Fimming and Topping 101

lunbox24

Well-Known Member
...Why was it "bad"? Do you figure you don't have enough height/bulk for good bud production yet? When you do something with your plants, what are you hoping to achieve?


I was hoping i'd get more colas so I would get more of a yield.

BTW, the plagarisized "instruction" posted on page one by Mogie regarding topping and fimming is just plain wrong. One needs to understand plant reactions, and the info given is erroneous.

What parts are erroneous?
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
I was hoping i'd get more colas so I would get more of a yield.
Then top above the second true node. You'll get 4 main colas. I have shown this with text and photos many a time. In fact, there is a YouTube by Arjan of Greenhouse Seeds who took my topping method, incorporated into his procedures and shows quite a nice greenhouse full of plants with 2 - 4 main colas on each plant. The Legend thread at PG has some photos regarding topping too. This is how it's done. https://www.planetganja.com/highsociety/showthread.php?t=33786&page=62

What parts are erroneous?
The act of pulling together the topmost leaves and cutting them. All you've got is some of the leaf removed. That procedure has no affect of inducing foliar bud break, which is what you're after. I didn't read the entire thread, but what I did read showed nothing regarding the final outcome. What does that suggest? It should raise a flag and suggest that this wonderful show-n-tell drill is bogus.

Good luck,
UB
 

lunbox24

Well-Known Member
Thanks UB, thats some good insight too. So the main stem i cut has not grown back...is that a big deal? Will it grow back? Leaves around it has grown and the plants have branched out but not the stem. Any suggestions?
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Thanks UB, thats some good insight too. So the main stem i cut has not grown back...is that a big deal? Will it grow back? Leaves around it has grown and the plants have branched out but not the stem. Any suggestions?
You're welcome. The main stem will not grow back. I gave precise locations of where the new output will be and why. Please reread my posts.

UB
 

lunbox24

Well-Known Member
Im still a newbie man, i guess i didnt get exactly what you're saying...you didnt mention any growth about the stem and mentioned the leafs on the side so i figured id ask again. People dont answer every question someone asks so i wasnt sure.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Im still a newbie man, i guess i didnt get exactly what you're saying...you didnt mention any growth about the stem and mentioned the leafs on the side so i figured id ask again. People dont answer every question someone asks so i wasnt sure.
On this very page, post #81 I said, "Then you'll get foliar output from the area where the leaf petioles are attached to the main stem, below the cut. Dormant buds are located in that axis."

IOW, once you remove the main terminal leader, the growth hormones, mainly auxins, will be redistributed to dormant buds below your cut, which are located in the.......

UB
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
...you didnt mention any growth about the stem and mentioned the leafs on the side so i figured id ask again. People dont answer every question someone asks so i wasnt sure.
On this very page, post #81 I said, "Then you'll get foliar output from the area where the leaf petioles are attached to the main stem, below the cut. Dormant buds are located in that axis."

IOW, once you remove the main terminal leader by pinching it out, the growth hormones, mainly auxins, will be redistributed to dormant buds below your cut, which are located in the axis, at a node, where the leaf petiole (leaf stem) is attached to the main stem (trunk). The link has some nice photos of what can be expected. Post #1232 clearly shows the new foliar output and the original cut to the main stem (trunk). Also shown is how this creates a "scaffold branching" effect, witness the harvested Zamal where I produced 4 main trunks instead of the usual one.

Good luck,
UB
 

lunbox24

Well-Known Member
So when you say you top them after the 2nd node to get 4 colas, how far along are they and how big are they usually? And how long do they take to recover? Since im going to be starting another grow soon with my buddies im hoping to use the 4 cola method to get more bud.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
So when you say you top them after the 2nd node to get 4 colas, how far along are they and how big are they usually?
3 to 5 nodes in height, doesn't really matter, perhaps 8" across.

And how long do they take to recover?
There is no "recovery period" as in being detrimental to the plant. You'll see output within 24 hours in the nodal axis if you have a typical growing seedling.

Since im going to be starting another grow soon with my buddies im hoping to use the 4 cola method to get more bud.
Great. Anytime you can open up the canopy to light you'll get better production.

I've uploaded a few pix, in no particular order. The third photo shows the reaction from pinching out the main stem (trunk) 3 days after. The stub has calloused over and the new output is already showing good leafing. First two photos show mature colas either 2 or 4 depending on where I pinched at, the last shows the scaffold network after harvest - note the opposing main scaffold branches at right angles to each other, one node above the other. Of course you'll still get secondary branching and output...... witness the skinny branches on the 4th photo.

As an aside, these colas can get pretty heavy so staking is recommended. I take a strip of women's hosiery and wrap it around the perimeter of the colas tieing the ends together, when they start pulling apart from their own weight, attaching the hose strips to the colas about halfway up with twisty ties. That usually is enough, but a 3' tall bamboo stake driven into the pot and attached somewhere on the strip doesn't hurt either.

That second plant yielded over 10 oz of cured bud, all grown indoors under HPS from start to finish. (Changing out lamp types is another forum myth.)

Notice the heavy retention of fan leaves at the point of harvest. I never flush (another forum myth) and I go easy on the Bloom foods as they usually induce premature leaf drop and chlorosis.

Hope this helps,
UB
 

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