Topping before pre-flowering: Popcorns or foxtailing?

[Verbalist]

Hey!

I've read couple threads saying that topping your plants before pre-floweing stage can improve yields and make it easier to manage the possible flowering stretch

From RQS:

PRE-FLOWER TOPPING​

Letting your plants grow untouched during the vegetative phase, then topping just prior to flowering also controls height. When your plants are about to enter the flowering stage, top all branches. This has the effect of reining in the flower stretch. The plants are urged to produce new flower growth instead of focussing energy on stretching out.

So decided to top two of my plants 5 days before I flipped them into 12/12 cycle.
First picture is to indicate the topping and the stretch of the two new ''top colas''. The new top colas keeps stretching around 1-3cm every day (~1inch), or more likely the stem is stretching without any nodes between topped main cola and new two colas...

And the second picture is to indicate the question: what is going to happen between those dashed lines(?) Since there is no nodes between those colas, are they just going to grow some popcorn buds on those tops? Or can I expect the whole stem get covered with bud/calyxes? Are this kind of top colas more susceptible for foxtailing?

...From my point of view those a bit odd looking ''new top colas'' looks like either they only gonna grow popcorns on top or they gonna keep stretching and grow foxtails (which might be even better than popcorns, but anyway neither of them is desirable.)
The gap between topped main stem and next node on the new top colas are around 4-5cm (1-2inch)

OR Can I expect some weird ass bifurcated rabbit ear top colas? like below:

Anyone else done topping before/during the pre-flowering? With what kind of results?
Thanks for your help and advices!

 

[Southerncough]

You'll probably get some nice nugs at those node sites up top.
Not sure about the stretch, etc as it varies from plant to plant but if you spread the canopy nice and flat with lots of exposure to light you should get some nice buds that'll be easy to trim

 

[Morda Grown]

My grows are outdoor for now so height is not an issue for me. I will be moving my grow into a green house next year though so....
I will be interested in seeing the result.

 

[Verbalist]

You'll probably get some nice nugs at those node sites up top.
Not sure about the stretch, etc as it varies from plant to plant but if you spread the canopy nice and flat with lots of exposure to light you should get some nice buds that'll be easy to trim

hi!
Gotta hope they produce buds on internodes then as well
But yeah 2x2 scrog’s enough to spread those plants on flat canopy.

If foxtailing going to happen guess its gonna show up a lot later, after the actual buds has started to develop.

 

[Verbalist]

Decided to super crop those two top colas hoping that stimulates the nutrient uptake and flowering + easier to control the canopy.

hopefully this provides results

before:

After:

 

[NuttyProfessor]

what light source have you used , you want plenty of blue spectrum in veg, this will help plants sit better and they will not get as stretchy as much

 

[Verbalist]

what light source have you used , you want plenty of blue spectrum in veg, this will help plants sit better and they will not get as stretchy as much

Used 85w ESL and 40W led for two first weeks of veg, then changed to 250w HPS/HID (Super Plant 2100K, warm red)

Now they have been flipped into flowering already, a week ago. And for flowering Im using the same 250w HPS.
Plants most of the time stretch at the beginning of the flowering, so we're not talking about vegetation growth.

 

[NuttyProfessor]

Used 85w ESL and 40W led for two first weeks of veg, then changed to 250w HPS/HID (Super Plant 2100K, warm red)

Now they have been flipped into flowering already, a week ago. And for flowering Im using the same 250w HPS.
Plants most of the time stretch at the beginning of the flowering, so we're not talking about vegetation growth.

they stretch in veg also if not getting enough proper spectrum ,grow long stems with large gaps between the nodes , so after 2 weeks you added more red there was not real veg time under blues , that is the problem , you do not need reds until about two weeks into flower so they got reds most of their life not enough blues

 

[NuttyProfessor]

sorry i replied to wrong thread , thought i was here

1st time please help evaluate

4 NL autos 3 gallon fabric pots FF happy frog the beginning of week 8. Two seem a week ahead in flowering not a problem but Do I have a serious fox tailing prob? Sorry I can't get better pics I'm not physically there but I controlled 95% of the grow. Any tips or evaluations welcome! THANX

www.420magazine.com

 

[Verbalist]

sorry i replied to wrong thread , thought i was here

1st time please help evaluate

4 NL autos 3 gallon fabric pots FF happy frog the beginning of week 8. Two seem a week ahead in flowering not a problem but Do I have a serious fox tailing prob? Sorry I can't get better pics I'm not physically there but I controlled 95% of the grow. Any tips or evaluations welcome! THANX

www.420magazine.com

LOL I thought like whats up with that argument obv blue spectrum lights are good for veg but the HPS Im using can be used for the plants whole lifetime. 2100k is balanced - a bit more reddish color tho.

 

[NuttyProfessor]

LOL I thought like whats up with that argument obv blue spectrum lights are good for veg but the HPS Im using can be used for the plants whole lifetime. 2100k is balanced - a bit more reddish color tho.

And this is before i smoke

No worries bro , sorry again .

 

[bobrown14]

Try low stress training LST instead of topping for yields.

Super Cropping is a good one.

Not going to increase yields with topping. That's just the science tho.

RQS = seed vendor (not scientists).