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

I find myself saying this alot, but it will depend on genetics and also on you.. Some ppl have the patience to deal with a crowded area, others will go downhill faster.. Also depends on you medium, be it soil, hydro etc and lights regarding height.. 30"x30" is probably more than enough area for any lone plant.. Less than that, and I'd worry about serious annoyance..
A setup with 400W hid for instance is going to require 6-10" for the actual light.. Atleast 12" space between lights and tops, and likely 24" or even more for root area if you're growing it big..
So you'll need 3-4 feet just for accessory space.. Its possible to cheat on height a bit by putting it to the side of the tops etc, but don't plan to rely on that, you'll dig a deep hole of grief if you cut yourself short (especially on a first grow..
With cfl's is a whole different ballgame.. You can get away with a pretty small area if using cfl's.. But compared to hps, that ball game is whiffle-ball..

born2killspam said:

10oz before even starting to flower?? I missed that, UB is the champion..
(Sorry, I read it that way, and had to respond in kind..)

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haha clearly someone is using magical seeds for that... pretty much im worried that the growbox im constructing today might be too small..what dimensions would you recommend to house one plant of that size? (the size of theone in the first post that was 4-cola'd)

Sorry, that was less funny after I posted it, so I edited that post to actually answer the questions..

im not understanding exactly where to cut??

I think his pics are pretty straightforward on that, but here..

born2killspam said:

I think his pics are pretty straightforward on that, but here..

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Gotta spoon fed 'em. If folks don't get it based on my photos and detailed explanations and your excellent graph, they never will.

Tio

lol for real

If you think thats good then you should see my abstract works..

born2killspam said:

If you think thats good then you should see my abstract works..

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Hah!

would this be a good idea for a micro grow in a 18"x30"x5' storage cab. or would the plants be to small to handle the weight.

BubbaBlaze said:

would this be a good idea for a micro grow in a 18"x30"x5' storage cab. or would the plants be to small to handle the weight.

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I should add ? would this even be a good idea on a 12/12 from seed

I wouldn't be growing in 30" without a screen to hold them down, but this is as good a method as any to grow them into a screen.. I'd read up on lollipopping though if thats all the height you have..

born2killspam said:

I wouldn't be growing in 30" without a screen to hold them down, but this is as good a method as any to grow them into a screen.. I'd read up on lollipopping though if thats all the height you have..

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the floor is 18"x 30" but the cab. is 5' tall. here is some pics im currently low stress training them sidways to keep down height. I was jest very interested in this method for next time if it was possible

BubbaBlaze said:

would this be a good idea for a micro grow in a 18"x30"x5' storage cab. or would the plants be to small to handle the weight.

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You can always use stakes and wrap strips of women's hosiery around the plant. I think I covered this in a previous post. It's your call on how you want to train your plants. Me? In a 5' tall cabinet I'd be growing 2 maybe 3 plants each topped to 4 main colas, but then again I don't do cabinets. Cabinets come with too many logistical problems for me.

Good luck,
UB

Great post uncle ben i've read it twice now and i i'll definately be using your topping technique for the 4 main colas on my ppp but im unsure whether to use this technique on feminised cheese as i've heard that fem seeds go hermie if you stress them in the slightest(not even sure if i'ts true).Im not saying that your technique WILL stress them I just wanted your opinion on this subject as you clearly have alot more experiance than me. Any help would be much appreciated.

fulltimesmoker said:

Great post uncle ben i've read it twice now and i i'll definately be using your topping technique for the 4 main colas on my ppp but im unsure whether to use this technique on feminised cheese as i've heard that fem seeds go hermie if you stress them in the slightest(not even sure if i'ts true).Im not saying that your technique WILL stress them I just wanted your opinion on this subject as you clearly have alot more experiance than me. Any help would be much appreciated.

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There is no stress involved, just a redirection of the auxins. It is an "apical dominance" issue. Understanding the functions of a plant and hormonal responses will alleviate your apprehension.

Stress is always grower induced - applying too much or too little plant food, water, light, etc., wrong temps. If they are hermie prone, and you have a problem with seeds, then don't buy them. Your call......

When they pop let me know so we can do this thing together.

Good luck,
UB

Uncle Ben said:

There is no stress involved, just a redirection of the auxins. It is an "apical dominance" issue. Understanding the functions of a plant and hormonal responses will alleviate your apprehension.

Stress is always grower induced - applying too much or too little plant food, water, light, etc., wrong temps. If they are hermie prone, and you have a problem with seeds, then don't buy them. Your call......

When they pop let me know so we can do this thing together.

Good luck,
UB

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Thanks for replying UB. At the moment they are just sprouting their second set of leaves so i still have a good three weeks until im ready to start topping. Im looking forward to trying this technique as on previous occasions i've topped much higher up the plant and got a nice even canopy but i've never had any dominant colas like the ones you displayed on page one of this thread, that plant looks amazing!

UB, do you do all your grows from seed? Since with cloning, atleast the ones Ive been cloning, the nodes arnt right across from each other anymore.

fulltimesmoker said:

Thanks for replying UB. At the moment they are just sprouting their second set of leaves so i still have a good three weeks until im ready to start topping. Im looking forward to trying this technique as on previous occasions i've topped much higher up the plant and got a nice even canopy but i've never had any dominant colas like the ones you displayed on page one of this thread, that plant looks amazing!

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If I wasn't so lazy, I'd post this huge cola of 4 that I did outdoors. It's pretty foolproof.

OneHit said:

UB, do you do all your grows from seed? Since with cloning, atleast the ones Ive been cloning, the nodes arnt right across from each other anymore.

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A seedling is foolproof, a clone that shows alternating nodes (phytollaxy) will not work. Go long days, hit 'em with N, veg and when they return to opposing nodes, you can top to get 2 or 4 main colas instead the usual one.

UB

BubbaBlaze said:

the floor is 18"x 30" but the cab. is 5' tall. here is some pics im currently low stress training them sidways to keep down height. I was jest very interested in this method for next time if it was possible

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I am a cabinet grower too. Ive spent A LOT of time working out the problems. Heat is our biggest enemy!! LOL. Anyway, for what it is worth. I top very similar to ben during veg. I let the plants get about 8-10" and am now flowering under a dished screen around my 400w hps. First pic is my first flat scrog, second is my current dished one. I yeilded 3oz from one plant on the flat screen. Not to mention that plant was not as healthy as it should have been going to flower.

I guess my point is... check into doing a scrog if your in a cabinet, its turned out best this way for me and Ive been at it for over a year in the cabinet.