how do u top a plant??

[ganga bus]

hey im new and i was just wondering how do you top a plant and what is it for? pics and other info would be greatly appreciated. ty

ganga bus Reviewed by ganga bus on 02-14-2007. how do u top a plant?? hey im new and i was just wondering how do you top a plant and what is it for? pics and other info would be greatly appreciated. ty Rating: 5

[Zandor]

Did you check the FAQ section? If you did you would have found this link.

http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs...s-bending.html

That answers your question

[letsburn06]

Also topping creates more than one main bud so instead of one big bud u will have 2 or 3 maybe more depending on how many times u top ur plant.

[KL4D4]

But is it worthwhile to top the plant, or I should say would the main cola just become thicker as opposed to the two of them growing? I'm just using CFL's bout 300W worth... just don't know which way to go

[letsburn06]

Well in your case im not really sure but if i was you id stick with not topping the plant becuase if u top the plant to get more than one main cola instead of topping it to keep it short ur best to topp with hps lights.What are you trying to get out of the plant...as much yield as possible or quality or both

[brookerosebud]

TOPPING
Some marijuana growers will take a pair of clippers to the top of their plant just above the last branch formation during the third or fourth week of vegetative growth. The top is removed by shearing it away at the stem. What happens next is that the main stem splits off in two or more directions, creating a V-shape at the top of your plant. The end result after flowering is two or more top colas instead of one. Now, two top colas instead of one does sound appealing and some growers have even managed to force a plant to grow more than six top colas using this method. Unfortunately this topping method of pruning doesn't always lead to better results.

Depending on the strain and the growing environment, the 'topped' plant may produce two small top colas instead of two big ones. Also, each strain has a threshold for bud production that cannot be improved upon because it is a genetically predetermined factor. On the other hand, some plants when fully grown without topping do not reach their threshold. The strain Blueberry is a good example of this. If you grow Blueberry without topping you won't achieve maximum bud production from that plant, but if you top the Blueberry, you will. Other strains aren't so flexible and the two top colas will simply share the same volume of bud that a single cola would have produced on the same strain.

It's advised that you keep in mind that pruning for yield using the topping method is strain-dependent and experiment carefully with this pruning method. Do this with 2 out of 10 plants in every grow. You'll find in time that during this vegetative prune you will be able to shape your plant. Plants are generally pruned three to four weeks into their vegetative cycle, but can be pruned sooner or later or more than once.

Pruning during flowering is not advised as the plant will be forced to divert its energy from bud production into branch and leaf production. This results in a slower rate of bud growth. For optimal growth finish your pruning well before flowering.

FIM Technique
There is a topping method known as the FIM technique. If you push the leaves apart at the very top of the plant you should see a small bud (not flowering bud but an actually leaf bud). Use a pair of nail clippers to pinch off about 3/4 of the bud. This should result in more than two top colas being developed. In a single FIM clipping you can produce up to eight new top colas.
The origins of this technique are humorous. As the story goes, FIM was discovered accidentally when a grower messed up a topping exercise. FIM stands for: "Fuck I Missed".

[KL4D4]

I'd just like to shoot big I guess, with an even mix of lighting it should be intresting to see what happens, though I understand I can't try to let it get too big, so thats why I'll just not FIM or top it, keep it nice and simple, thanks.

[letsburn06]

If you want to try and maximize your yield try scrog method man it worked great for me i got 2.5 ounces of my plant by doin that...and i was usin cfl's to.

[nick_420chronic]

if i were u i WOULD top ur plant.heres why number 1 u can make a clone with the cuttings that u topped.and number two u can get up to 20 or more top buds if u top ur plant.so if u top ur plants u will have as many new plants as u topped.

[letsburn06]

Topping is a good idea but if you have never done it before and you only have one plant i wouldnt try topping untill u have one or more plants growing..just incase it doesnt work u dont kill all of em..but scrog method is very good i did it when i used cfl's and got an ounce and a half.