Should I Top? Supercrop First Grow to Increase Yield

greenops

greenops

Well-Known Member
I got a 5 AK 48s and 1 Skunk grow going on in a closet. Horizontal space is rather narrow. 100cm by 55cm (3ft by 2ft). They're about 3 weeks vegging now. I can't let them grow higher than 110cm.

This is my first grow so I've no experience with training the plants... As to yield I read contradicting statements, I hope somebody can break it down for me relating to my situation:

What should I do to increase yield? Top, supercrop, LST or should I do nothing?
Any tips on what exactly I could do would be nice
smile.gif


I understand training will stress them, thus slow growth. They're about 15 cm now, will flower them at 25 cm (probably in 1.5 weeks). How many days will I lose when I train them? If it takes more than a week I have to think about it cuz I'm dealing with summer heat.

Will they have to flower longer when its done at this stage?
 

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I would top, and LST to start off. No more than that if you've never tried training. Get a feel for it then go from there. I'm experimenting with topping and supercropping right now. Good luck!
 
What I don't get with LST is you bend it to grow parallel to the ground. As I don't dont have much horizontal space, is this still advisable?
 
You can LST in any shape you want. You can train a plant to grow circular +/- around the rim of your pot, up a vertical trellis, etc. If limited on horizontal space but having adequate vertical space, you could achieve taller, yet somewhat bushy plants with a couple well-timed toppings.
 
budlover13 said:
You can LST in any shape you want. You can train a plant to grow circular +/- around the rim of your pot, up a vertical trellis, etc. If limited on horizontal space but having adequate vertical space, you could achieve taller, yet somewhat bushy plants with a couple well-timed toppings.
Click to expand...

FIMing is also a good way to achieve a wider, bushier plant, plus it's very hard to harm your plants this way
 
I've been experimenting alot trying to get respectable indoor yields and have my eye on FIMing. Just trying to implement a few changes each grow cycle and then review results. I WISH I could try them ALL at once, but alas, as the story goes when learning to grow: Patience is a virtue.

But I will look further into the technique. Any tips you can offer?
 
i would either supercrop or LST, i personally would not top it, if you do it will take the plant about a week to recover, just bend it down without topping it so it has uninterrupted growth, i supercrop and a swear by it if you are growing indoors, it is just ignorant if you dont IMO.. also when i supercrop them, it takes less than a day for them to get back in the swing of things, aim for an even canopy, the lower the better, yieldwise
 
That's been similar to my experience supercropping. I've been topping and then supercropping the 4 tallest branches(about 3-5 days between topping and cropping) thinking that I would then have the 4 main colas instead of 1. But I'm still in early veg so I don't have much solid data yet.
 
He has six plants in an area that is 3 feet wide by 2 feet wide .. and people are advising him how to get plants that will be wider bushier plants that will need more area per plant.

I know his goal is yield, but doesn't anyone else seem to think it odd that since even if growing normal plants they will be packed in his small area like 3 pounds of baloney in a 2 pound skin, but people are advising him to use training methods that will turn that into something more like 5 pounds of baloney in a 2 pound skin?

How much actual usable growing height do you have? What is your lighting?
 
Hey BT! Good to see ya!

I think I adressed that earlier on, somewhat. But then it did start getting into a general discussion that ignored the OP's original problem.
 
Brick Top said:
He has six plants in an area that is 3 feet wide by 2 feet wide .. and people are advising him how to get plants that will be wider bushier plants that will need more area per plant.

I know his goal is yield, but doesn't anyone else seem to think it odd that since even if growing normal plants they will be packed in his small area like 3 pounds of baloney in a 2 pound skin, but people are advising him to use training methods that will turn that into something more like 5 pounds of baloney in a 2 pound skin?

How much actual usable growing height do you have? What is your lighting?
Click to expand...


thank you =) usable growing height 130 cm maybe 140 cm.... just depends on the heat coming from the light when it's at the highest position.
The height of the pot is 20 cm... so just the plant from soil surface to top should be around 110 cm. I'm using 250w HPS
 
budlover13 said:
You can LST in any shape you want. You can train a plant to grow circular +/- around the rim of your pot, up a vertical trellis, etc. If limited on horizontal space but having adequate vertical space, you could achieve taller, yet somewhat bushy plants with a couple well-timed toppings.
Click to expand...

Can I lst during flowering? I think my plants will be ready in a week... If I bend them now in one direction, I have to continue bending them while flowering right?
 
Another idea... would I yield more if I get rid of two or three weaker plants? And train the chosen ones? I would have more horizontal space.... only will it yield more?
 
greenops said:
thank you =) usable growing height 130 cm maybe 140 cm.... just depends on the heat coming from the light when it's at the highest position.
The height of the pot is 20 cm... so just the plant from soil surface to top should be around 110 cm. I'm using 250w HPS
Click to expand...


So, if the metric conversion page I used was correct you have slightly over 3 1/2 feet ... and a 250-watt light that will give you about 15 to 18 inches (38.1 to 45.72cm) of penetration at best, so you cannot use your roughly 3 1/2 feet because you lack the lighting needed to do so .... and you really lack the needed are to make 6 plants spread out and be wide and bushy.

Consider SCROG.

Normally for a 250-watt you would use a screen size about 2.25ft x 2.25ft but just makes yours the size of your area, or as close to it as you can depending on how you mount it. You will keep your plants low so you can hopefully supply them with enough light. Normally one would go with one plant per square foot and if you have 3' by 2' that's 6 sq, ft. and you have 6 plants.

Seems like the best fit to me regardless of what you might have hoped for or advised too do.
 
Brick Top said:
So, if the metric conversion page I used was correct you have slightly over 3 1/2 feet ... and a 250-watt light that will give you about 15 to 18 inches (38.1 to 45.72cm) of penetration at best, so you cannot use your roughly 3 1/2 feet because you lack the lighting needed to do so .... and you really lack the needed are to make 6 plants spread out and be wide and bushy.

Consider SCROG.

Normally for a 250-watt you would use a screen size about 2.25ft x 2.25ft but just makes yours the size of your area, or as close to it as you can depending on how you mount it. You will keep your plants low so you can hopefully supply them with enough light. Normally one would go with one plant per square foot and if you have 3' by 2' that's 6 sq, ft. and you have 6 plants.

Seems like the best fit to me regardless of what you might have hoped for or advised too do.
Click to expand...

Thanks for showing me the light! This makes sense...

plus rep for you sir!
 
The ladies just got thru their first day of flowering and I'm already worried about the space. I have one plant at each corner of the screen and I'm planning to direct the main stems to the center of the screen.
Just a couple more squares and the branches of the upper right and upper left plant will meet in the middle. If they do, should I just let them grow above the screen, or where else should I move them?

Also, a week before flowering I topped the plant on the upper right corner, and two side shoots grew next to the tip I cut off. When I tucked it under the screen I broke one of the tips but it's still attached. Now its drying and getting dark. Did I supercrop it or is it going to die?
 

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greenops said:
I got a 5 AK 48s and 1 Skunk grow going on in a closet. Horizontal space is rather narrow. 100cm by 55cm (3ft by 2ft). They're about 3 weeks vegging now. I can't let them grow higher than 110cm.

This is my first grow so I've no experience with training the plants... As to yield I read contradicting statements, I hope somebody can break it down for me relating to my situation:

What should I do to increase yield? Top, supercrop, LST or should I do nothing?
Any tips on what exactly I could do would be nice
smile.gif


I understand training will stress them, thus slow growth. They're about 15 cm now, will flower them at 25 cm (probably in 1.5 weeks). How many days will I lose when I train them? If it takes more than a week I have to think about it cuz I'm dealing with summer heat.

Will they have to flower longer when its done at this stage?
Click to expand...

there are ways to get as much or more production then from topping. Topping slows down growth for about a week or 10 days and that is lost time. Try bending them so the top runs horizontal and the smaller branches grow up. It is a technique I use and very effective. I put a net over them, the net has squares in it, i let the plant grow up one square and then bend it through the next one so that the plant starts to grow horizontally and the side branches grow up creating an even canopy with better tops.
 
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