Growing big bushes, should I prune in veg?

wowzerz · Sep 16, 2010

Have 2x Blue Dream, 5x Blue oddyssey that have been vegging 4 weeks, also have 5 green crack that has been vegging 2.5 weeks. Will be flipping the lights withing the next 3 days.
Most of them were topped, all of them have been tied down to try to keep them bushy.
They are super bushy, with a ton of tops, but some (the Blue oddyssey with the wide leafs) are stretching a bit. Should I prune these at all after flip? I plan on using Bushmaster so hopefully that will stop it either way,
Any ideas?

CrazyBudz · Sep 16, 2010

id leave em....cause to me it seems like switching the lights then pruning would be extra stress..if you pruned them now then flipped the lights in a few days that seems less stressful to me......
just my thoughts, i could be completely wrong..!

JUST GROW IT · Sep 17, 2010

Nice looking room!

slk · Sep 17, 2010

I just posted the same question but I think you should trim leaves at the nodes from clones through vegging stage.
I think it promotes good stalks.

odbsmydog · Sep 17, 2010

slk said:
I just posted the same question but I think you should trim leaves at the nodes from clones through vegging stage.
I think it promotes good stalks.

No, that is completely untrue. you don't want to trim any of leaves, they are what makes the plant grow. if anything your stalks will be much weaker after you trim a bunch of fan leaves.

If you are asking this question yourself why would you answer this guys question like you know what you are talking about?

ph0n3 · Sep 17, 2010

Since you are training them I wouldnt take off to many fan leaves, there is no need to. I would however continue to prune the lower most part of your plant and remove all the little nodes that will not get any light due to the canopy. You will end up with airy buds from those sites, and once pruned the energy that would be used to produce those airy buds will be transfered to the bigger buds getting all the light. Hope this helps.

odbsmydog · Sep 17, 2010

ph0n3 said:
Since you are training them I wouldnt take off to many fan leaves, there is no need to. I would however continue to prune the lower most part of your plant and remove all the little nodes that will not get any light due to the canopy. You will end up with airy buds from those sites, and once pruned the energy that would be used to produce those airy buds will be transfered to the bigger buds getting all the light. Hope this helps.

That's good info and +rep!

wowzerz · Sep 18, 2010

ph0n3 said:
Since you are training them I wouldnt take off to many fan leaves, there is no need to. I would however continue to prune the lower most part of your plant and remove all the little nodes that will not get any light due to the canopy. You will end up with airy buds from those sites, and once pruned the energy that would be used to produce those airy buds will be transfered to the bigger buds getting all the light. Hope this helps.

That is exactly what I did last time when I ran green crack. She stretched like CRAZY, so after week 2 of 12/12 I trimmed all lower nodes, but left all leaves. Thank you for answering my question, I'm going to do exactly that. Prob once tomorrow, when flipping the lights, and if needed (I am going to be using Bushmaster) trim again in 2 weeks.

Anyone have any advice on using Bushmaster, 2 different guys at the grow shop said to use it as a foliar spray.. Any one have any experence with this stuff?
Thanks.
BTW, moved all my plants around into their final; spot under the lights. Gonna flip tomorrow and get this party started. Will post pics in the AM, Thanks for all replies.

vybz05 · Sep 18, 2010

hey so, say im LSTing my plant and im growing it all the way around the pot. when it reaches full circle and grows upward a little, i can top the plant 3 nodes below the main growth tip. with that top i cut off, i will clone. So now, all the side growth will start to take off... the ones closest to the bottom of the stem will be the largest and strongest colas because they were the first sidegrowths to appear, and grow up... so now, with the newest side growths, that arent that big yet, and have insufficient access to lights, would those be suitable to take as clones as long as they have 3 nodes before the main stem? I figure, as stated earlier, instead of having them become airy buds, i would turn them to big plants and let whichever main sidegrowth colas become bosses... does this sound logical?

Cali.Grown>408 · Sep 18, 2010

doesnt look like you got enough to cut..dont even think of pruning until its at least a foot and a half tall or so..i got a plant over 2feet and i've only cut one shoot off at the very bottom that wasn't getting much light..i prune a week b4 flower and up to 2weeks into flower if i need to OR want to cuz its not like you have to prune

wowzerz · Sep 18, 2010

Cali.Grown>408 said:
doesnt look like you got enough to cut..dont even think of pruning until its at least a foot and a half tall or so..i got a plant over 2feet and i've only cut one shoot off at the very bottom that wasn't getting much light..i prune a week b4 flower and up to 2weeks into flower if i need to OR want to cuz its not like you have to prune

Most these guirls are around a foot, the Blue dream is around 14", but they were topped and trrained. They would be at least 3' right now. I am just worried about shading and stretching, as most leaves on all plants are shaded. here are more pics.
BTW, there are 12 girls total in a 8'x8' footprint, with 1600-4000w MH/HPS (they are dimmable digital ballast, running MH during veg, and wil switch to 4kw HPS 2 weeks into flower.

wowzerz · Sep 18, 2010

In responce to vybz's post

post pics of your plant. Its hard to say, some plants respond really well to being topped. Some not so much. If you are doing LST there shouldnt be much of a need to top, just take a clone from anywhere.

wowzerz · Sep 18, 2010

Here are some shots from above... these girls have some TOPS on them

I need to flip them bad, just want to Green crack to catch up a bit (is about 1.5 weeks behind) But all the others are getting so darn big.
Why wont RIU let me upload pics? It wants a url

wowzerz · Sep 19, 2010

Now its working. Love this image feature. Makes it so much easier to share photos.

MEANGREEN69 · Sep 19, 2010

love makeing surb like plants..i prune every top i can find..let them grow and do it again and again..i also have pruned all tops right befor flower and again 2 to 3 weeks in to

flower..it really about the strain you use some love it and will give you more fruit..others hate it.

vybz05 · Sep 19, 2010

well, my plants arent really grown to that point yet, but maybe i can illustrate what im trying to say...

so basically, the side growth between middle and topping location, the smallest of the plant, which would be mostly covered in foliage and receiving minimal light (in reality more than 4 shoots) would i be better off taking those as clones as well and having the plant focus on the main big sidegrowths, or leave them and have potentially airy buds

and heres a pic of my sidegrowth so far..

wowzerz · Sep 19, 2010

I dont think you need to prune this at all. But if you need to take clones I would just try to thin them out evenly,Prime targets are: if there are two really close together, or one is shadding many other nodes, nodes on the underside of horizontal branches etc. What kind of light are you using?

reggaerican · Sep 19, 2010

if i were to prune anything it would be the lower blranches that dont recieve much light, this will encurage more flower nodes in the tops. ant the best time to do this would be the day you transfer over to 12/12

vybz05 · Sep 20, 2010

i am using 1 1000 watt Mh and will be using 2 1000 watt hps in flower

wowzerz · Sep 21, 2010

Gave them a moderate trim last night, just tried to get all lower branches that were not receiving light, and would probably never catch up to the tops. Flipped the lights back to 12/12 today (Most are @ 4.;5 weeks. The GC is at 3.5 weeks). lights just came back on and here are some pics. I moved them a little closer together for optimum lighting. Have the lights at about 2.5 feet, and are at 75%(750w) will continue MH lights and Veg nutes for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, will trim all lower growth, switch to HPS and switch to bloom nutes.