Should I top this plant at 13 weeks old?
- Thread starter tonecerv
- Start date
Hi Tone, I'm don't grow indoors and I always have to keep mine low for outdoor stealth reasons. But if that was me I'd be a bit reluctant to lose so much growth topping the tall stems down to the rest of the canopy height, I'd probably consider super cropping them to get them lower so as not to lose their bud potential. Altho I guess as you can control when you want to flip that maybe topping is fine. But that's just my 2 cents, there will be plenty of others who should be able to give you better advice.
I'd cut them off, let the canopy even a bit
Encourages new growth anyway so nowt to lose
Encourages new growth anyway so nowt to lose
Janluna
Well-Known Member
If you’re not in flower…. Eff it. Do it!
I would love to see babies bush up.
I would veg for another couple of weeks after that.
I would love to see babies bush up.
I would veg for another couple of weeks after that.
Nunyabiz
Well-Known Member
Personally I'd leave them alone you have plenty of headspace and they've gone way past where they're getting the staggered nodes so topping these is literally just taking your biggest buds and throwing in the trash.
If you wanted a more even canopy that should have been done weeks ago
If you wanted a more even canopy that should have been done weeks ago
I get what you're saying, but in my experience the lower [or new top] buds then make up for any loss of a lanky main cola; different if it were a sativa, I wouldn't cut that
Janluna
Well-Known Member
Didn’t think about this. Good point!
I’d HST them, I know you might lose some, but IMHO, what you’ll gain in lateral growth will outweigh any loss.
Delps8
Well-Known Member
I would not top because I believe that will reduce your crop yield and because I believe that super cropping would be a better approach.
You can still remove apical stem ("topping") but you won't get the benefit that you get from topping. Topping removes the apical stem which results, among other things, in the plant sending growth hormones to the next set of nodes. In this case, the plant is pretty well developed, having put a lot of resources into the apical stem and, in doing so, the branches below the apical stem are smaller.
To my thinking, I'd keep the apical stem, since it will result in flowers but I'd supercrop it. You retain the growth of the apical stem, with it's ability to photosynthesize, transpire, and respire, and you're able to make your canopy more even because the apical stem isn't sticking up.
Suggestions?
A Uni-T light meter is $32 and with a light meter, you can set your light levels to get the most out of your crop. Grow light intensity falls off very quickly as you move from the grow light. The light level 1' from the top of your plants will be significantly lower than the light at the top…I'd guess at least 100µmol. By the time you're another two feet down, they're running on fumes.
[time passes] I just did a test in my tent. At the top of the canopy I measured* 886µmol. When I put the sensor on the top of the res, the reading was only 601µmol. Ouch!
Why more light? Because more light => more weed**.
*Apogee MQ-500
**assuming that your grow is in good shape and that light is the limiting factor.
You can still remove apical stem ("topping") but you won't get the benefit that you get from topping. Topping removes the apical stem which results, among other things, in the plant sending growth hormones to the next set of nodes. In this case, the plant is pretty well developed, having put a lot of resources into the apical stem and, in doing so, the branches below the apical stem are smaller.
To my thinking, I'd keep the apical stem, since it will result in flowers but I'd supercrop it. You retain the growth of the apical stem, with it's ability to photosynthesize, transpire, and respire, and you're able to make your canopy more even because the apical stem isn't sticking up.
Suggestions?
- Top next time on day 21±.
- Turn up the lights. One of the reasons they're so tall is that they're not getting enough light. Symptoms - they're tall and slender, have huge internodal space, and have a reduced amount of foliage. Those are nice looking plants so it's a shame to not have them at 1kµmol.
A Uni-T light meter is $32 and with a light meter, you can set your light levels to get the most out of your crop. Grow light intensity falls off very quickly as you move from the grow light. The light level 1' from the top of your plants will be significantly lower than the light at the top…I'd guess at least 100µmol. By the time you're another two feet down, they're running on fumes.
[time passes] I just did a test in my tent. At the top of the canopy I measured* 886µmol. When I put the sensor on the top of the res, the reading was only 601µmol. Ouch!
Why more light? Because more light => more weed**.
*Apogee MQ-500
**assuming that your grow is in good shape and that light is the limiting factor.
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