This is a basic guide of How to Top your plants, it is generally step-by-step and will hopefully be helpful to anyone who has never done this before and is wanting to give it a try.

Note: You can keep the topped part of the plant to use as a clone, here's how: GreenX How to's... How to Clone in Soil (w/pics)

For more of my guides to come, simply search Titles only, keyword: GreenX How to's

Step 1: Get some nice sharp scissors, secateurs, knife or razor blade (here I'm using harvesting scissors), sterilize the blade(s) by wiping them with methylated spirits or other bacteria killing liquid.


Step 2: Select the plants you wish to top, here I'm topping (and cloning) AK, because they've been under fluros longer than I had intended and they're getting a little too tall and stretched, so I want to reduce that height by topping them (and using the tops for the clones).
Sorry some pictures are a little blurry.


Step 3: Select the node you wish to cut to, angle the scissors about 45 degrees and make the cut about half a centimeter (0.5cm ... 0.2 inches) above the node you selected to cut to.



Step 4: Place them back under lights (preferably fluros, CFL or MH [Metal Halide]) and keep the photoperiod to a vegetative schedule, such as 18/6, 20/4 or 24/0.
The node directly below where you made your cut (where you topped your plant) will grow two (occasionally three if the plants a bit of a mutant) new main leaders, or 'tops', you can top multiple times by doing the same process on some of the new growth resulting in the plant vee-ing again where you topped it.

A topped plant:


Try to avoid topping too close to flowering as doing it when the plant wants to flower will likely decrease yield.

Hope this helps some of you out their. If you're unsure of any of the terms I've used, hopefully my Glossary of Terms will help you out: Glossary of Terms

Cheers!

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Glossary of Terms:
http://www.rollitup.org/general-mari...ary-terms.html
...And keep an eye out for more GreenX how to's to come!