How and when should I prune this plant?

[jokerlola]

How should I prune this plant and when should I start doing it?

This is an unusual clone. This is a Silver Mountain strain. Last fall I had a small branch break off during a wind storm so I threw it into an empty nutrient bottle with water for the hell of it. A couple weeks later I checked it and it had rooted so I put it in a pot and kept it on a window sill with some supplemental light to keep it from flowering. I kept it there all winter and transplanted it into it's current 5 gal Smart Pot. I've been growing clones outdoors for the last 4 years but I've never been very good at pruning so I always end up with a lot of popcorn buds. I what to try to change that this grow so I want to try to prune this and my other plants so they have only tops. I have topped it a few times but I never know how or when to prune to achieve this.

 

[InTheShed]

Nice plant joker! Looks happy and healthy.

Keeping in mind that outdoor plants will most likely be showing pistils in under a month:

I would start by supercropping the tallest branches to get them flat and allow the lowers to grow up, As the lowers grow above that canopy, I would start supercropping those branches to the same height as the original bent ones.

And anything not making it to that level gets cut off, everything else is a top. Like this:

There is nothing below that top layer of flowers.

Hope that helps!

 

[Stoned Ape]

Follow shed's advice and that thing will turn into a hedge. I love a survive against the odds story. The plant must have plenty of vigor.

 

[DeltaDubie]

nice counting you can count my canopy top !!!

nice..

20210629_035819.jpg

• DeltaDubie
• Jun 29, 2021

looking good to me .. lots of tips in the top of canopy .. :)

 

[Bill284]

How should I prune this plant and when should I start doing it?

This is an unusual clone. This is a Silver Mountain strain. Last fall I had a small branch break off during a wind storm so I threw it into an empty nutrient bottle with water for the hell of it. A couple weeks later I checked it and it had rooted so I put it in a pot and kept it on a window sill with some supplemental light to keep it from flowering. I kept it there all winter and transplanted it into it's current 5 gal Smart Pot. I've been growing clones outdoors for the last 4 years but I've never been very good at pruning so I always end up with a lot of popcorn buds. I what to try to change that this grow so I want to try to prune this and my other plants so they have only tops. I have topped it a few times but I never know how or when to prune to achieve this.

Hello @jokerlola cute girl.
I don’t like to prune, especially outside girls.
all I did was top this one several times.
Tie over the branches to let sun in but that’s it.
Sun can penetrate better than any light we have.
She had some smalls but mostly great colas.
As stated she will be ready for flower soon.
I would not top anymore branches now.
Lst her and let her explode.
Bill

 

[jokerlola]

Follow shed's advice and that thing will turn into a hedge. I love a survive against the odds story. The plant must have plenty of vigor.

Yeah, I hated when I found that broken branch so I just couldn't throw it away so I put it in water but didn't expect it to root at that size so it was a nice surprise that it did. But then since I don't grow indoors I figured it was for nothing but I was able to get her to stay in veg all fall and winter with just window sunlight and a LED can light bulb!

 

[Stoned Ape]

And later u will be rewarded for your efforts with jars of dankness. Ohh yeah.pretty plant too. Looks very sativa

 

[jokerlola]

Should I pinch or cut off this new growth between the leaves on these pictures I’m posting or is this the new growth I want and should keep?

 

[InTheShed]

On July 4th weekend, I'd say keep it. If this were May I think we'd be having a different conversation!

In early August you can go through the plant and take off stuff if you decide there's too much underneath, but I wouldn't start thinning this close to pistils given the structure of that plant.

 

[jokerlola]

Ok. These basically are the result of pinching and cropping the tops in late May and thru June. Just wondering if I should be pinching these as well. I will leave them be then and concentrate on the lower branches.

 

[DeltaDubie]

Should I pinch or cut off this new growth between the leaves on these pictures I’m posting or is this the new growth I want and should keep?

just looking at the 2 pics .. you are trying to cut way to close to the tips of growing branches ..

drop you hand down a foot or 2 and rip out that bottom crap..

cheers

20210615_013107.jpg

• DeltaDubie
• Jun 14, 2021

20210623_222123.jpg

• DeltaDubie
• Jun 23, 2021

 

[jokerlola]

Ok. So focus on the stuff below the tops? This always makes me nervous about what to defoliate and what to keep.

 

[InTheShed]

Well it doesn't look like you went with my suggestion of supercropping!

Since you're outside I would just take off the flowering bits that you think won't amount to much on the lower parts of each stem, or the really short ones on the inside. You don't need to worry about light penetration or airflow, except maybe down at the very bottom left where it's kinda crowded. There you can take some fans, but I'd leave the rest. Let the sun hit them and power the flowers!

You can always thin again after stretch in August.

 

[jokerlola]

No, I haven’t done that yet. When you say “supercropping” you mean cutting all branches to an equal level? I will have to look for some supercropping videos on YouTube to see the technique. I’ve tended to just let outdoor plants do their thing but I want to try to eliminate all the popcorn buds I wind up with.

 

[InTheShed]

I have a tutorial on supercropping in my sig, but it's basically a gentle snap of the branch after compressing the stem by squeezing it (with your fingers if you can, or a needle nose pliers wrapped in electrical tape if the stems are too woody). That breaks the internal fibers without breaking the skin of the branch and allows it to be bent over close to horizontal.

I would do those tall ones and make the bend so they lay out just above the height of where it looks like you topped it (?).

There are a number of good youtube videos on the technique you should check out before trying it, but I do it on almost every plant I grow at some point.

 

[jokerlola]

Ok. I will check out your tutorial. Thanks.

My growing started as a lark but I want to get better at it and I find it fun and interesting!

 

[InTheShed]

My growing started as a lark but I want to get better at it and I find it fun and interesting!

 

[Stoned Ape]

Ok. I will check out your tutorial. Thanks.

My growing started as a lark but I want to get better at it and I find it fun and interesting!

If the growing interests u wait till u get into doing extracts. That is so fun. Plus a product that makes u and u friends salivate.

 

[jokerlola]

Baby steps!

 

[DeltaDubie]

Baby steps!

id plant that plant in the ground out side .. just let it grow looks like hell and had shit kick out of it ..

cheers..