When can I FIM or pinch

T

Tricks

New Member
Hey folks, got a question, my buddy has a few plants that are at least 6 weeks old but didn't get any real light until a couple of weeks ago. They now are working on their 3rd and 4th set of leaves (not counting the round 1's) they also have growth at the nodes, from what I have read you can Fim these once you have growth (branching) at the nodes..is this right, I know we did it this young back in the day, but we also drove nails into the stalks to make them swell up huge! thanks peps :peace:
 
ilikebike said:
id say as long as it has at least 4 different sets of leaves you could do it. what i use as a rule of thumb is can i actually see what it is that im trying to cut. Is it developed enough yet where i can tell the difference between it, and just another branch or node.

When i topped my plants i did them when they were fairly short.
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Thanks Bike, I got the four leaf part, and I think I know what the second part is saying? Last time I saw his plants you could tell the center growth on the main stem, which is where one of us will FIM it, We'll do it the old fashion way, something that was just in HT this month, but we use to do it years ago, you snip about 80% of the new growth (newest 2 leaves) this is done on the main stalk, but you can do it on other branches. I'm not sure what you mean by telling the difference between it and another branch or node though...:peace:
 
FIM is where you take the top of the plant off by cutting off the top of the main stalk above the nodes and leaves below the top of it and the stalk will then have 2-4 branches coming outta the main stalk on the very top. Hope that helps. Good luck
 
Thanks Vampire, I got a good handle on topping Vs Fim (stands for Fuck I missed) and pinching, thing is, in the pic from this months HT it is hard to see, it looks like he cut the stem itself, but that would just be topping, and it says to cut 80% of the terminal shoot VS Topping where you take 100% of the terminal shoot at the node. Maybe I'll scan the page if you guys will look at it, I think all you do is instead of clipping the full center growth, you only clip 80% leaving a little of the new leaves, but the photo looks like he cuts the stem itself, just higher up from the node...has anyone read this months HT's? :peace:
 
I did read about FIM a while back and yeah your right it is the whole top stalk taken off from just above the next node/set of leaves. The 'fuck i missed' is because the stalk was cut in an inverted cup meaning scoping the cut in a 'U' like cut that left the edges of the stalk around the cut. The best way to do this, (for me anyways), is with a razor or very sharp small knife. The remaining shell-stalk will then create 4 top stalks if done right; if not then at least 2 new stalks. Its debatable if this increases potency however it is surely a good way to reduce height. I've cloned the top that I cut off so nothing was wasted, also I did the FIM around a week before going into flowering mode so as to allow the vegging time to reduce the stress. Hope this helps, it's easier than it sounds lol.
 
What's up Vamp, yeah I read about FIM years ago in HT, and used to use it and loved it, this was back in the 70's 80's, I'll show you whats trowing me off and it might just be how the pics look, I'll post something that was posted on 420 awhile back that shows the difference between topping and FIMing...this is how I used to do it, well I pinched the middle , the newest growth, so I guess I pinched vs FIM. But then look at the new pic in this months HT, it looks more like he's doing like you talk about doing it, its like topping but you leave a little more of the stalk, but there appears to be no new growth left, all of that is cut off right? where as the way I do it leaves the second set of small leaves and only removes the 2 newest growing out of the center of main stalk...that is not how this is done is it. I'm new a uploading pics, so I'll post those next in a new post, hope these explain my confusion LOL :peace:
 
Oh wow!!!!! the way the fim-er did that plant is way above my level of fim-ing, lol, but it showed what you were explaining which cleared it up to me. Only thoughts for me to get a top like that with multiple bud sites, I'd have to do a scrog . As mentioned I had to fim a swazi red once because she was way to big to start flowering so I scooped out like 1/3 down the stalk, put her back to veg about a week, and the top grew 4 branches out from the main stalk. I apologize for attempting to give input here, I pictured what I had as an response. What HT shows looks epic but I have no idea how the grower managed that; I wasn't allowed access to read the article, only see the pic. I'd love to check back to see if and how you managed to accomplish that style. Thanks for your post.
 
I would love to see the photos explaining the difference between FIM and pinching. We are only pinching now as it has not been very clear to me how to FIM although I think I 'fucked' up on one plant with the pinching but instead of several new growths, only one side grew for several weeks then the other side finally started go grow small mutated leaves. Freaked me out so now always careful to pinch when I know I can get the entire top.
 
Stinkypotman said:
I would love to see the photos explaining the difference between FIM and pinching. We are only pinching now as it has not been very clear to me how to FIM although I think I 'fucked' up on one plant with the pinching but instead of several new growths, only one side grew for several weeks then the other side finally started go grow small mutated leaves. Freaked me out so now always careful to pinch when I know I can get the entire top.
Click to expand...

Well bro Fucking up is how they came up with FIM :high-five:...it really does mean Fuck I missed LOL it talks about that in the story also, I am working on uploading the pics now..problem is, I'm working on taking my meds also LOL but really, I can't upload the file I wanted to, it was posted by someone here on 420, :420: hell I just read it a couple of weeks ago, and I between the details they gave and the photos, it is the better description, but I have learned enough here on 420 to know this "there is more than one way to skin a cat" in fact I found a pic of doing the way you talked about VAMP, where you kinda clean it out in a u shape! I'll post those also, but someone who knows how to post pics/with wording may want to repost, but I'll do my best......man this site Rocks!!! :peace:
 
I think I managed to fuck up a fuck up as instead of growing more, it grew less on one side so it looked like what I started with (one top growth) instead of several growths.

Sorry, bad grammar above, I'm sure it's 4:20 somewhere.....
 
Hey Stinky, it's all good bro LOL at least she's livin! had to give ya props on your nick....an old friend of mines nick name was Stinky (R.I.P) and I have been known to.. fuck up, a fuck up...many times myself brother :thumb: LOL.....PS pic's are almost ready to upload, hope I did it right. :peace:
 
Damn man this is taking me forever! I can't seem to get the pic's in the order I want...we'll see :peace:

EDIT: Now I can't get them to post, man I have worked all evening on this, labeling each photo to explain what you looking at, and I can't get them to post!!! they are in my photos, but I don't think you can see the notes I made...I'm still working on this...any tips on how to post pics in the thread would be great
PS I tried clicking on the camera icon on the top right, a box popped up once, and then I could get it to open again..I'll try restarting my computer
 
The_way_I_learned_FIM_1.jpg


The 1st pic is a great post made by a 420 member, I can't believe I didn't get their nick, if anyone knows, please give them credit. I couldn't upload the whole thing, which sucks because it explains it so well, but it is on 420 some place, I just posted the pics that best show what we want to do. ****Note: You'll notice in the HT's photos ( PIC#5), that the FIMMing looks like the stem is cut, it's not..to get a better understanding of what the newer HT pic id showing, take your thumb and from the top of the new leaves down, cover about 80% of the pic marked #1 (this pic), if you leave about about 20% of that new growth you'll notice the section bellow your thumb now looks a lot like the newer pic in HT's, this had be confused, until I did this, and then I could see they are both the same cut. I think I'll just post these in a thread of there own..this pic shows where to make the cut when FIMming
 
Your welcome Stinky, I love the plant! there is a whole thread showing FEMMing and Topping, I guess there are about 5 pics or so. :peace:
 

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