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

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PLANT MOISTURE STRESS aka leaf edge/tip curling - symptoms and solutions
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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

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Journal-------------->Blue Cheese, PPP, and Thai Super Skunk...Jerry's Second Grow New Pics 11/22
Go Bengals! WHODEY!!!

Howdy!

Then don't. I would never top such a plant. I top plants that I speculate will be leggie, mainly for height control.

Regarding rooting your cutting, you could always take the top leaving the bottom 2 node sites to produce 4 main colas, pinch off the petioles at the lower 2 or 3 nodes of the cutting, treat it with rooting gel and sink it into your rooting medium up to the leaf petioles that are left on the cutting. The lower 3 nodes will be your rooting sites, the 4 node sites left with their leafsets intact will produce food for the production of roots. For some strange reason folks seem to think that removing the leaves on a cutting is a good thing.

Depends on whether you want 4 main colas or a bunch. Again, it's all about apical dominance regarding the action of the auxins which collect in the upper most terminal leaders.

I don't know what your headspace limitations are, but with such tightly spaced internodes I don't think height is gonna be an issue if you flower around say......12" tall. You need to experiment so you'll have a better feel of plant responses come your next garden.

Good luck,
UB

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PLANT MOISTURE STRESS aka leaf edge/tip curling - symptoms and solutions
Note- Due to some technicality, I can not reply to "New visitor messages"

This plant will certainly not have that issue. My vertical space is around 4-5 feet.

That makes sense. I'll consider that on future topping forays. I actually just topped a couple thai super skunks (sativa dom) that were getting pretty leggy, and only stuck one node in the rooting gel, when I could have done at least 2 more...never really thought about it until now.

Is there a point of diminishing returns when topping? I would think that multiple tops would be end up smaller than 4 main ones...

I guess I'm not really topping/LSTing to overcome height restrictions...just trying to maximize the yield per plant.

Experimentation is the name of my game right now...this is actually my second grow (more like version 1.5) but it is my first with genetics I paid for and not bagseed.

Thanks for all your help! Really. Your willingness to help is an admirable trait.

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Journal-------------->Blue Cheese, PPP, and Thai Super Skunk...Jerry's Second Grow New Pics 11/22
Go Bengals! WHODEY!!!

Hey UB great thread! I'm only about half way through it all. Lots of great info in here on a variety of topics. TYVM!
Theres one thing i cant figure out. Looking at this picture from page 1. If this plant was topped above the 2nd node, where did the two smaller branches below the 4 main branches come from?? It looks like it was topped above the 4th node?

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My 1st grow Current growing adventures. My Gallery.

They do get smaller, reason why I've found the best practical approach to do a maximum of 4.

My pleasure,
UB

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PLANT MOISTURE STRESS aka leaf edge/tip curling - symptoms and solutions
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Seedbanks give a rough guide on when they think the plants are mature.

Say, 8 weeks for most strains.

Weather it's a small plant or a super huge monster, it'll take about 8 weeks - then you start looking for maturity in the trichomes and harvest in due course, but monsters dont take longer to bud, and if they take longer to mature, thats just the plant it'self.

Like I said on page one, "The plant after harvest showing the branching scaffold and dominant 4 main cola "trunks", opposing nodes one right above the other. Smaller secondary branches also provided good bud production. This plant yielded over 10 oz of cured bud."

Ever studied the branching habit of a deciduous tree in winter? You'll have main scaffold limbs and then you'll have smaller secondary's. Occasionally a branch will pop off the trunk which should be rubbed off to maintain the form and shape of the tree, but that is neither here nor there. Those secondary's arise from dormant bud tissue that may eventually pop, all depends on hormonal action. Some call them "suckers".

It is quite obvious in the photo that there were indeed 4 main "trunks", aka colas. If you look closely at the lower 2, a collar has formed where it is attached to the trunk. The secondary branches produce less heavy buds or airy buds as opposed to the main colas.

Tio

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PLANT MOISTURE STRESS aka leaf edge/tip curling - symptoms and solutions
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Ahh "suckers" I see. I wasn't questioning your methods or the "obvious" 4 main trunks. Sorry if it came off like that. I thought a "node" was required for a branch to develop. I asked because this plant I have has a "true" node pretty much right where the cotyledons attached making the true # of "true" nodes a bit more vague than usual. My other plants are obvious but this one i cant decide where to cut it for 4 colas? I guess its right where the "trunk" is that fatest in this picture. That would leave 2 nodes below the cut. I thought that maybe that bottom node NEAR the cotyledons didn't count. And that it would only produce "suckers" like the ones I questioned you about. Sorry, you had to refer to page 1 for me. How embarrassing.

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Hey, no apologies needed. The only way you'll become a master gardener is by experimenting. Top here and there and observe the plant's response.

Have fun,
Tio

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PLANT MOISTURE STRESS aka leaf edge/tip curling - symptoms and solutions
Note- Due to some technicality, I can not reply to "New visitor messages"