How to avoid popcorn. PIC.

[HeartlandHank]

I found an old pic of this grapefruit plant. It looked like a good example of how to avoid popcorn buds. This pic is from day 11 of flower. You can continue to pluck buds off up through week 3 of flower. Have tried with and without. Yield is not effected. Just less popcorn, more big buds. This also makes more room for airflow, less PM issues, more room to water/maintenance and keeps more dead leaves out of your media which helps with molds and fungus gnats.
Before... After...
I know it feels like you are murdering your plants at first. but give it a try on one plant... you wont be disappointed.
Have had success doing these cleanups about 3 separate times during the first 21 days of flower on 8-9 wk strains.
The basic idea is that if it is not breaking out to the light by day 21 then it will be in the dark by mid flower. Get rid of it and the plant will throw its energy to the tip of the branch. As the plant grows you will still have shadowed bud. But you will see significantly less popcorn doing this.

This is an old pic. I do not remove fan leaves higher on the plant anymore. It's the lower bud sites that you pluck.

 

[Dwezelitsame]

can remove them after stretch
plant uses them for growth only
fans on stalks and stems support stalks an stems
i i have removed at diff times during flower
as experiment i find they are needed after stretch sum plants start to drop them about 2/3 of flower

 

[HeartlandHank]

can remove them after stretch
plant uses them for growth only
fans on stalks and stems support stalks an stems
i i have removed at diff times during flower
as experiment i find they are needed after stretch sum plants start to drop them about 2/3 of flower

Did you mean to say they are not​ needed after stretch?

 

[cannabutt]

What? no need to let veg clones get like that! What strain is that?

Better of topping

 

[HeartlandHank]

What? no need to let veg clones get like that! What strain is that?

Better of topping

It is Chimera's Blueberry x Grapefruit. A grapefruit leaning plant. It was tossed a while ago.

I've never been a big fan of topping unless it is combined with LST. I've seen lots of success with it though in other peoples grows. My weight comes from mid level buds. Most of which are not much smaller than the main cola. Main cola is nice, but if you cut out lower growth on the side branches all of the mid level side branches become pretty cola like. I like to pull the cola away from the light a little later in flower to even out the cannopy and move the lights in closer. We all grow in different ways. Whether topping, LST, SOG, SCROG, or leaving it be... you're just filling up the space you have. Different genetics will respond well to different ways. I've found the best results with LST or leave it be in my setup and with my genetics. LST for some genetics, leave it be for others. But even with topping or LST cutting out lower growth helps with less popcorn and does not change your yield in the end. I've never seen an increase in yield from topping alone. But if topping is causing your plant to fill space within the lights penetration then topping is working for you. IMO, you can achieve that in many ways.

 

[HeartlandHank]

I know some would say... why not just grow a shorter plant and leave the lower growth?
I am seeing bigger plants, bigger stems, bigger root systems making bigger buds. I also like room to work/ water the plants and some airflow down low. Most peoples PM is in the area that I cut out. This is just what works out for me. I'm not saying if you don't do this then you are doing it wrong. If you veg under MH then maybe you do not have as much lower growth behind the other growth... I save my available elec for the flower power. Vegging plants under T8 lighting. Vegging in 1 qt pots, transplanting to 3 gallon, sometimes 5 on day 1 of flower. It's just a pic shared to show what has shown success in this garden.

 

[Dwezelitsame]

Did you mean to say they are not​ needed after stretch?

correct sorry



just never touch the leaves sticking out of buds or smaller ones below bus that frost over
just the big monsters on stems and stalks i speak of

 

[cues]

This SO applies in a scrog.

 

[LeafGnosis]

If you do a search on youtube for scrog... there is one called 'best scrog ever' ... looks like he applies your principles. I would still fim though and lolly pop... going for this method once I start my next grow!

 

[deejay123]

I gave my girls a haircut and this is my first time, didnt really do
A good enough enough job of it to be honest because there are still popcorns. Are they useless buds?

 

[HeartlandHank]

I gave my girls a haircut and this is my first time, didnt really do
A good enough enough job of it to be honest because there are still popcorns. Are they useless buds?

No. Smoke away. It's just a pain in the ass to trim them.

 

[deejay123]

No. Smoke away. It's just a pain in the ass to trim them.

haha i aint looking forward to that, thanks man!

 

[Dwezelitsame]

yeah the tiny airy ones arenot good to smoke but can be done

but niutin coverd in trichs are useless

must peeps i know throw them in wit da trim
to make things like hash -oils- budder-eatables

enjoy all of yo plant be creative

 

[cues]

If you do a search on youtube for scrog... there is one called 'best scrog ever' ... looks like he applies your principles. I would still fim though and lolly pop... going for this method once I start my next grow!

Guessing you don't mean to lolly pop in a scrog. Would be kind of missing the point!
I think the fimming and topping is strain-dependant. Since getting into scrogging I've learned it's a different beast. My last grow (GHS Big Bang) I have changed my opinion. I topped (4th node) and fimmed (second nodes afterwards). Too many damn buds to fit in the screen! For the first time ever, I think I over-did it and would have got more yield if I'd not fimmed.
Having another go at the same strain now, topped but not fimmed (wasn't very impressed with the BB) just to see if I am right.
I try to leave a single layer of fan leaves under the screen and let everything else (buds and sugar leaves) grow above it.
Don't really need to prune, lower leaves drop off naturally.
P.s Best results so far in a scrog? Long, slim Cayenne peppers. Slightly different as the leaves grow over the screen and the peppers drop down through it like dripping red diamonds. But then, I am just weird!

 

[HeartlandHank]

yeah the tiny airy ones arenot good to smoke but can be done

but niutin coverd in trichs are useless

must peeps i know throw them in wit da trim
to make things like hash -oils- budder-eatables

enjoy all of yo plant be creative

rip that shit right off the branch and throw it in with trim.

 

[HeartlandHank]

Guessing you don't mean to lolly pop in a scrog. Would be kind of missing the point!
I think the fimming and topping is strain-dependant. Since getting into scrogging I've learned it's a different beast. My last grow (GHS Big Bang) I have changed my opinion. I topped (4th node) and fimmed (second nodes afterwards). Too many damn buds to fit in the screen! For the first time ever, I think I over-did it and would have got more yield if I'd not fimmed.
Having another go at the same strain now, topped but not fimmed (wasn't very impressed with the BB) just to see if I am right.
I try to leave a single layer of fan leaves under the screen and let everything else (buds and sugar leaves) grow above it.
Don't really need to prune, lower leaves drop off naturally.
P.s Best results so far in a scrog? Long, slim Cayenne peppers. Slightly different as the leaves grow over the screen and the peppers drop down through it like dripping red diamonds. But then, I am just weird!

cucumbers and squash make good scrog plants too.
i need to scrog indoors again. It's been a while. Mine didn't turn out so well, but it seems like the type of thing you really have to dial in. i didn't quite give it a chance.

 

[LeafGnosis]

Guessing you don't mean to lolly pop in a scrog. Would be kind of missing the point!
I think the fimming and topping is strain-dependant. Since getting into scrogging I've learned it's a different beast. My last grow (GHS Big Bang) I have changed my opinion. I topped (4th node) and fimmed (second nodes afterwards). Too many damn buds to fit in the screen! For the first time ever, I think I over-did it and would have got more yield if I'd not fimmed.
Having another go at the same strain now, topped but not fimmed (wasn't very impressed with the BB) just to see if I am right.
I try to leave a single layer of fan leaves under the screen and let everything else (buds and sugar leaves) grow above it.
Don't really need to prune, lower leaves drop off naturally.
P.s Best results so far in a scrog? Long, slim Cayenne peppers. Slightly different as the leaves grow over the screen and the peppers drop down through it like dripping red diamonds. But then, I am just weird!

Yes, you are correct.. it was not lolly popping in the scrog video, looking back it looks like he did the same thing and just trimmed foliage (or as you said let them drop off naturally) underneath where no light was getting to... That is what I will be doing since LST and scrog are similar in nature. My next grow will be the first time scrogging

edit: I will be checking your endeavors out as I am not starting one until the 1st of the year. BBGum and C'99 (though will research if scrog is good or bad for those).

 

[TheSpiderMite]

Uh wait..explain this technique to me please?

 

[cues]

Any help needed, no worries. Never had any luck with cucumbers but only tried once. Squash seem to big for my tiny area. Will try again with the cucumbers next spring. (feb). Trouble is, I have to take my electric bill into account and only grow what will be financially viable.

 

[cues]

cucumbers and squash make good scrog plants too.
i need to scrog indoors again. It's been a while. Mine didn't turn out so well, but it seems like the type of thing you really have to dial in. i didn't quite give it a chance.

It's the stretch when you need to give it attention with weed.