Why you should top your plants in veg

I saw a pic where Kramer C. did this and have read about it as Uncle Ben's method, and on my last grow I had a Northern Lights plant that was hitting the veg unit lights and still had a couple weeks to go, so I cut the main stem. I felt like a sado-maniac butcher to inflict such damage to the plant that I had raised from seed. But this is what happened...



Cutting the main stem caused the lower branches to develop their own serious buds and compared to the other, un-topped plants, this one produced more than double the weight. Today I topped everything in veg.
You experienced growers probably take this knowledge for granted, perhaps it seems obvious, but seeing it work is like a revelation to a novice. Every little tip helps and when they add up you get better buds.

Wow, very cool. I haven't posted a picture of my Uncle Ben topped Very Berry Kush lately because I put it into a little cab and the intake got clogged and it spent two days in there at almost 110 degrees. I was so pissed. I was going to toss it but I just couldn't do it. I trimmed off all of the burned leaves and leaf tips and it's now back under my T5s turning back around and is no longer looking like complete death. The other reason I didn't toss it is that after I topped it there are four mains just like you got.

I'm way a newbie but it's really fun to help these plants along and there is just so much information out there. Another hint of advice, don't be a giant jackass and cook your plants in a small cab with the intake blocked.

Dude, I ran my reservoir dry so I win the award for most stupid move so far this year, but I appreciate your stepping up.

At least lessons like this are learned forever.....hopefully.

before after and chopped top sent to cloner...So far every single piece of a plant put into the cloner has produced roots. These should sprout roots in a week or so. I slice the stem about half inch at the bottom, scrape some 'bark' off it with a razor blade, dip in Clonex gel, put into foam, place into netpot and put into the cloner, hopefully when it is not spraying. Timer is set to 1 minute on 5 minutes off with just water and a splash of liquid Clonex. I have heard water works without anything added and the troubles many people have reported came with info that they were adding other things to their cloner's water. I have been using lower branches from more mature plants in the veg stage, but today I wanted clones and there they were and there I was, with a razor blade,,,

420c, how do you have your " cloner" rigged up? I am interested in the automated spray... Is that fed from the main res via a pump, or is it coming from your home water pressurized system? Sounds like a set and mostly forget system, I'm always down to get something automated if possible.

Tupperware, black aero cloner plugs, trimming scissors, magic marker, three ft length of air hose, small cylindrical air stone, small air pump, razor blade. Total cost 20$
use magic marker to outline the plugs, and a smaller hole for the hose. Use scissors to cut holes. Run hose and attach air stone on inside of Tupperware. Take clones as u normally would, insert into bubble cloner and plug in pump. Add phosphorus (found in higher levels in bloom nutes than veg nutes) to help speed root growth. Disco. I put some black gorilla tape on mine second time around but it didn't make a difference. In my personal opinion, 80 degree 80-90% humidity in a clone tent works just as well for what it's worth. But the bubble cloner is fun. Disposition 84 has a really cool fog cloner too in his signature.

Bubbagineer said:

420c, how do you have your " cloner" rigged up? I am interested in the automated spray... Is that fed from the main res via a pump, or is it coming from your home water pressurized system? Sounds like a set and mostly forget system, I'm always down to get something automated if possible.

Click to expand...

I'll try posting a link to this cloner. I am using the Tor browser for security purposes and this thing is problematic...

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:PafeRZ02vmoJ:stinkbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/aerocloner1.pdf+&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj1MjnYMomtcKXL8D4HIOpsaX3YHvy9zTxH9EzqVjFbRufAg3yLxF6FwNSDT_DmgItsTdCAveCfYzebvZ33n4sy-RFUDk7j8uRdkIyLcqg314G4R7zjo9PNzLiwMPrNWtlSbN6z&sig=AHIEtbSIhNnqcz1ARHjyFQ0ybsnik0vVdQ

The Stinkbud cloner is a stand alone container and was fun to make. I would modify the design a bit if I made another one, it would be better to be able to connect a hose to the pump to make emptying it easier, I currently just go all Hulk with the container and try to not spill anything on the way to the drain. My veg units all have a connector that decouples the sprayer assy so I can connect a hose and just run the pump to empty the reservoirs. I never did figure out why he called for a threaded end on the piece on top, my veg units have just an elbow and are used for taking water samples in a cup to test pH and ppm.

This a clone, the top of a young plant in veg that was topped, after 1 week in the cloner. Will have enough roots to start vegging in a couple days, would probably work as it is but probably better to wait for just a bit more root growth. This thing is amazing. Because my veg unit is tied up for a few weeks I'll just drain the cloner and fill with a very dilute, 300 ppm veg mixture to feed these while they wait for room in the vegger. They may have to wait for about 4 weeks because I cannibalized the second veg unit to build a DWC/aero test unit and am in the process of winding down the number of plants...

chef c said:

Tupperware, black aero cloner plugs, trimming scissors, magic marker, three ft length of air hose, small cylindrical air stone, small air pump, razor blade. Total cost 20$
use magic marker to outline the plugs, and a smaller hole for the hose. Use scissors to cut holes. Run hose and attach air stone on inside of Tupperware. Take clones as u normally would, insert into bubble cloner and plug in pump. Add phosphorus (found in higher levels in bloom nutes than veg nutes) to help speed root growth. Disco. I put some black gorilla tape on mine second time around but it didn't make a difference. In my personal opinion, 80 degree 80-90% humidity in a clone tent works just as well for what it's worth. But the bubble cloner is fun. Disposition 84 has a really cool fog cloner too in his signature.

Click to expand...

I do this also except use gh rapid rooter and get some kind of roots showing in like 3 days and after a week its a few 8 inch long roots and a bunch of small ones...Cold water like 66 to start I think helps because it rises up pretty quick.. I don't know with just an airstone in a tub I've been lucky and had great results.

Sweet guys glad I ran into this I was actually going to buy a cloner now I think I'll make one.

Serendipity! I just got a little veg area going so I can top in veg, and woke up with this on my mind! I was also just telling the wife about using the tops for clones last evening, while making her listen to my waxing on and on about our plants and new-found ability to veg! I didn't plan to clone the top (once I get around to doing so), but I might give it a lot more thought now.

Couple questions, if you all would indulge: (1) is there a method for cloning in soil or for soil? (2) Has anyone heard of using honey rather than clonex?

I'm sure I'll screw it up if and when I get around to topping and trying to clone, anyway, but info's always great!

Thanks, guys, and cheers!

I have done cloning via RR's, Rock-wool, straight-up soil, and various other methods,

The BUBBLE CLONER is where it is at. Fastest roots, and it is automated. Plug and go.
Wonderful root development. I would never do it any other way at this point.

I HAVE heard of honey instead of clonex...it does in fact work! I would say it works about 70% as good as cloning gel. IMO

chef c said:

You experienced growers probably take this knowledge for granted, perhaps it seems obvious, but seeing it work is like a revelation to a novice.

Click to expand...

Try these terms in search: "Supercropping", "Monstercropping", and "MainLining"
Get ready for an adventure.

As far as cloning FOR soil, Rapid rooters can go into soil as well as Rockwool, and if you have a bubble cloner, you can just gently place the roots into soil. (Don't use a net-pot, just allow the roots to drape down from the neoprene)

Jus Naturale said:

Serendipity! I just got a little veg area going so I can top in veg, and woke up with this on my mind! I was also just telling the wife about using the tops for clones last evening, while making her listen to my waxing on and on about our plants and new-found ability to veg! I didn't plan to clone the top (once I get around to doing so), but I might give it a lot more thought now.

Couple questions, if you all would indulge: (1) is there a method for cloning in soil or for soil? (2) Has anyone heard of using honey rather than clonex?

I'm sure I'll screw it up if and when I get around to topping and trying to clone, anyway, but info's always great!

Thanks, guys, and cheers!

Click to expand...

Jus I currently clone in soil and its been pretty good to me I have lost some but I think we are at %80 depending on strain. So what we have is a seed mat, a clone dome, solo cups and ffhf soil with some green fuze.
We prep the solo cups with drainage cuts in bottom and fill with soil. Water down the soil with the green fuze water and make a hole for the cutting to fit in the soil. Make your cutting and prep your cutting (I angle cut the stem and make a few small slice along the stem and cut the leaves in half to focus the energy to rooting). Now dip into rooting hormone I have both powder and gel they both work fine. Place into the pre moist soil and push soil around stem to not allow air to reach rooting part of plant. We water lightly morning and evening and leave the dome vents closed for the first week a small amount of water should come out of the bottom of the solo. We see roots out of the solo in 8-14 days depending on strain.
If anyone has a more refined process please let us know always looking for Improvement.

The biggest problem I had when I started cloning was using soil with perlite in it....always had a few fail to root and I'm convinced the perlite was mostly to blame as it allowed too much air into the root zone...now I just buy peat pucks and use one or two of those per plastic cup and the only clones that don't root are the ones I ignore...
the biggest lesson I have learned about cloning is this: it's not as difficult as you make it out to be...dome,warmth,not too much air in root zone and u should be set...oh I use the cheapest rooting powder I can find and it works like a charm

Back to the original point of the OP...top em then tie em...if you are someone who just can't help but mess with ur plants then I say definitely top and lst your plants. It will increase yield and give you something productive to do that will actually help your plant....if u aren't sick of messing with plants by the time u flip then u didn't tie them down enough lol

The plants that develop roots in my aero style cloner, in netpots with misters and using both Clonex and rooting gel, would do fine in soil at about 11-14 days. The roots are well developed so the plants can be grown with any method. Building the cloner from the drawing by StinkBud was easy and it works great.

say, off topic but I was just seeing the same engineering error I made in an aerospring type unit. Those upright legs are gonna collect shit in them. I found this out by running one similar in design and then cleaning it out. I cleaned it and when I brought it back inside I noticed a rotten ass smell. Closer inspection and I found out exactly where the smell was coming from, the shit in those upright legs. easy fix is to poke a hole at the bottom of the leg and screw in a mister.

Agreed w/ the perlite comment above^ I've done some soil and dwc now and tryin to do hempy but unless I have alot of soil on the top when i transplant or seed or rockwool they die off. I've been having trouble puting my rooted clones in straight perlite, like he said too much air to the roots...*cloning is easy though*. Sterile equipment! cut at a 45 degree angle, stick it in rooting gel (I've never heard of honey but I wouldn't doubt it working) and then into the lightproof tub with an airstone and vio-la tiny nub roots in 3 days, and nicer roots at 7 days, at 14 days they can put into soil, soilless (xcept straight perlite IME)or kept in a dwc/hydro.