Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas
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here are some pics
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Uncle Ben
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My method will work best during a vegetative stage when you have opposing nodes. Please see page 1.
UB
Uncle Ben
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f1tzg3r4ald
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What do you know your a aragatan with a bad hair do.
well grow
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Katatawnic
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Topping will make your plants grow a bit bushier, and help to control height. But no, it won't stop or slow growth; vertical nor otherwise. Topping will also spread the top branches of your plant as it grows, especially when it is weighed down with buds later, which allows more light to penetrate to the lower branches and bud sites. 
Grower101
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Hello, so i tried this technique and so far my plant do have 4 Main colas, im on 1 1/2 into flowering now, i never tried this technique, b ut so far so good, i did this with one of my Afghan Kush plant and she looks good so far, but my plant didnt get bushier, it grew the 4 colas but its not that bushier like my other ones that didnt get toped with this technique , so i was kinda concern about yield, i will have to wait and see how much i get from the 2 diff techniques. I Actually did this with disbelief but it it actually works which is nice, well i will post some Pics when the plants start growing some nice buds and show u all, thanks Uncle .
Uncle,
I would like to try this, but do want to confirm the cut point as I'm obviously a little apprehensive about it...
My plants are about a foot long and have 6-7 nodes, depending how I count. Does the node immediately above the cotyledons count as one? That node is very small, with just small leaves growing out. All the ones above it are much larger branches. If they do count, then I'm cutting just above the first thick node, meaning about 3/4ths of the entire plant is coming off?
Second question, does this increase yield or does the volume that would have otherwise been in concentrated in one large cola simply get distributed between four smaller ones, and effectively resulting in the same yield?
Thanks,
Pete
Uncle Ben
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As I've said countless times in this thread beginning with page one, the node above where the cotyledons are is what I'm using as the first TRUE node. Hey fellers, next one to ask this question again is gonna get a Texas ass whuppin'!
In the first post on page one, I said, "To get 4 main colas, let your seedling or cutting (clone) grow to about 5-6 nodes and pinch out (cut) the stem just above the 2nd true node. The node where the cotyledons attach doesn't count."
Read people!
born2killspam
Well-Known Member
Thats a joke right?? A plant yields based on so many factors..
I understand that. Perhaps I should have been more specific: Given all other factors being the same, how does topping with this method vary the output/yield?
If it was a joke, I would have started with something like "an elephant walks into a bar..."
ijustgrowGREEN
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UB, i'm back again for more advice..... 
used your topping method on my Northern Lights plant and it's worked wonders. i've also got a white widow that i just topped for 4 main colas. i figured i'd get creative and try to use the top portion i cut off of her as a clone. she had about 5 nodes when i cut, so i took that top, trimmed all branches and leaves off, except main stem growth, and planted it. what do you think? good idea or will it probably die on me? thanks alot....
used your topping method on my Northern Lights plant and it's worked wonders. i've also got a white widow that i just topped for 4 main colas. i figured i'd get creative and try to use the top portion i cut off of her as a clone. she had about 5 nodes when i cut, so i took that top, trimmed all branches and leaves off, except main stem growth, and planted it. what do you think? good idea or will it probably die on me? thanks alot....
Uncle Ben
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Punchline - "Depends on how good you are with a shoehorn."
I think you might have just fucked up a good thang. Without sufficient leaves, how do you expect the plant to produce enough carbos for good root production? Jest wonderin'. Sink the cutting two nodes deep into the rooting medium after removing those particular leaf petioles.
Glad it worked out fer ya on the NL.
Enjoy.....
ijustgrowGREEN
Well-Known Member
i was under the impression that a clone couldnt support any of her fan leaves or branches other than the central stem growth due to the lack of roots... i see your point though. i was misinformed then.... thanks UB
Uncle Ben
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A cutting can support the leaves if the environment is right. DO NOT take forum talk as gospel, do your own experiments and understand what makes a plant tick. If you have high RH, good light, then the more leaves you have retained on the cutting (within reason of course) the more simple/complex carbos those leaves will produce, which means they will provide the nourishment for cell division/elongation....where ever that may happen to be on the plant material. In this case, you're trying to induce root production. You aint gonna get a good flush of roots if you aint got the very unit that provides for their production.
Just an observation also as I see it all the time - don't try to paint gardening with a broad stroke, it is NOT black and white. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. You must take into consideration ALL factors that involve botanical processes. You don't know how many times I get these questions, "help, my leaves are falling off, what is the problem?" without the poster offering any details of his day to day practices. My recourse is to try to pull enough info out of him to make some kind of decent educated guess, and many times it's a guess at that. Why? Because growers sometimes won't disclose info needed for a diagnosis because they won't take responsibility for their fuck-ups or botanical ignorance. How many times have you seen a noob blame their issues on some arbitrary thing like pH or a Mg deficiency? Most of them wouldn't know a Mg deficiency if it bit 'em on their ass.
End of rant,
UB
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