Pruning for Larger Yields

I noticed no one has really posted anything about pruning for larger yields..so I am starting this thread for people to post any info or tips about pruning for yield and lolly popping.

lol troll alert
sound the alarms

My solar panel array doesn't give enough output. If I remove a few panels - do you really think the output will increase?

That's why nobody promotes this idea. There are other (legitimate) reasons to prune, but increasing yield is not one of them!

always a good idea to trim out tiny lower branches on the bottom 1/3 of the plant before putting them in flower. it will increase air circulation and keep the plant from wasting energy on non-productive bud sites that don't get much light anyway.

i also prune for shape to some extent. i like to have about 4-6 main branches, all to uniform height.

if anyone thinks this is a bad idea, tell it to the people who grow your citrus and nuts.









those dumbass farmers have no clue what they are doing, right?

Bucks right. Uniformity is where its at. Checkout The Mainline Thread. OP goes into great detail on how to prune for 8-16-etc tops - and how to keep your canopy zen flat.

I prune and lstd this cottoncandy pheno mainly because I look for big fat colas! I hate pop corn buds, by doing so I deff increase yield ! Check out one of my girls, str8 colas forming! Probably 20 or so!

i just thought about it, and pruning/uniformity do not necessarily increase the yield. yield is a function of other things having to do with how healthy and vigorous the plant is.

what pruning will do is increase the quality of your yield. less of that energy will go into small, hard to trim, fluffy popcorn buds and will instead be redirected into nicer, denser top colas and mid size nugs.

Thank you, Uncle Buck - that's what I'm talking about!

Pruning can appear to increase the yield because you can manipulate the yield into bigger (more impressive) colas. The over-all yield hasn't really increased, it's just more concentrated and noticeable.

Laws aside, for indoor, I think packing lots of small lollipops close together is the best method (my favorite = best).

A smaller number of plants with large veg time and topping to remove the dominant branch for uniform height is also okay, but time in veg costs a lot of energy, and bigger plants means a ton of energy used to stretch side branches to canopy height.

In general, an even canopy is where yield comes from. Regardless of veg time, I like to cut the lower 1/3 of each branch (not the branches themselves) at the change to 12/12, then again 1 week in.

For outdoor, it may be better to leave the plants unpruned all together. You've got this big dome of blue with a white ball going from east to west rather than a HPS lamp directly overhead.

T.H.Cammo said:

My solar panel array doesn't give enough output. If I remove a few panels - do you really think the output will increase?

That's why nobody promotes this idea. There are other (legitimate) reasons to prune, but increasing yield is not one of them!

Click to expand...

I like that smart analogy well done

If you want a denser yield vs. More airey wispy buds then yes lollypopping or trimming off all the small scraggley stuff on the bottom of your girls and the bottom of you branches. This allows for plant energy that was going to the trimmed off, to the canopy and buds. Thinning, trimming, pruning also allows for more light to get thru the canoy and to be more evenly distrubuted. Allowing for denser buds. This should be done a minimum of 10-14 days before flower. This allows for repair time, so after that the plant energy can be used for bud prodeiction rather then repair. If you plan on taking clones this is the perfect time to do so! Instead of throwing out your trim and branches, simply cut them for clones. If your looking to increase yield, one of the best ways is topping! Topping is the act of cutting off the main cola so that it splits into 2 or more tcolas usually a max of 8 colas. This allows the auxin to be distributed amoungst the enitre plant, rather then just the top cola. Some strains don't even reach their bud thresh hold, unless they are topped for example blueberry. But for others instead of making multiple large colas, the total bud mass that the mail cola would have been will just be evenly distributed amongst the total colas. And again save the tops and turn them into new strong clones! Another way is to add some blue light into your grow when flowering. Mix up some MH and HPS..ad a strip light shining up from the bottom and your HPS shining down. The HPS (red light) will encourage floral/ bud growth, while the MH/stip light (blue light) will encourage denser nugs and stronger thicker stalk to hold that dense buds!

Lollipopping is fine when done appropriately, but pruning is NEVER ok. Have you ever noticed how the lower leaves turn yellow during flowering? That's because the energy the plants use for bud growth is stored in them. If you take away those lower leaves then your "solar panel" leaves up top will end up turning yellow and no longer be productive at absorbing light energy

Yes, I get the yellower leaves closer to harvest. I dont get any yellowing near the to at all and hardly any at the bottom. But they are always on a strict nutes schedule..and always pull off a nice heavy dense potent yield