Topping Autoflowers?

[Fiete]

Hey


is topping by autoflowers a good idea? i have at home a 2 weeks old BlueAutoMazar and i think i try to topping the 4 node on my plant maybe is this not good by autoflowers what do you think?


i have more 2 different seeds at home: RED Poison (Seets Seeds) and Auto White Widow (Dutch Passion) and 2 - 7 Weeks old Auto Northern Lights

 

[Kola320]

I don't recommend it it will stunt there growth, they don't live long enough to recover from the stress. But you can try it post your results if you do.

 

[Obi Wan]

I'll second Kola320's notion.

Autoflower plants have a set life span. For sake of discussion let's say your autoflower will live 120 days. Anything that causes stress during that time can potentially slow growth and diminish yield. Consider every day of growth lost due to recovery may never be regained.

Topping, FIMing, defoilating, transplanting and other stress factors can temporarily stunt growth. Even over-watering, under-watering, nutrient balance and pH issues, especially in the early vegging days, can impact your final yield.

I have started out with an autoflower strain because it seemed like they would be easier to learn with. The idea that they require less fuss and maintenance was appealing. I have quickly learned that, at least with my plants, they require a very controlled growing experience to maximize the end result. Every little mistake or hiccup along the way is akin to throwing a nug in the trash.

Knowing what I know now, I probably would have chosen to go the feminized photo-period route to learn with. They have the added advantage of the ability to prolong the veg stage allowing time to recover from mistakes or topping, LST, scrogging, etc. Not to say I am not happy with my autos so far. Just that they are not as forgiving as a photo.

Happy growing and best of luck,
/Obi-Wan Cannabinoid

 

[colorfuldayze]

Hi Fiete, I'm colorful-come-lately to your thread because I've just joined and am researching and soaking it all in. From my experience growing autos, I would echo exactly what Koala and Obi Wan stated that topping autos is not recommended. And, well summarized by Obi by the way!
From my experience topping the strain of auto I grow (Northern Lights x Afghan x Ruderalis Skunk) has resulted in extremely stunted plants that take forever to recover and only produce extremely small thumb-sized buds. They finish super quick though like in less than 60 days - and maybe more like 45-50 depending on when you whallop them. Mine finish at about 5+ feet tall and make one humungoginormous central cola that is generally about 10-16 inches long and 4-6" wide at harvest (pre-dry) and another 4-6 satellite buds about half that length and width w/ few popcorn buds - because I also lollipop. Takes 100 days +/- from seed to hanging in the dry rack. My last grow was in 2009 and I harvested more than 300g/m from 6 plants under a 400w HPS. Keep in mind too that not all autos are the same. My strain appears to be very indica dominant - which to my knowledge, some indicas can also not be good candidates for topping since it can reduce yields and poor recovery. A sativa dominant auto strain, however may be more responsive. Hope this helps you and any others with growing autos! Would be super interesting to know if you did experiment with topping and the results. Cheers!

 

[Kiba]

Hey


is topping by autoflowers a good idea? i have at home a 2 weeks old BlueAutoMazar and i think i try to topping the 4 node on my plant maybe is this not good by autoflowers what do you think?


i have more 2 different seeds at home: RED Poison (Seets Seeds) and Auto White Widow (Dutch Passion) and 2 - 7 Weeks old Auto Northern Lights

This year, I harvested my first crop. 5 plants.
I was unsure if topping would be beneficial or not, yet I heard very little about it. Several people warned: "Do not top autos. It can make them stressed, kill them" and some claim that you can stress them so much that they become "hermies" (which is true).
Though, I had healthy plants and I thought I'd give it a try.
I topped two of my plants. One of them, I only topped once, and I got two main buds at the top, though if I had left it alone, I'm sure I'd get just as much from one if it grew a bit more. So nothing gained, nothing lost.
I did this on another one, though much more heavily, and I got up to 4 main buds at the top. It seemed to be somewhat the same result there, nothing gained, nothing lost. I would think that my plant would've yielded just as much.

So in conclusion from what I've tried myself (results can be different), I'd say, only top autoflowering plants if you need them to be shorter, though don't expect a bigger yield.
If anyone's had a different experience, I'd love to hear it!

 

[Chippers]

I don't think its a good idea from what I understand as they don't have enough time to recover, you could try LST instead.

 

[Planter420]

It can be done and has been successful but can be strain dependent and has to be done at exactly the right time. Search for the "autoflower topping thread" for more details

 

[Why Doe]

I topped mine once to even the canopy.

 

[PlantWrestler]

I don't top autos and still get more than one top by LST and leaf tucking to produce an even flat canopy.