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

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Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

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born2killspam said:
As UB has said, when you top higher its iffy what energy will get put where further down the line.. Your total yield will still depend on the root system, and light use efficiency though..
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Absolutely, your yield depends on many factors, not because someone like me posted a technique that manipulates the plant's hormones. Folks are always looking for some magic pill. There is none, only learning what makes a plant tick. All methods of training have their pros and cons - your call.

I use this technique because it is foolproof if done per page one of this thread, I always know what I"m gonna get, it is easy and practical, it reduces overall plant height, makes better use of light and increases yield compared to a one cola plant.

Make it a great day,
UB
 
AlmightySteve

AlmightySteve

Active Member
Uncle Ben said:
Yay, you get a big fat kudo! Good on ya. Understanding plant responses as opposed to blindly following grower advice is what becoming a master gardener is all about.



Uh oh......it's back to square one. :p

OK, just leave well enough alone.
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Thanks Uncle Ben. I wasn't going to do anything drastic to the plant without a very good reason to. I'm fine with having 8 new tops, except the top 6 severely shade the bottom 2.
 
Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

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AlmightySteve said:
Thanks Uncle Ben. I wasn't going to do anything drastic to the plant without a very good reason to. I'm fine with having 8 new tops, except the top 6 severely shade the bottom 2.
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Harvest the uppers then put the plant back under the lights to bulk up the lower bud sites - double harvest.
 
B

born2killspam

Well-Known Member
I like that method too.. Works well with mixed finishing times too since the canopy of those is lowered to roughly where recent 12/12 are, and since nothing is ultra big at that point, it uses up the empty canopy space..
 
lurkmaster

lurkmaster

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UB, you are the man!

I got my hands on some landrace sativa seeds and I cant wait to see how topping turns out with them, I read through this thread last night and noticed your preference of sativas for this topping method, had only grown indicas so I never really got to fully utilize this method's potential.

Needless to say I don't think I will ever waste my time with commercial eye candy again.
 
Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

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lurkmaster said:
UB, you are the man!

I got my hands on some landrace sativa seeds and I cant wait to see how topping turns out with them, I read through this thread last night and noticed your preference of sativas for this topping method, had only grown indicas so I never really got to fully utilize this method's potential.

Needless to say I don't think I will ever waste my time with commercial eye candy again.
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I top most sativas, very few indica doms, don't need to as their internodes are so short. All depends on your garden.

Good luck,
UB
 
lurkmaster

lurkmaster

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born2killspam said:
Where are these sativas from??
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Well, its a pretty long story, but heres a short background

One of them is a F2 cross of a male (Thai x Super Skunk) x Unknown fruity sativa female. (got hundreds of these, this was an accidental cross when we had a thai super skunk male 'prejac' on the fem before it was really flowering)

Others are just a collection of mexican genetics hand picked from the best nugs in my schwag sacks, really heady stuff.

I have what I believe to be ~30 or so Lowland Oaxaca / Zatanecas(sp) Purple seeds (one of the two)

5 Mystery Minty Sativa seeds, It had a really minty smell... I only wish I had kept more of the beans, I only picked out a few good ones and tossed the rest of the seeds because I didn't want them in my brownies..

I was very happy with the smoke from the bud, and all of the other little mini-trials I have done with these genetics, they are extremely hardy and dont seem to mind high temperatures at all, my grow room had been 92 degrees for a solid 3-4 hours and the plants looked as happy as ever. In the past other plants have started curling up and showing signs of moisture stress when it gets that warm. Not these beasts... =]
 
Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
lurkmaster said:
Well, its a pretty long story, but heres a short background

One of them is a F2 cross of a male (Thai x Super Skunk) x Unknown fruity sativa female. (got hundreds of these, this was an accidental cross when we had a thai super skunk male 'prejac' on the fem before it was really flowering)

Others are just a collection of mexican genetics hand picked from the best nugs in my schwag sacks, really heady stuff....
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We have similiar tastes and collections. I've got Mexican beans from some really good Mex that a friend has been selling since the 60's. Mexican is some of the best pot you can smoke. Growing is a different matter, at least 50% are gonna end up hermies.
 
Anjinsan

Anjinsan

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I just wanted to stop by and thank Uncle Ben. Cut above the 2nd true...within 24 hrs all started doing...I've got growth making 4 colas just like you said...the ak48s are getting instantly bushy as a result.
 
Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

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Anjinsan said:
I just wanted to stop by and thank Uncle Ben. Cut above the 2nd true...within 24 hrs all started doing...I've got growth making 4 colas just like you said...the ak48s are getting instantly bushy as a result.
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Thanks for stopping by and giving us a testimonial! Glad it worked out for you. :peace:http://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimonial&ei=fv46SqLVMKW1tweplNXmDA&sa=X&oi=spellmeleon_result&resnum=1&ct=result&usg=AFQjCNGeFzLu_rnDyyXddKl60t8T5vTFog
 
AlmightySteve

AlmightySteve

Active Member
I have a buddy who's growing pot, and he always seems so knowledgeable. The thing is, he never truly understood most techniques. He knows almost everything about growing, but he doesn't actually understand it.

The point is, and on topic, I know he topped his plants too high. It's pretty clear in this thread that topping should be based on how many nodes your plant has. He bases his topping on how many blades his leaves have.

I topped my plant and resulted in getting 8 new branches, which I just recently chopped so the 4 upper branches remained. The other 2 large branches I'm attempting to use for clones.

Anyways, my buddy decided he would let his plants grow until they had already sprouted the first 7 bladed leaves. So because I can't remember exactly how many nodes there were I'm assuming he's going to get 12-14 new branches.

My question is, now that I'm down to 4 branches which will produce their own main colas, how much more potent would my bud be compared to his? We're using different growing techniques, but supposing we were doing everything the same, how much more potent would mine be?
 
Katatawnic

Katatawnic

Well-Known Member
Uncle Ben said:
Mexican is some of the best pot you can smoke. Growing is a different matter, at least 50% are gonna end up hermies.
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Yep, or even 75% if you're really lucky! :roll: I thought mine were males at first, but upon closer inspection they were indeed hermies. Which explains why I couldn't figure out at first if they were males or not. Because I'm interested in getting my first harvest under my belt and I need to grow indoors, I'm staying away from the Mexi for now. Plus, I'm in So. CA.... it's damn easy to find Mexi weed around here. :lol:
 
Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
AlmightySteve said:
I have a buddy who's growing pot, and he always seems so knowledgeable. The thing is, he never truly understood most techniques. He knows almost everything about growing, but he doesn't actually understand it.

The point is, and on topic, I know he topped his plants too high. It's pretty clear in this thread that topping should be based on how many nodes your plant has. He bases his topping on how many blades his leaves have.
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You top based on your understanding of how the plant will react. Has nothing to do with blades or the number of nodes. Has to do with the redistribution of auxins that collect in plant terminal tops and what you want your plant's profile to be. If you want a bushy plant, then top high on the plant.

Anyways, my buddy decided he would let his plants grow until they had already sprouted the first 7 bladed leaves. So because I can't remember exactly how many nodes there were I'm assuming he's going to get 12-14 new branches.
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Most likely not as the auxin redistribution and influence will be greatest at the top of the plant and least at the bottom. You can wait and have a plant with 15 nodes, top above the 2nd one and still get 4 main colas. Sooner is better so that plant can get on with its life.

My question is, now that I'm down to 4 branches which will produce their own main colas, how much more potent would my bud be compared to his?
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Not relevant.....all things equal, potency is genetically determined.
 
ijustgrowGREEN

ijustgrowGREEN

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UB, i've read through this entire thread, but didnt come across a small issue i'm having... i have a baby Northern Lights going right now. in all, she has 5 sets of nodes right now. i want to top her soon, when she has between 5-6 nodes overall, as you've said... however, her first node or set of fanleaves is directly in line with her cotyledons / seed leaves. should i count this as the first node anyway? i'm trying to say that there is no vertical space between her seed leaves and her first node set... lol. thanks in advance :)
 
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