Thats the question, like everything else related to growing there is no "way" to do it. U can start with as little as 3 leaf nodes from what I ve read or as many as a months growth worth. I just did my Gigabud at day 20 and it was a pain in the ass, the stem was thickening nicely so it didnt want to bend without the top knot slipping off the plant. I would do this when they r younger and more flexible and just keep tying back new growth. IMO