Mid-Late Flower Pruning? Opinions Please - PICS!!

Hey guys,

Just read thru another thread pretty much discussing the same questions but I'm wondering what you might think for my specific case.

First of all, I realize there are two polarized schools of thought on pruning in general and lollypoping.

Most of the books I've read suggest that it's pretty insane to chop away at the plant unless the leaf/branch is 50% damaged/dead already. And I tend to agree with this.

I'm in the middle of Week 5 of flowering. Some recent pics of my tops here: https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/758440-week-5-flower-first-grow.html

BUT... I have been concerned about below the canopy for a while now. Lots of leaves dieing off and pale/scraggly branches.

I am pretty much only gonna keep the best of the best of the tops and make fresh frozen bubble and iso out of the rest.

I think it is prob too late to start cutting off these lower ones to have any real benefit to the main buds?

Should I chop the tops when they turn milky as some suggest and let the lower branches get light? How exactly do you do this? Wont the plant freak out If I cut the top half of it off?

Best Pics I could get of the bottoms of the plants currently are below. Thanks!!!

Too many pic's what was your problem again?

Popcorn900 said:

Too many pic's what was your problem again?

Click to expand...

I'm now so confused too...LOL

Popcorn900 said:

Too many pic's what was your problem again?

Click to expand...

Ringsixty said:

I'm now so confused too...LOL

Click to expand...

I think it is prob too late to start cutting off these lower ones to have any real benefit to the main buds?

Should I chop the tops when they turn milky as some suggest and let the lower branches get light? How exactly do you do this? Wont the plant freak out If I cut the top half of it off?

prune out all that popcorn. it ain't gonna produce anything anyway. or don't.

Yep I used to think the same way... Leave them alone & just take the larger top colas that are ready at harvest...leave the bottom popcorn to get bigger. You could even let them veg for a couple weeks to make them worth it ; in other words flip your lights back to 18/6 or 24hrs & they will size up. You don't have to chop the whole plant. No the plant won't even care if you use sterilized scissors or nips; put a piece of black tape over the cut stem if you are worried about it but I just top em. The benefits of step harvesting has been understated IMO

Hey thanks for the info on how to actually cut it.

Given that I'm late flower and I should be happy to get the quality I have so far out of my first grow... I've decided to say fuck it and just leave the lower stuff alone. I looks real ugly and gets very little light down there but whatever.

I may chop the tops and let em flower longer just to see what happens OR maybe even let them veg as you suggest.

I'm curious about that, like by the time I take the tops I'll have been flushing for a few weeks. Do I just keep them on PH'd water and change the timer? Then change the timer back a few weeks later? I assume I should keep the same spectrum this whole time right? (SuperHPS atm, they Vegged under BlueMH).

To MidnightOak,

That's an interesting idea. How many times have you done that? From a cost benefit perspective, what's the payoff?

For example, if you're going back to a vegetative state and then back again into a bloom state you're talking about adding several weeks at best. How much are those little popcorn buds going to develop in say three weeks or a month? Or are you talking about adding a much shorter amount of time?

I've always wondered how this could be done.