Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas

wangyunan said:

Thank u UB, this is a very useful thread!
Does it cost longer to veg 4 colas till they mature enough to flower than just 1 main stem, or all of them can keep the same pace? If the vegging time is longer,
say, 4 weeks is the average time of vegging a 1 stem plant, how many weeks do u think is the average time of vegging a 4 colas plant?

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Vegging time is your call and dependent on your gardening skills. Topping does not stress a plant nor should it slow down it's progress or vigor.

UB

Hey UB!
How do i know what are my plant real true nodes?

+ How do i know when my seedling is entering it's vegetative stage?

True node means true Cannabis shaped leaf. In other words not smooth but serrated

DB&ST said:

Hey UB!
How do i know what are my plant real true nodes?

+ How do i know when my seedling is entering it's vegetative stage?

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Your true nodes begin right after the cotyledon leaves here is a pic that should clarify things


As far as when the vegetative state begins some argue that it begins as soon as your plant emerges from beneath the soil others say it starts when the first set of fan leaves appear right after the cotyledon leaves. I have to agree with the people that say it's when the first set of fan leaves appear as it's the fan leaves that do all the work to bring food to the plant.
This is a picture of the begining of vegitative growth. Note the first set of fan leaves right above the cotyledons

Life Goes On said:

Your true nodes begin right after the cotyledon leaves here is a pic that should clarify things
View attachment 1290219

As far as when the vegetative state begins some argue that it begins as soon as your plant emerges from beneath the soil others say it starts when the first set of fan leaves appear right after the cotyledon leaves. I have to agree with the people that say it's when the first set of fan leaves appear as it's the fan leaves that do all the work to bring food to the plant.
View attachment 1290221 This is a picture of the begining of vegitative growth. Note the first set of fan leaves right above the cotyledons

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Thanks alot!
That sure did help clear out the subject.

Thanks for the thread, I'm going to try this technique.
The thing is I have cut some leaves (see base of my plant) very early because they turned yellow and looked very poor, I didn't want them to unnecessarily suck energy from the plant because they would die. So I am not sure where I shall cut the plant (red circle or yellow circle), to give you an idea it's about 10-13cm tall. Could you help me out?

MeJuana said:

Can you do this to plants with alternating nodes? I did it already but someone said it doesn't work right, my plants look awesome but honestly I can't tell what happened til I trim them.

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Can you post any pics?

Howdy UB, I have been following this thread for a year and have learned how to top for 4 main colas from reading just about this whole thread. I'm 2 weeks into flowering my girls, lots and lots of leaves and about 2 feet tall, very healthy. My question is the 4 main shoots have quite a few sucker (?) shoots that have grown to the point of being taller then the main tops ( all these extra shoots started on the lower nodes of the 4 mains). Is this normal ? Are they pulling energy from the main tops? Or are these girls just gonna produce alot.

Thanks for a great thread! You and Brick top are my idols!!
Larry

growroom info:
2 400 watt HPS
5 white widow plants (6 weeks veg and 2 weeks into flower- total 8 weeks)
moveable reflective sides
plants are about 2 feet from lights.
2 light nute feeding in veg state and 1 feeding a week into flowering.

Uncle Ben said:

Topping does not stress a plant nor should it slow down it's progress or vigor.UB

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LMFAO. How is that? Cutting off the growing shoot of plant causes a significant amount of stress as the wound has to be healed, you loss the ability to produce carbohydrates, and most significantly, you eliminate the apical dominance within the plant until more auxins can be produced by lower shoots to the point that they become dominant. Topping obviously iisn't going to kill your plants but it IS significantly stressful.

legallyflying said:

LMFAO. How is that? Cutting off the growing shoot of plant causes a significant amount of stress as the wound has to be healed, you loss the ability to produce carbohydrates, and most significantly, you eliminate the apical dominance within the plant until more auxins can be produced by lower shoots to the point that they become dominant. Topping obviously iisn't going to kill your plants but it IS significantly stressful.

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you know how topping started??

deer

I didn't think of that. You know how to identify deer browsing? The stems are always ripped up and off from the bottom as deer have tiny lower incissors and get bite through things.

thats why topping isnt stressful. i mean obviously there will be some stress involved, but its minuscule as being topped is a natural phenomena.

the stressors you have to worry about are light heat and moisture

wally nutter said:

thats why topping isnt stressful. i mean obviously there will be some stress involved, but its minuscule as being topped is a natural phenomena.

the stressors you have to worry about are light heat and moisture

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indeeeed lol

hey UB my DP blueberry likes to thank you on the 4 main colas

larry956 said:

My question is the 4 main shoots have quite a few sucker (?) shoots that have grown to the point of being taller then the main tops ( all these extra shoots started on the lower nodes of the 4 mains). Is this normal ? Are they pulling energy from the main tops? Or are these girls just gonna produce alot.

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The branching will occur on all 4 colas not just one, it's normal.

Don't understand your use of the word "energy".

legallyflying said:

LMFAO. How is that? Cutting off the growing shoot of plant causes a significant amount of stress as the wound has to be healed, you loss the ability to produce carbohydrates, and most significantly, you eliminate the apical dominance within the plant until more auxins can be produced by lower shoots to the point that they become dominant. Topping obviously iisn't going to kill your plants but it IS significantly stressful.

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There is no loss in "bodily fluids" nor is there stress related issues such as leaf loss, color, chlorosis, etc. The "wound" will heal quickly..... there is no correlation to the open stem callousing over and plant vigor or health. Now, if the plant doesn't respond with output within 24 hours, your gardening skills need attention.

nas2007 said:

hey UB my DP blueberry likes to thank you on the 4 main colas

View attachment 1298040

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Nice job! Those are some fine looking colas.

UB

UB, thanks for the peace of mind on the branching, and yes all the mains have quite a few branches. Energy, meaning food and water. Plants look, and are doing great, I guess I just had to find something to worry about
Larry

Alright can somebody help me understand this in extremely simple terms? I have been reading but I really do not understand where to cut? Aside from this, can topping only be done in the early stages of the plant? For example, mine have been going for about 6.5 weeks and are about a foot and a half tall....is this too late to be thinking about this???

Any help is much appreciated.

Actually they're probably more like a foot and an inch or two

is there and ill affects of waiting till there is more than 6 nodes tanks for the help

Irie22 said:

Alright can somebody help me understand this in extremely simple terms?

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Fellers, read the thread beginning with the first page before posting such a redundant question which has been answered a million times.

UB
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