step by step how to super crop

bigbudmike

bigbudmike

Active Member
No and Yes... you can super crop the side limbs but you should wait until they have almost cought up with the main stem. When super cropping the main stem you do not need to top, it has a similar effect (minus the multiple colas) but without all the additional stress on the plant. Some outdoor growers have been known to start a plant indoors and super crop the shit out of it during veg and then stick it outside to flower, by doing this you end up with a monster of a plant that has the potential to yield ALOT!! Some gorilla growers are yielding four and five LBS off one plant by using this technique.
 
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mpw75

Member
simpsonsampson420 said:
it's been a while since i've done anything really productive around here.. but since i have a new grow going, and am doing things i often get questions about here https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/212352-all-new-growers-questions-tons-68.html i figured now would be a good time to do a nice new thread...

i love super cropping.. it is by far one of my favorite pruning techniques.. its quick, easy, causes little stress, gets huge results, and gets them quick.. best of all it can be done multiple times during the veg period.. this can mean huge results...

first lets talk a little about super cropping... the idea behind it is to push lower growth up and out... this means more tops, more lower growth that can get flowered, which all leads to heavier yields..

super cropping works by moving the auxins, or growth hormones, from the growth tips to other parts of the plant causing growth to happen below the point of super cropping...

to explain it in a way that makes sense, you basically fool the plant into thinking it has no top.. if the point in which you super cropped formed a horizontal line over the plant, the plant would try to push everything below that line up to give it a top... all the lower branches, instead of growing outward horizontally, will start to bend and grow upwards, vertically... really, everything below the imaginary line the super cropping makes grows vertically verse horizontally...

the end result from super cropping much bushier plant, more tops or branches closer to the light that will flower, and a shorter over all plant...

this can be done to any mj plant.. the only exception is autos.. it can be done once fairly early on.. but the veg life of autos is short so its impossible to get multiple super crops done successfully...

now, although it can be done to every plant, not all plants will react the same.. i urge you to try it on a few branches of a plant before doing the entire plant.. make sure your plant reacts well to it.. i haven't seen any plants that dont enjoy it yet.. but i havent by any means grown everything there is to grow..

now... for the slide show...

first, locate your plant... this girl was 3 weeks old monday.. i have super cropped her once or twice already.. you want to wait until there is a good amount of growth.. usually after a week and a half or two weeks your ok...


second, locate the spot on the stem you want to super crop.. remember it will create the imaginary line which all growth below will push up.. usually it is done close to the end of a stem or the main stalk.. i like somewhere under the 1rst to 3rd node set.. depending on how tight the spacing is..


this is where i decided to do her at...


now to start the super cropping... once you pick the spot, you want to gently squeeze the stem between your thumb and pointer finger... you dont want to pinch.. the idea here is to soften the stem.. not to break it...


this is somewhat what it should look like...


now turn your hand 90 degrees from where you started......


and do the same thing.....


hopefully after this your top will fold over like this...


if you have tops that are higher than the spot you just did do them also...


eventually you'll get to the point you do your entire plant, and it looks like this one when your done...



now a few last things before im done...

first.. please remember to start out doing a few branches at first.. make sure your plant reacts ok to it.. some do better than others... its better to make sure first... but again, i have not grown any that react poorly...

second.. if you tear the stem its ok.. you may get little rips that run vertically up the stem.. its alright if this happens.. your plant will be just fine... trust me.. it happens a lot..

third... be gentle when you squeeze.. you may need to work it a little if the stem is thicker.. this is ok... if you are too rough you will break it off.. i have done that.. topping unwantedly is not a pleasant surprise...

fourth... take your time at first... its nothing you need to rush.. get used to how the stem feels when it pops like you want it to.. how it feels when its softened enough to bend easily.. then build up your speed.. it can take a while to do a larger garden.. and you may want to hurry.. but patience is a virtue here...

lastly... when the spot your super cropped heals up it will more than likely be a thick round ball in the middle of the stem.. this is good.. think of it like scar tissue..
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So what would you say is the latest you can super crop , I have plant coming upto 1st week in flower, do you still recommend doing this?
 
bigbudmike

bigbudmike

Active Member
Super cropping is usually done during veg rather than flower. If done in flower I would be worried that it have a negative effect on the plant. Possibly stunt potential growth that would be good for the plant. I wouldnt recommend it but hey who knows. If done keep us posted on how it works out. with pics!!!
 
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mpw75

Member
bigbudmike said:
Super cropping is usually done during veg rather than flower. If done in flower I would be worried that it have a negative effect on the plant. Possibly stunt potential growth that would be good for the plant. I wouldnt recommend it but hey who knows. If done keep us posted on how it works out. with pics!!!
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No did not do it as I was waiting on your advise...... Next time around I'll give it a go..... Due to size of tent I only veg for 3 weeks do what stage in veg would you say they are good to begin cropping.... Thanks again
 
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cannav0re

Member
warmblood said:
Hi
Great thread and pics, the best I have found! Thank you!!
one question, you bend the top part of stems between 1st n 3rd nodes, let plant recover, then if you want to do iy again where would you bend? above the original??
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good question. i was thinking maybe bend the previous location again. anyone have the right answer to this?
 
bigbudmike

bigbudmike

Active Member
just to put it out there I am not the OP for this thread. I have super cropped in the past and have had great success. I am not sure when the best time in the veg cycle is to start but I am sure it is back in this thread somewhere. I had alot more space to play with when I was growing. In your situation I would say around the second week depending on the condition of your plant. Also one of the benefits of super cropping is reducing the vertical hieght of the plant and replacing it with a larger over all girth of the bush. I say bush because you will notice that the plant will become very wide as aposed to tall and lanky. You might also want to incorperate some LST (Low Stress Training) techniques with the super cropping to be able to gain the most out of the little space available in your tent. Hope that any of the crap I just spewed is of any value and help to you. :-P
 
bigbudmike

bigbudmike

Active Member
cannav0re said:
good question. i was thinking maybe bend the previous location again. anyone have the right answer to this?
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Not sure if this is a good idea. I would think that the already healed scar tissue of the plant would be very difficult to soften or bend and you might end up breaking the stem. but if you try let us know how you did.
 
galildoughty

galildoughty

Active Member
Thanks for sharing. So Super cropping is simply another form of training, ie. LSTing and the like? So instead of a zip tie forest like last time I could try and super crop one?
 
bigbudmike

bigbudmike

Active Member
galildoughty said:
Thanks for sharing. So Super cropping is simply another form of training, ie. LSTing and the like? So instead of a zip tie forest like last time I could try and super crop one?
Click to expand...

Well yes and no. LSTing is just holding down the limbs and directing them where you want them to go. When you super crop you actually stunt the vertical growth and promote side growth to catch up and you end with an even canopy full of colas. If you combine super cropping and LSTing you can really utilize the most of your grow space. Hope this is a good explaination.
 
fatalphenom

fatalphenom

Well-Known Member
Whats up guys, just went thru the entire thread and glad that I found the info I was looking for. It seems many people confuse super cropping with topping and this thread really backs up everything else I have found.

Monday I transplanted a 2 blue dream clones, tuesday I pinched and bent the tallest one so i can compare them throughout the grow. I was worried I over did it but 12 hours later (possibly sooner) the top has already turned up towards the light....its amazing what plants do when we arent watching!

The reason I sc'ed the one BD is because a friend and myself grew it before and the way it grows it looks as if the plant could be one huge bud with all the spacing. I hope to bush this one out versus what Ive seen with the strain.
 
fatalphenom

fatalphenom

Well-Known Member
It may seem early to some to supercrop a day after tranz but Im experimentin here lmfao. Ill let her heal and get a lil more vert before the next training.
 
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2tigers69

Member
LOL, yeah after I read this post I went in and super cropped 4 mystery weed plants. Looking forward to seeing how it goes..
 
fatalphenom

fatalphenom

Well-Known Member
What do u mean opppsite way....ive seen that video before reading this thread and seems the same exact thing we're talking aboit here. Why do so many confuse things: topping = cutting, supercropping = pinch n bend. Same idea behind the methods, yet totally different techniques
 
bigbudmike

bigbudmike

Active Member
fatalphenom said:
What do u mean opppsite way....ive seen that video before reading this thread and seems the same exact thing we're talking aboit here. Why do so many confuse things: topping = cutting, supercropping = pinch n bend. Same idea behind the methods, yet totally different techniques
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Thats the same thing but he wanted to supercrop all but the top which will result in a huge top cola but yet it will slow the growth of the side limbs, It all depends on what you are trying to achieve in the process. The benefit of super cropping the top is that the side limbs get the chance to catch up and produce some bud too. Its all about how you are trying to grow. I like an even canopy.
 
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cannav0re

Member
fatalphenom said:
What do u mean opppsite way....ive seen that video before reading this thread and seems the same exact thing we're talking aboit here. Why do so many confuse things: topping = cutting, supercropping = pinch n bend. Same idea behind the methods, yet totally different techniques
Click to expand...
Im guessing Bigbudmike knows what those people in the video were actually doing. but on that video, the visitor commented that all the lower branches that were supercropped will think that they are all tops. and the owner of the plant agreed with him, maybe he wasnt really listening or maybe that is what he believe as well. skip to 2:42 on that video.
And on this thread, on paragraph 4th and 5th, if i understand correctly. it says that if you top the main stem, it will fool the plant into thinking there is no top; therefore the sides will start growing as tops.
If bigbudmike is correct on what those people in that video were actually going for, then it might be better just to lollipop the plant.
 
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