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

HJavnt yo uguys noticed reducing the N late in veg helps with the taste

Called a Trifoilate!
I have one growing, mine got stunted do to overcrowding.

Uncle Ben, my last (which was also my first) grow I read almost every thread where your name appeared, tried to follow your advice as diligently as I could. My results were the best flowers i've ever consume, and an incredible 3.4oz's off of an autoflowering plant (although, it wasn't auto after 6 weeks I went to 12/12). That plant was untrained, and I use an LED light which as i've been seeing does much better with trained plants of even canopies. What are your thoughts on the main-line technique? Is it credible, or just a modified version of your 4 cola technique with the first node removed for clones and the rest topped out to more?

NewtoMJ said:

Uncle Ben, my last (which was also my first) grow I read almost every thread where your name appeared, tried to follow your advice as diligently as I could. My results were the best flowers i've ever consume, and an incredible 3.4oz's off of an autoflowering plant (although, it wasn't auto after 6 weeks I went to 12/12). That plant was untrained, and I use an LED light which as i've been seeing does much better with trained plants of even canopies. What are your thoughts on the main-line technique? Is it credible, or just a modified version of your 4 cola technique with the first node removed for clones and the rest topped out to more?

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Glad it worked out for you and thanks for following along. This one has a few tidbits - https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/630319-defoliation-yes-no-techniques-20.html

Like I said before, I don't do anything any other conventional, 'normal' gardener would not do. I do botany and use a common sense approach. It's ironical that the practices which are so prevalent here are so out of the norm, so wacked out, that a normal botanically sound approach is foreign.

Having said that, I don't know what mainlining is (and probably don't want to). Sounds like another gimmick to me like FIM. "Super" this and that, "massive"...blah blah blah.

Good luck,
Tio

thecoolman said:

HJavnt yo uguys noticed reducing the N late in veg helps with the taste

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NOPE, total B.S., My stuff tastes better than ever.I run N all the way to the end.

Uncle Ben said:

Glad it worked out for you and thanks for following along. This one has a few tidbits - https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/630319-defoliation-yes-no-techniques-20.html

Like I said before, I don't do anything any other conventional, 'normal' gardener would not do. I do botany and use a common sense approach. It's ironical that the practices which are so prevalent here are so out of the norm, so wacked out, that a normal botanically sound approach is foreign.

Having said that, I don't know what mainlining is (and probably don't want to). Sounds like another gimmick to me like FIM. "Super" this and that, "massive"...blah blah blah.

Good luck,
Tio

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There is a thread on mainlining over at RM3, It really seems like a lot of work and makes veg times a lot longer. But it was cool to look at how the guy trained his plants.

basically what mainlining is , is using the 2 top method and then when those 2 tops grow, splitting it again, and again, most do it until 16 or 32. IMO only 1 topping is needed and anything after that you're just increasing veg time, you're right UB, you'd prolly flip your shit if you saw what people do to their babies, although they do turn out to look cool, they call it "even distribution, like a manifold" c ((taken from nugbuckets mainlining tutorial))http://www.growweedeasy.com/main-lining-technique-nugbuckets ((notice the defoliation! )

Only reason i'd do this technique is if i was doing a big outdoor grow with not a lot of helpers; the mainlining helps promote solid colas and will decrease trim time; expect a 2-3 month veg though... ((i usually have 2-4 week veg after clone indoors)

thecoolman said:

HJavnt yo uguys noticed reducing the N late in veg helps with the taste

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What if it's P? What if it's the cannaboid/terpene/tars profile of a particular plant that drives the perceived taste on your palate and lungs?

Nizza said:

basically what mainlining is , is using the 2 top method and then when those 2 tops grow, splitting it again, and again, most do it until 16 or 32.....

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Like SCROG, sounds like too much maintenance for this here bendejo.

To each his own......

i agree, i have trouble waiting the 2-3 months to flower a plant.. I can't imagine spending 2-3 months just vegging and training lol. But from what i understand it has to do with management and is a preferred method for a lot of outdoor medicinal growers. they like to use that hortitrellis stuff and all these other fancy things. I still dig the old school stuff ben but the budologist has this outdoor mainlined plant which i can see helping with neighbors seeing plants above the fence and whatnot, as well as making such a large plant accessible from the ground..

Not to say i do it, i like the simple 4 top or 2 top methods more, but i realize how useful this method could be , in certain circumstances.

heres the budologists grow link so i can cite that it is indeed, his pic https://www.rollitup.org/subcools-old-school-organics/629348-budologists-2013-organic-outdoor-super-39.html

Man i love weed!

oh yeah i got some feminized big bud seeds from vision seeds and i was wondering what it may turn out like. It says its a 60% indica 40% sativa mix , and was hoping for any input ! Thanks!! I plan on 4 or 2 topping these seeds and making them into mother plants, and doing a SOG type grow.

Of course, you do what you have to do. I do VSP (vertical shoot positioning) with grapevines but that's because we have to.

When I can flower a pot plant within 4 weeks of a seed germinating and don't have to be a slave to some training method, why bother?

wow i was actually able to rep u lol. not that it matters, but thank you for sticking around here and keeping people on the right track.

http://www.ristcanyonvineyards.com/html/tip5.html interesting stuff man, i love growing things. Its one of my hobbies that I do in my off time, i come on riu a lot and just read about whatever looks interestring.. I've learned so much and It's all so interesting I really can't wait to get a good size property to farm on

oh yeah any input on the big bud ceeds i got??

Uncle Ben said:

What if it's P? What if it's the cannaboid/terpene/tars profile of a particular plant that drives the perceived taste on your palate and lungs?

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Not sure what your talking about ben P as in phosphorous or P as in piss I was talking about nitrogen
/terpene/tars profile....Isnt this what usually drives the taste

Nizza said:

oh yeah any input on the big bud ceeds i got??

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If you're fishing for input whether or not they'll do fine as multiple main colas, there should be no problem.

Good luck!

thecoolman said:

Not sure what your talking about ben P as in phosphorous or P as in piss I was talking about nitrogen
/terpene/tars profile....Isnt this what usually drives the taste

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There seems to be some paradigm that N during flowering results in a harsh taste. I doubt if that's true. I'd say taste is driven by the cannabanoid profile that no one ever addresses. They just do this feel good parroting thing. Seasoned growers are getting off the bloom food drills and giving their plants what they need until harvest - plenty of N to support leaf health.

Hey UB, hows it going? Nice thread. I fully read the first 25 to 30 pages, skimmed the next 450 (I like to read but damn!) lol And fully read 490 to 500. Up to speed I think.

I have clones with the same staggered nodes as the pics in post #4914 page 492. (sorry can`t take pics of mine at the moment) Mine are shorter, and a bit more foliage. My question is using 2nd pic in that post as example, he is pointing above the 2nd node. If I cut above the 4th node, will the 3rd and 4th node branches "act" as 2 main cola branches? In turn, will 2nd node branch keep up and be a nice cola too?

Also would like to add that all the tops are nice and healthy, and I plan on using them as new cuttings for next veg. I guess just hoping if I cut all the way down to above the 4th I will still get some nice tops from 3rd and 4th node branches, already formed.

In your opinion on staggered node plants is it better to try it that way, or just top closer to the top of plant? (also trying to keep the vertical in check as a few of them are sativa)

damnit its late for me to do this now but next time for sure thanks for the info!

pics of one I "topped" using UB's 4 chola method. Plant has done as predicted , 4 cholas from the main stem, I then trained thise 4 stems to the outside edge of the pot, just string lol. Two were growing a fair bit faster than the other two so i again topped the vigorous branches to let the other two catch up a bit. from those two toppings one gave a double chola and the other threw out a triple. Having kept the original 4 chola stems horizontal out to the pot edge the branches started to grow vigorously vertically and have totally filled in the centre space betewwn the 4 main stems. This plant is one of a batch of 10, the other nine ar under 12/12 now and are growing well. this topped specimen was chosen because it was the runt of the seedlings and i figured the least gamble with this method but since being treated in this way the plant is much more vigorous, bigger leaves, thicker stems, faster growth, much more so than the other 9.
p.s. the two small pots contain cuttings which have now rooted, taken from the original"topping" from this plant, so even the growth topped off is'nt wasted . cool no?
much respect going out to UB

Uncle Ben said:

There seems to be some paradigm that N during flowering results in a harsh taste. I doubt if that's true. I'd say taste is driven by the cannabanoid profile that no one ever addresses. They just do this feel good parroting thing. Seasoned growers are getting off the bloom food drills and giving their plants what they need until harvest - plenty of N to support leaf health.

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Actually... Nitrogen loading in the later stages of flower can and does effect thrich. production. This is the reason for dropping your nitrogen levels before the 4th or 5th week. I have seen it first hand...JAS

JonnyAppleSeed420 said:

Actually... Nitrogen loading in the later stages of flower can and does effect thrich. production. This is the reason for dropping your nitrogen levels before the 4th or 5th week. I have seen it first hand...JAS

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Please share the reason then. We are all for hearing the science behind such claims.