Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas
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born2killspam
Well-Known Member
If you add up the 4 you'd definately exceed the natural height, but thats irrelevent, its about space and light management, not size overall..
Great thanks.
Solved the problem by bending the two branches to make the plant form a t shape.
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
Howdy, hope everyone's 4th was safe and fun!
Like to see a photo or two when she starts bulking up.
Good luck,
UB
Like to see a photo or two when she starts bulking up.
Good luck,
UB
Snak
Active Member
Hey Uncle Ben....
I'm more of a lurker than I'd like to be here, mainly cause I don't have much to contribute and a lot to learn. But I need to say THANK YOU for this awesome thread you started.
I started my first grow attempt (4 plants) in mid April- 3 Northern Lights and one Mazar. I "uncle ben'd" the healthy NL and the Mazar, but one of my plants did not even sprout, and the other sprouted with a missing cotyledon. It took about 2 weeks to finally make any growth at all, and I had to plant another seed to make up for the one that did not sprout.
Long story short, I did not have space for the 4-cola'd Mazar, so I gave it to a friend. Now I have a 4-cola Northern Lights, and 2 regular un-topped unadulterated Northern Lights.
And man oh man, does the uncle ben'd plant look oustanding. Two top cola's are huge and glorious after only 4 weeks of flowering now, but oddly enough the other two are much shorter. This probably has to do with the fact that I'm using CFLs and the light doesn't distribute totally equally (a condition I'm working to fix). Either way, I can tell that she's the plant that's going to give me the heftiest yield out of all of them.
And I can already start to see my preferred style of growing develop. I don't want to be fucking with these things, I just want to let them grow. LSTing, Supercropping, SCROGging, it all seems like a lot of work for not a lot of benefit, when all you have to do is just one early topping to get 4 huge colas.
Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for helping out a noob succeed in this stuff. Really, I couldn't have done it without you and the rest of the guys on this site.
I'm more of a lurker than I'd like to be here, mainly cause I don't have much to contribute and a lot to learn. But I need to say THANK YOU for this awesome thread you started.
I started my first grow attempt (4 plants) in mid April- 3 Northern Lights and one Mazar. I "uncle ben'd" the healthy NL and the Mazar, but one of my plants did not even sprout, and the other sprouted with a missing cotyledon. It took about 2 weeks to finally make any growth at all, and I had to plant another seed to make up for the one that did not sprout.
Long story short, I did not have space for the 4-cola'd Mazar, so I gave it to a friend. Now I have a 4-cola Northern Lights, and 2 regular un-topped unadulterated Northern Lights.
And man oh man, does the uncle ben'd plant look oustanding. Two top cola's are huge and glorious after only 4 weeks of flowering now, but oddly enough the other two are much shorter. This probably has to do with the fact that I'm using CFLs and the light doesn't distribute totally equally (a condition I'm working to fix). Either way, I can tell that she's the plant that's going to give me the heftiest yield out of all of them.
And I can already start to see my preferred style of growing develop. I don't want to be fucking with these things, I just want to let them grow. LSTing, Supercropping, SCROGging, it all seems like a lot of work for not a lot of benefit, when all you have to do is just one early topping to get 4 huge colas.
Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for helping out a noob succeed in this stuff. Really, I couldn't have done it without you and the rest of the guys on this site.
well grow
Active Member
Hey everyone hows things, Snak put some pics up of your NL it sounds good. I think than some of my bbc have stretched a little and 2 of them might have needed a little more time for the colas to level out but they are all getting good light and air circulation. The benefits of UB's topping technique are astounding, Everyday when i water my plants i see new bud sites on all of them you just wouldn't belive it i think im going to have a good harvest. Thanks UB.
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
Again, apical dominance. The lower colas may, and I emphasize may, be smaller in bulk than the ones above them. When I top to 4 main colas, they seem to bulk up pretty much the same. Your mileage may vary.
Exactly. Too much crap for too much effort around these parts. Growing pot should be as low maintenance as you can get IMO. My style is - no gimmicks, no charts, just plain botany.
Cool! Glad it's working out for you.
Have fun,
Uncle Ben
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
....The benefits of UB's topping technique are astounding, Everyday when i water my plants i see new bud sites on all of them you just wouldn't belive it i think im going to have a good harvest. Thanks UB.
Just keep them green my friend. One main cola or 4, it all depends on how well you maintain the plant's food factory (leaves) until harvest.
Highhunter
Active Member
Yo Uncle Ben, Killer pics on page one. I had some success with topping but have a question for you. Why did you top an inch after your 2nd true node? Did growth start from that piece of stem you left above the node, is that how you got 4 main colas? In the past I topped above the node ( 2nd-4th) leaving an inch of stem or so and It just shriveled up. Was that the case with urs or did it sprout new growth 
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
Yo Uncle Ben, Killer pics on page one. I had some success with topping but have a question for you. Why did you top an inch after your 2nd true node? Did growth start from that piece of stem you left above the node, is that how you got 4 main colas? In the past I topped above the node ( 2nd-4th) leaving an inch of stem or so and It just shriveled up. Was that the case with urs or did it sprout new growth
The nub will shrivel and is not capable of foliar output.
born2killspam
Well-Known Member
Better to be too far away than risk damaging the node.. Thing I liked about that pic was the fact that it clearly depicts that topping IS NOT cutting through the node itself like alot of noobs seem to think.. FIMing isn't even if done properly..
Highhunter
Active Member
Yeah thats what I was thinking... so by topping after the 2nd node are you more likely to get 4 main colas or is it pretty rare?
born2killspam
Well-Known Member
Pretty much clockwork across all genetics unless you tamper with growth patterns further..
Can you explain this a bit more? I've FIM'ed a couple of plants, and although the plant bushed out more,
the next few sets of leaves were deformed or cut at the ends. Is that normal?
I cut straight through the node taking off about 80%. I'm not clear on how you can FIM without cutting
through the node. I thought that was the whole idea behind FIM, and what makes it different from just topping.
born2killspam
Well-Known Member
The node is actually the bulbous region where the new outputs come from, not the dominant shoot directly above.. Actual nodes are really tightly spaced on new growth, and they stretch from there.. The target is always the apical meristem regardless of technique though, and yes new growth is often deformed for a while.. I'm not exactly sure how natural, or mistake driven that is.. Might as well post this again..
I see. So I guess I'm actually misusing the word "node" when I'm trying to
describe the tight pack of new nodes on the apical bud.
So has anyone ever said definitively whether FIM is better than regular
topping in any way? From what I've seen of Uncle Ben's work, topping for four main
colas is the way to go.
describe the tight pack of new nodes on the apical bud.
So has anyone ever said definitively whether FIM is better than regular
topping in any way? From what I've seen of Uncle Ben's work, topping for four main
colas is the way to go.
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
Ask 10 different people about how to FIM and you'll get 10 different answers. IMO, it's another one of those lame forum drills (like flushing) that has no merit and just won't die, reason why it's slammed so much as "Fuck I Missed". It's just not 100% predictable or reliable.
Having said that, most of those who played with it at CW and OG agreed that you cut thru the node which resulted in up to 8 outputs. My question in numerous posts was, "OK, are you suggesting that the plant has dormant bud tissue at the node?" No one could ever answer the question.
Topping to get 2 or 4 main colas (your choice) is really a no brainer. It works 100% of the time for me, is quick and causes no stress to the plant or the grower.
Tio
ijustgrowGREEN
Well-Known Member
UB, i used the info in this thread to top my Northern Lights plant. plant has fully recovered from topping and is growing four main colas nicely. thanks! my question is, 1 of the new main colas is like 3" above the other 3 main colas(branches). what if anything can i do to slow her down so others can catch up? i'm trying to get an even canopy for my lights... thanks 
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
UB, i used the info in this thread to top my Northern Lights plant. plant has fully recovered from topping and is growing four main colas nicely. thanks! my question is, 1 of the new main colas is like 3" above the other 3 main colas(branches). what if anything can i do to slow her down so others can catch up? i'm trying to get an even canopy for my lights... thanks
The colas produced at the highest point will always be slightly taller than the lower ones, that's normal. Don't sweat it, let nature do what it knows best. If one turns out taller than another, so what?
Tio Bendejo
Jerry Garcia
Well-Known Member
Hello again UB! I've got a situation and I'd like your input.
I'm currently vegging two blue cheese and one pure power that are about one month from seed. My plan was to top them to get 4 colas, clone the tops, and be happy as a clam. My plants have 9+ nodes and are between 6 and 6.5 inches tall. They look healthy and happy, with lots of branching.
My problem is that topping now above the second true node will cost me 7 tightly-spaced nodes above it (except for the bit I decide to use as a clone). I like the way it is developing, and don't want to muck it up.
What is your opinion on topping higher up the plant...say 3 nodes from the top, leaving 6 below? I know it won't give me 4 "colas" like topping above the second true node will...
My other thought is to do a little training with them instead. Just tie the top down a bit and let the other branches catch up.
Any input you can give would be most appreciated!
--Jerry
I'm currently vegging two blue cheese and one pure power that are about one month from seed. My plan was to top them to get 4 colas, clone the tops, and be happy as a clam. My plants have 9+ nodes and are between 6 and 6.5 inches tall. They look healthy and happy, with lots of branching.
My problem is that topping now above the second true node will cost me 7 tightly-spaced nodes above it (except for the bit I decide to use as a clone). I like the way it is developing, and don't want to muck it up.
What is your opinion on topping higher up the plant...say 3 nodes from the top, leaving 6 below? I know it won't give me 4 "colas" like topping above the second true node will...
My other thought is to do a little training with them instead. Just tie the top down a bit and let the other branches catch up.
Any input you can give would be most appreciated!
--Jerry
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