Is topping the plants necessary?

[gsahly1094]

I was watching a video and they say you are supposed to top the plants after one week on 12/12. It said instead of having one big bud if you top it you will have 2 big buds, is this necessary?

 

[RangerDanger]

Unless you provide more light, soil, water & nutrients, topping a plant doesn't yield any more than an uptopped plant.
You have 2 buds, 1/2 as big.
I sometimes top my plants to keep 'em short.

 

[Akornpatch]

Only to control height in my opinion. Plus I wouldn't top it less than a week before going 12/12 unless I REALLY needed to.

 

[Racefan]

I agree with ranger. While your harvesting those golf sized buds I'll be harvesting colas as big as my wrist around and as long as my forearm. Topping is not a guarrantee to increased yields. It causes stress which increases chances of hermorphism and slows down growth until it recovers from the topping and forces the plant to spread it's energy to several bud sites over 1 main one. That means that the same energy it would normaqlly use for one main cola is now being spread out to several colas. If you feel the need for more than one cola at least avoid the stress and try bending over and tieing down branches. Same results, limited to little stress and no lag time in growth.

 

[alanwatts420]

According to the book I've been reading- The Grow Bible by Gregg Green-
Whether or not this increases the bud yield depends upon the strain.

The ones I am growing now are growing more horizontally than vertically. I have plenty of vertical space, but am horizontally challenged. I have 4 NL plants growing in 5 gal buckets but there is about 3 gal soil in each.They are now at about week 5. I started them at first under CFL's but moved to 400 HPS after only about 2 weeks. 2/4 are now showing signs of "veinal Chlorosis"- That is they have yellow leaves with green veins at the top. I bet my Ph is too high! Damn I am such an amateur! I am just not used to the HPS rate of growth! It just cranks those babies UP!! I gave them some coffee grounds and a little dose of H2O and am on my way to get some PH strips.

I just want to say that this online forum is Kick Ass!! So much good information- Delivered in such a timely fashion. It gives me hope. There are good people out there!!

 

[Urdedpal]

Oh I have. Many times. First time was back in the 80's when a deer "topped" one of my plants.
I once had a donor plant and she had 96 bud sites because I had taken so many cuttings from her. When I budded her ouit she grew 96 buds--all about as big as a popped kernal of corn.
If topping increase yield, EVERYONE would do it and it'd be foolish to NOT do it.
But that's not the case.
I re-state--yield will not increase unless you supply extra lights, soil, water and nute's.

You forgot extended veg time. Longer veg times increase size of plant which increases yeild.

 

[Racefan]

You forgot extended veg time. Longer veg times increase size of plant which increases yeild.

But that applies whether you top or not deoesn't it?

 

[Urdedpal]

So does extra lights, soil, water and nute's.
I sometimes top or FIM or supercrop to control vertical and lateral growth.
I always extend veg time so plants recover before flower.
These techniques are more for control of the plant and which way it grows.
Yeild is based on growing environment, growth duration, and strain selection.

 

[Eldamari420]

very informative.lol

 

[Akornpatch]

These techniques are more for control of the plant and which way it grows.Yeild is based on growing environment, growth duration, and strain selection.

^^BINGO!^^

 

[MadameCrash]

IMHO... LST would accomplish best of everything... height control + yield increase.. and you don't loose the cola that way..

But I prefer to let them grow naturally myself...

Peace
MC

 

[vintner]

God, I love threads like this!!! LOL all these great and experienced opinions. These are the threads I think should be made into stickies!
I think the main point stressed here is that you do what works best for you in you're own personal grow environment. Top, LST, don't top, SOG, ScrOG, grow the best you can. Plant's that are stressed will require more veg time to recooperate from the stress, and the longer we veg our indoor plants, the more nutes and root space they will need. And, like someone said earlier, "over grow the earth" w/mellowness LOL

 

[Urdedpal]

Some strains do very well topped and some don't. Thats why I try different methods. I want the methods I use to compliment the strain I am growing.

 

[Racefan]

a dub is a slang for doob or doobie. A Joint is what means.

 

[Urdedpal]

I thought so but what size in weight?

 

[RangerDanger]

Jeez, kids selling joints.
I though that went out in the 60's (when j's of Acapulco Gold were 50 cents btw).
That's a sure way to get busted, imo.
The 1st kid who gets busted is gonna roll over on weedsmoker714 quicker than shit through a goose.

 

[Racefan]

When did it become fashion to weigh dubs? Most are rolled as whats called pinners. I have no idea what they weigh as I never got that curious. lol

.50cents a jay huh. I remember paying a dollar per thai stick myself. And I thought that was a little high at the time too. now a days they would run you about $50.00 per stick.

 

[vintner]

Cripes, I can remember when you could buy a wonder bread bag stuffed full w/nice sticky, well cured sense for like $75. And I aint all that old. I had pretty cool parents though, so I've been smokin for many years.