Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas

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purplehazin

Well-Known Member
So does this method increase yield, or does it just allow you to achieve the same yield using less space? Cause like lefreq I am not really limited too much by vertical space and am already growing indica dom plants. So will I get more yield doing this or letting them just grow?
I havent finished it yet, but 1 plant I topped will definitely yield more than if I wouldnt have topped it. As for height, it doesnt really make the plant shorter if you veg it out a bit longer
 

lefreq

Active Member
i see your point but then i have to veg longer so if i just veg a bit longer without toppin id get better yield anyway!! i get what its about tho that u get 4 MAIN colas as the hormones only have 2 nodes to leak into makin them all MAIN istead of just side colas but im still a bit sceptical on doin it unless i have height issues

i had 2 exodus cheese last year one had loads of cuts taken and was bushy as fuck and one was a cut that never got touched no topping at all they both yielded 1 3\4 oz about 2 grams difference just the bushy one was all popcorn bud no bigger than a henry dry! and the other was just made up of about 7 buds

so to say a topped plant will yield more im not intirely sold on that i think it yields the same just in a shorter height and wider area say 4 plants in a 1.2m under a 600 id have done it by now but i think havin 8 im going to be pushin it with floor space as it is????????
 

Danielsgb

Well-Known Member
I got about 7g to 10g more off the one I topped for 4 colas than the other 2 plants. I'm doing this to all of mine now.
Daniels
 

DaveCoulier

Well-Known Member
i see your point but then i have to veg longer so if i just veg a bit longer without toppin id get better yield anyway!! i get what its about tho that u get 4 MAIN colas as the hormones only have 2 nodes to leak into makin them all MAIN istead of just side colas but im still a bit sceptical on doin it unless i have height issues

i had 2 exodus cheese last year one had loads of cuts taken and was bushy as fuck and one was a cut that never got touched no topping at all they both yielded 1 3\4 oz about 2 grams difference just the bushy one was all popcorn bud no bigger than a henry dry! and the other was just made up of about 7 buds

so to say a topped plant will yield more im not intirely sold on that i think it yields the same just in a shorter height and wider area say 4 plants in a 1.2m under a 600 id have done it by now but i think havin 8 im going to be pushin it with floor space as it is????????
Lefreq, I have two Jack the Ripper clones in flower right now. One is topped, and the other is untopped. They both were cloned at same time, and flowered at the same time. I expect in 4-5 weeks they will be ready to harvest, and I can do a comparison for weight, but It looks like the topped plant will yield better.
 

smithyboi

Member
can some one pleaseeee show me in a picture or a good explination where u actually top them? am i right in thinking that you wait until they have 6 nodes (the 'Y') kind of things, and then go all the way down to the second one that formed, and cut it off? below or above the node?
 

DaveCoulier

Well-Known Member
I know its a long thread, and no one likes reading through every page to find their answers, but if you use the search function you'll find them easier. Just as much as you hate to read through so many pages, we hate to have the same question asked repeatedly every few pages.
 

alsandair

Member
just wanting to know. how many weeks into veg do u normaly top to get best results.. cuz mine at like 5 nodes without counting the catlyst node do i top now or wait a lil longer to have more nodes because the plants aint that tall maybe 6 to 7 inches if im lucky.
 

DaveCoulier

Well-Known Member
just wanting to know. how many weeks into veg do u normaly top to get best results.. cuz mine at like 5 nodes without counting the catlyst node do i top now or wait a lil longer to have more nodes because the plants aint that tall maybe 6 to 7 inches if im lucky.
It would be best to top now if you are looking for possibly four main colas. I typically top around 14 or so days. You can top sooner if your plant is growing quickly though. 5 nodes would be a good number, so go ahead and top now.
 

atomicronick

Active Member
good info ben. much apretiated. I like how you kept it real here and didnt ripp on other people`s setups.... here it is....



It really doesn't matter what you use as long as you're growing plenty of foliage and keeping it green, healthy, and abundant until harvest. Some of my best results were using a HPS ONLY from start to finish. There is alot of hype when it comes to light spectrums. I have found in spite of all the ditties on spectrums, professional and otherwise, that the plant just doesn't care. Do the experiment. Grow a garden with only a HPS or MH, see for yourself. They are both full spectrum plants. The manufacturers and their vendors are only in it for the money, so they'll push this and that, conversion ballasts, all kinds of crap, etc. My best and most efficient hood is an old Diamond Lights, SMALL horizontal hood with a gull wing insert which I retrofitted with some very high quality, super shiny, spectral material using a drill and a rivet gun. I also built my own ballast box using parts and a junction box to house them in.
 
Two questions?

1. How long did you veg and flower the plant from page 1?

2. My clones having staggering nodes, there are not two opposite each other. Will this cause the plant to NOT produce 4 main colas?

Thank you!
 

Serapis

Well-Known Member
just wanting to know. how many weeks into veg do u normaly top to get best results.. cuz mine at like 5 nodes without counting the catlyst node do i top now or wait a lil longer to have more nodes because the plants aint that tall maybe 6 to 7 inches if im lucky.
I top when I can clearly count 4-5 true nodes. (the first set with single tip leaves doesn't count.) Within 2 days, you'll see the side growth begin to stand up and a translucent green ball forms at it's stem to strengthen them. About 4-6 days later, if you look carefully, the seconf node also begins to do the same thing and form thicker stems that start to curve upward.

It was hard to top at first, I was like wtf am I cutting off 2-3 good nodes? If you need too, go back and look at UB's pictures again for motivation. Topping IS WORTH it. So what if it adds a week or two to your veg cycle. You'll love it on harvest day! I'll take 4 colas to one any day.
 

Serapis

Well-Known Member
Two questions?

1. How long did you veg and flower the plant from page 1?

2. My clones having staggering nodes, there are not two opposite each other. Will this cause the plant to NOT produce 4 main colas?

Thank you!
If your plant is producing just one stem per node, it will give you two colas.
 

lefreq

Active Member
Well I thought I'd just give it a go can't hurt can it I'm open to new methods and the only way your truely going to find out if there benefitial is try it eh! UB obv got a few grows under his belt so must know what he's talkin about I'm willing to take his advice and come to my own conclusion I've topped 6 out of 7 of my cheesus and bubble cheese just left the one to compare! They all seem to have 4 strong colas pushin through all the same size aswell no 2 colas than 2 lil ones!
 

9867mike777

Well-Known Member
OK, here is a negative to the topping. Once you top it, and the plant turns into a bushy four cola beauty, inevitably one the beauties ends up being a dude. It just happened to me. Heartbreaking, this Blackjack had a huge amount of potential bud sites. Luckily another sibling, almost as pretty, is a girl. I'm going to put one branch off the male into some water and collect some pollen. Maybe incite a little brother sister commingling of chromosomes. It is a gorgeous little bushy sativa plant.
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
Hmmmmm... something else caused that. I've topped about 40 plants this year and have not had one go hermie. Just chopped one yesterday with 4 beautiful colas.
 
Hey guys, this is my first grow and my plant is about 1 month into budding...Is it too late to top the plant? The buds look about half mature so I feel that I missed the boat on that one.

Also...how late into the bud cycle can you prune the leaves as well as lollipop the plant (trimming the bottom fan leaves)?

THANK YOU!
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, this is my first grow and my plant is about 1 month into budding...Is it too late to top the plant? The buds look about half mature so I feel that I missed the boat on that one.

Also...how late into the bud cycle can you prune the leaves as well as lollipop the plant (trimming the bottom fan leaves)?

THANK YOU!
yes to late to top unless you want to stunt it and reduce your yield

and we don't mention the L word in this thread
 

oAUSTiNo

Active Member
i just toppe dmine about a week ago- i should have 6 colas!
but can i top the ones that just started growing again? and again and again?
 
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