Self-Topping Seedling: Genetic Mutation

[Emeraldo]

Sensi's Durban seed produced a normal first pair of single leaves. The next set (I cannot say "node" here because it isn't a node) was one single leaf on one side and a triple set on the other. I kept waiting for a growth point between those two to emerge. It didn't. In effect, the plant has "topped" itself because it cannot put out a growth tip between those two leaf sets.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 6, 2021

So I kept waiting, wondering what this plant would do next. Where would the growth point emerge? Ah, I should've guessed it. As with all topped plants, the growth tips emerged from the node below. In this case, that is the only double-node on the plant, the first set of two single leaves has now put out growth points. Fortunately, those two growth points do appear to be doubles, with two tiny leaves on each side. Here two photos.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 6, 2021

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 6, 2021

But even those growth points do not seem normal to my eye. I will continue to wait and see what they do going forward. Maybe there will be further triple-leaf sets or two leaves on each side. Stay tuned...

 

[Carcass]

I had an Alaskan Purple auto do the exact same thing- I topped it to get the weird growth out of the way, and was left with the 2 lower nodes:
(kinda pathetic looking, right?)

Apx. 2.5 months later, it looked like this:

It recovered pretty well, in fact it grew better than another Alaskan Purple that didn't start life as a mutant... so there's hope for yours!

 

[Emeraldo]

Hahahah! I was kinda hoping someone would say exactly what you did. That's one fantastic "topped" plant you had there. Thanks for that. Yeah, the plant always finds a way to grow out even without the usual nodes. I am really curious now how mine is going to grow. Will post update photos as it takes shape. Cheers, Emeraldo

 

[Emeraldo]

Here's the latest on Durbi.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 8, 2021

There were of course two original single serrated leaves, left and right.

Over those, the two double and rounded leaf sets emerged on each side. Not sure how they will develop further, but at least on the left side there seems to be another leaf in the works.

The surprize for me at least was the new growth point in the middle spot between the triple and single serrated leaves that a few days ago had no sign of a node. In the meantime, something has developed there. I guess I could actually "top" this plant by removing that middle growth, making sure the side branching gets the plant's energy. My friend Stunger spends months training his quadplants, this plant seems have done all the work for me!

After seeing Carcass' Alaskan Purple (above), I am really curious about how this Durban will turn out. More later...

 

[bobrown14]

Looks promising.... let it grow and see what happens. Take cuts when she's ready, ya never know.

 

[Emeraldo]

Durbi has three growing points: one on the left, one on the right, and the latest one in the middle. The middle growing point appeared only after the plant realized its apical point was not there and pushed out two growth points from the lowest node. Those two side are more vigorous than the one now in the middle, which is slow at best. I will let this plant grow as it is, hopefully will put up some flowers in a month or two.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 13, 2021
• 1

Counter-clockwise from lower right: Mexican Sativa S1, Chrystal (suspected male), Chrystal (suspected female), Durban, Jamaican Pearl (still not much there), Afghani #1.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 13, 2021

 

[Emeraldo]

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 13, 2021
• 1

 

[Emeraldo]

I was away for 4 days. Now the "self-topped" Durban clearly had three growing points that are healthy and thriving. But not equally strong. The two "competing" side branches and faster and stronger, so far, than the middle one, which in a "normal" plant would be apical. I guess the plant itself redistributed the hormones that make the top apical. Here the two side branches have become co-dominant, I guess, as they would if I had topped the plant. The center tip is not even as tall as the other two. We'll see how this develops...

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 18, 2021

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 18, 2021

 

[DonkeyDick]

She’s looking pretty good now, Em’o

 

[Emeraldo]

Here she is on June 25. Am considering topping each of the growth tips in a week or so. She's in a huge pot, big enough for a small tree so she has room to put roots waaaay down. I hope she takes off now and tries to get very big. So far she's been fairly vigorous but with three growing tips overall growth was slower than the others in the grow.

Transplanting made easy: I cut a big hole in the bottom of the small plastic pot before potting her, covered that hole with mesh and duct tape, then when moving to the larger pot I just pulled off the tape and mesh, opening the hole so her roots can go deep, and set that hole down into the soil in the large pot.

Looking forward to this Durban, never tried this strain before.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 26, 2021

Durbi the self-topped seedling on June 25

 

[bluenoserjoe]

Good morning @Emeraldo. Seems to be more common then you think. Just finished up some Blue Berry and one of those topped herself and grew out four that took off. In the pic. the little girl out front is a White Widow doing the same, only three tops like yours. She is destined as a mother so saved me one step at least.

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• bluenoserjoe
• May 22, 2021

 

[Emeraldo]

Update time. Durby is second from left in the first photo. I am so happy I let that little thing do her own thing and did not remove the middle stem. She is turning into a sizeable plant, looking like an even canopy overall, the three mainstems are thickening nicely. No preflowering so far (unlike Mex Sat and Chrystal), I guess she is a late bloomer. I expect she'll do a good bit of stretching. I up-potted her into an extra deep pot of soil a few weeks ago, she has a good 10 gallons of soil there to put her roots down into, and now she is really taking off. I fimmed her a two days ago and am now hoping for 4 colas on each of the 3 mainstems. Below, a view from above.

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 8, 2021

July 8, L to R: Afghani, Durban, Chrystal, Mexican Sativa

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 8, 2021

Durban, July 8

 

[Auggie]

Hahahah! I was kinda hoping someone would say exactly what you did.

Ya know what it looks like to me?

I flipped through the pix's BEFORE I read any text anywhere. When I saw the final pix, I thought "Oh, that plant has been super-cropped."

I know it hasn't ... but, it sure looks like it.

.

 

[Emeraldo]

Good morning @Emeraldo. Seems to be more common then you think. Just finished up some Blue Berry and one of those topped herself and grew out four that took off. In the pic. the little girl out front is a White Widow doing the same, only three tops like yours. She is destined as a mother so saved me one step at least.

20210522_102931.jpg

• bluenoserjoe
• May 22, 2021

Amazing, bluenoserjoe, how fluid the plants are. If the lose their tip for whatever reason, they just grow in a different place.

 

[Emeraldo]

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 10, 2021

Durban, July 10

New growth after fimming 4 days ago... Looks like 4 growth points to me! Or... could that be 5 ?! "You never know" aka "time will tell"! Stay tuned!

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 10, 2021

Durban, July 10

 

[Emeraldo]

Ya know what it looks like to me?

I flipped through the pix's BEFORE I read any text anywhere. When I saw the final pix, I thought "Oh, that plant has been super-cropped."

I know it hasn't ... but, it sure looks like it.

.

Supercropping imho doesn't look like that, but sure looks like a super crop for a plant that size. But was probably topped many times at different points.

Hey @Carcass what kind of training did you do after the first pruning?

 

[013]

On the 3 way or whorrled phylotaxy deal with 2 strong limbs and a 3rd weaker one - you can tie down the stronger 2 limbs to be lower than the small one to let the shorter one catch up. More growth horomones go to the tallest so we can trick the plant this way

 

[Carcass]

Hey @Carcass what kind of training did you do after the first pruning?

Thanks for the tag, and thanks for asking!
That plant is looking sweet, Emeraldo!
Nice fim job too- I've only tried that twice- one worked, the other time, not so much...

To answer your question, that plant got topped just once, above the first node, to remove the mutant stuff- that was the only thing that got "clipped"off, other than about 8 fan leaves that were "in the way".

Then it was trained like a quadline, but since there was only the 2 branches, I guess you'd call it a bi-line... all the secondary branches (sprouted from those 2 mains) were trained/restrained out to the edge of the pot, then I just let her do her thing, and that's how she ended up, without any supercropping.

I always only top my plants once, usually above node#3, but occasionally above #4..
I've only got 40" of headroom in my box, and topping them early like that helps keep them short enough to not outgrow the space, but still produce lots of buds...probably less buds than if they were taller, but enough buds for me...that one produced 6.2oz.

 

[Emeraldo]

Durban growing nicely. Fimmed growth tips look like 4 colas each to me.

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 12, 2021

Durban, July 12

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 12, 2021

Durban, July 12

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• Emeraldo
• Jul 12, 2021

Durban, July 12

 

[Emeraldo]

Here she is about 6 weeks later... The fimmed growth tips produced many side branches and a fairly even stretch for the three mainstems. The only thing that has me wondering is why this plant has not started flowering (the other two sativas in the grow are now well into flowering). I'll wait and see...

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• Emeraldo
• Aug 26, 2021

Durban, Aug 26