the lower third of the plant?
I have been thinking of using either your method or pistilwhipt's topping method but I am not sure what would be best considering my high plant numbers and the fact I am using clones. pistilwhipt reccomend something similar to you but slightly different. He says to let it grow to 7 nodes, prune bottom 3 nodes, top below upper node or second from the top, which leaves you with 2-3 pairs (yet a longer stem below those pairs). Another difference being that he also reccomends that before the 2nd week of flower, trip all lower growth shoots that are too close to the main stem or will not receive enough light to produce dense nug. I know you disagree with the idea of redistributing 'energy' etc, but perhaps it has benefits of at least promoting airflow and therefore reducing mold risk.
I appreciate the clarification. Sorry for the longwinded post. It's obvious that this thread has helped tons of gardeners and I plan on giving it a try myself. I typically haven't topped at all and go for higher plant numbers and 1 single cola - more of a SOG approach.
Thanks again for a great discussion and for introducing your topping method and taking the time to help out growers looking to increase yields. I will report back with pics to show the effects on smaller plants with high numbers.
-