Topping vs tying down?

Topping doesn't slow a plant down at all. It slows the top down to a complete standstill because you cut it off, but then hormone signals will be sent down and the same growth will occur but at different places.

If everything else is good, then you should be able to get an equal sized yield, topped or bent over. But it depends on technique. I make the decision depending on the structure. A leggy bendy girl just begs to be bent over. Bending over is more creative, you get to make architectural decisions on the fly depending on how the branches look. But with topping the structure is going to be very similar, you won't be cutting any main branches off.

It's very much a horses for course approach.
 
In my experience topping is best if you’re trying to have an organized/trained plant without a net. Tying it over doesn’t come out as clean and usually ends up with the plant off center in the pot, but that might just be my lack of experience with it.

for example this is one that I topped and then trained all the branches into a wheel.

900A6299-DBC2-4F16-B262-CEF9667EBF2F.jpegD2439963-6645-4D3A-80C7-C385CE0D3532.jpeg
 
They work best in concert. Top first, let recover & then tie down the branches as they lengthen.

Of the two. ... Like, if you were just going to do one or the other? --i think LST/tiedowns will get you a bigger final yield. A topped plant that isn't trained, will still kinda do the "Christmas tree" thing and won't yield as much.

Topping a plant does momentarily halt its height progress, but it shouldn't slow down vegetative growth at all.
 
Most of last 10 years I’ve LST trained but a lot of times 50 Shades Training. Topping quite early sometimes makes for 4 to 6 buds like clubs:weed::peace:
 
yummy fur said:
Topping doesn't slow a plant down at all. It slows the top down to a complete standstill because you cut it off, but then hormone signals will be sent down and the same growth will occur but at different places.

If everything else is good, then you should be able to get an equal sized yield, topped or bent over. But it depends on technique. I make the decision depending on the structure. A leggy bendy girl just begs to be bent over. Bending over is more creative, you get to make architectural decisions on the fly depending on how the branches look. But with topping the structure is going to be very similar, you won't be cutting any main branches off.

It's very much a horses for course approach.
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Yes topping slows down a plant.
 
I top once and let the branches grow out.

What I did notice about my last grow was that the branches that were not topped grew so fast that by the time the topped branch recovered I already had 4 new bud sites on each branch that was not topped.

Lst produces bud sites faster in my experience.
 
Up till my present 12/12 from seed thing, I topped almost everything, then tied branches to flat canopy. Most light to most buds.
 
I do both on photos. I usally top at the 4th node and tie down from there on out. Autos I just tie down. Don't want those baby's slowing down for shit.
 
I prefer to tie them but under certain circumstances I'd top.

Heres one tied and one topped they look pretty much the same.
_20220510_102609.JPG
Incidentally one plant completely collapsed with its own weight I can't say it tying related but it was that plant?
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Respectfully to the chap above you just need a bit of practice to keep them even.
_20220515_052704.JPG
Op here's a tied plant remains I've just harvested and a topped plant below for comparison.
_20220515_054934.JPG
 
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hillbill said:
Topping will slow plant for a few days, sometimes though it makes all the branches shoot up, trying to be the top bud. Doin 12/12 from seed right now so no topping on my hill.
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yeah it’s only my second grow and I’m trying to fill in a 5x5 space in 2 months so I’m really trying not to slow the growth down at all really I might just tie it down and see how it goes
 
LeastExpectedGrower said:
Both together. I don't think of any training method as a singular solution but you have a number of tools in your toolbox both LST and HST. Topping, tying down, netting, supercropping can all be effective alone or together depending upon the given situation.
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well I’m trying to fill a 5x5 space as fast as possible so would you suggest maybe tying them down so that the growth doesn’t slow down at all even by a couple of days?
 
PopAndSonGrows said:
They work best in concert. Top first, let recover & then tie down the branches as they lengthen.

Of the two. ... Like, if you were just going to do one or the other? --i think LST/tiedowns will get you a bigger final yield. A topped plant that isn't trained, will still kinda do the "Christmas tree" thing and won't yield as much.

Topping a plant does momentarily halt its height progress, but it shouldn't slow down vegetative growth at all.
Click to expand...

do you even really notice the slowed growth when topping? I’m thinking I might just tie them down as I’m trying to fill a 5x5 space within 2 months
 
Some plants have too big of a top bud that are prone to bud rot ie Sour Bubble. So topping creates more bud sites that are smaller and more manageable
 
PopAndSonGrows said:
They work best in concert. Top first, let recover & then tie down the branches as they lengthen.

Of the two. ... Like, if you were just going to do one or the other? --i think LST/tiedowns will get you a bigger final yield. A topped plant that isn't trained, will still kinda do the "Christmas tree" thing and won't yield as much.

Topping a plant does momentarily halt its height progress, but it shouldn't slow down vegetative growth at all.
Click to expand...
hillbill said:
Most of last 10 years I’ve LST trained but a lot of times 50 Shades Training. Topping quite early sometimes makes for 4 to 6 buds like clubs:weed::peace:
Click to expand...

Yeah I think I’m just gunna LST for now it’s only my second grow so still got lots to learn
 
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