Should you top (any method of training) your plants when growing outdoors?

I looked it up a few days ago and it was explaining how topping and other methods of training your plants will change the natural shape of the plant. Changing it from a Christmas tree or triangle to something shaped more like martini glass. The same person also mentioned that the plant naturally grows in a way that it can get good sunlight while outdoors, and that training it makes it more efficient for indoor grows. I grow outdoors and my plants are on their 7-8 nodes now, I was wondering if I should start training them, or if I should let them grow naturally. Here are some questions I really would like you guys to answer for me. 1. Does topping or training benefit yield in any way? (If growing outdoors) 2. does it slow the progress of growth? 3. Why does everyone seem to do it. I just can't stand the though of ripping off the new nodes. I mean if I don't top I get one giant head right? And if I top I get a bunch of smaller ones? Which one produces more yield while growing outdoors?

patrick adams said:

I looked it up a few days ago and it was explaining how topping and other methods of training your plants will change the natural shape of the plant. Changing it from a Christmas tree or triangle to something shaped more like martini glass. The same person also mentioned that the plant naturally grows in a way that it can get good sunlight while outdoors, and that training it makes it more efficient for indoor grows. I grow outdoors and my plants are on their 7-8 nodes now, I was wondering if I should start training them, or if I should let them grow naturally.

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Hmm, 7-8 nodes. It will work to top, but earlier at like 4-5 nodes would have been better...........Up to you!

Here are some questions I really would like you guys to answer for me. 1. Does topping or training benefit yield in any way? (If growing outdoors) 2. does it slow the progress of growth? 3. Why does everyone seem to do it. I just can't stand the though of ripping off the new nodes. I mean if I don't top I get one giant head right? And if I top I get a bunch of smaller ones? Which one produces more yield while growing outdoors?

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1:Yes

2:Yes a bit, but outdoors it will have little noticeable effect.

3A: What? Smaller ones? No you don't! If you top, and you have now 4 "mains". You will get 4 main cola's just the same size as only 1 would have been.

3B: After answering the A part of the question......I say with all politeness......Which one do you think will produce more?

In general practice. Most outdoor growers (That I know) don't top. Because the plant has reached it's maturity naturally. It is fuller and the side branching has reached it's full potential, thus you have a fuller plant that still gets heavy budding on the branching.

Yet, if you top and you have 4 mains to deal with. What do you do with the interior branching that will now not get as much light as it's exterior sisters?

It's kind of a catch 22 situation.

Understand?

can you reiterate the reason for the outdoor growers not topping?

Dr. Who said:

Hmm, 7-8 nodes. It will work to top, but earlier at like 4-5 nodes would have been better...........Up to you!



1:Yes

2:Yes a bit, but outdoors it will have little noticeable effect.

3A: What? Smaller ones? No you don't! If you top, and you have now 4 "mains". You will get 4 main cola's just the same size as only 1 would have been.

3B: After answering the A part of the question......I say with all politeness......Which one do you think will produce more?

In general practice. Most outdoor growers (That I know) don't top. Because the plant has reached it's maturity naturally. It is fuller and the side branching has reached it's full potential, thus you have a fuller plant that still gets heavy budding on the branching.

Yet, if you top and you have 4 mains to deal with. What do you do with the interior branching that will now not get as much light as it's exterior sisters?

It's kind of a catch 22 situation.

Understand?

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so you're saying that the topping will create 4 mains, potentially cutting off primary sunlight exposure to the branches and causing for less yield? the reason why i specified if i should top "on an outdoor grow" is because the plant grows in the shape that it does naturally for a reason, and i was under the impression that most of those who top are dealing with indoor grows that only need to worry about the mains and not side branches as much because the light source is constantly coming one direction. so in my position you would top them?

patrick adams said:

so you're saying that the topping will create 4 mains, potentially cutting off primary sunlight exposure to the branches and causing for less yield? the reason why i specified if i should top "on an outdoor grow" is because the plant grows in the shape that it does naturally for a reason, and i was under the impression that most of those who top are dealing with indoor grows that only need to worry about the mains and not side branches as much because the light source is constantly coming one direction. so in my position you would top them?

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i know you said yes, but you seem to have kind of shifted positions toward the end

In reality,,,,for outdoor,,,,,in your position and the age of the plant......No, I would not top them.

I run some personal stash outdoors every year. I top them at 4-5 nodes and get 2 - 4 mains. The mains will throw side shoots to the inside core of the plant (think of a square formed by 4 mains - the branching on the inside of that square, not pointing outside the square) are the one's I remove - all the lower ones that would form tall branching. The top 3 or 4 branch nodes are left to fill in the upper core and produce quality bud.

Understand now?

Doc

To me it depends where i'm growing outdoors, in a small backyard with not a whole lot of light I will top and lst, especially if they're up against a fence or something. However if I have a plant that's getting maximum sunlight on all of it's sides i'll usually leave it alone

Yeah i top outdoors twice and LST in flower, looks like Medusa in full flower, i would juast tie yours down and you will get many colas anyway.
Drill a hole in thelip of your pot and tie a string (soft cotton) then gently pull the top 1/3 of tge plant plant towards the pot until you think it wont snap (be careful they do break ) come back a week later and retension the string and pull it a bit lower.
You will notice the small brance that will usually popcorn will start to become more dominant
And walla you got many bud sites and youll at least double yield Ahh Medusa! Lollipop the bottom cuz that all rubbish anyways, bottom third of the plant just as you start flowering.

FIM those ladies a few times if you can before they start flowering. worked great for me.
oh yeah, tie all those new branches down once they start crowding each other.

Dr. Who said:

In reality,,,,for outdoor,,,,,in your position and the age of the plant......No, I would not top them.

I run some personal stash outdoors every year. I top them at 4-5 nodes and get 2 - 4 mains. The mains will throw side shoots to the inside core of the plant (think of a square formed by 4 mains - the branching on the inside of that square, not pointing outside the square) are the one's I remove - all the lower ones that would form tall branching. The top 3 or 4 branch nodes are left to fill in the upper core and produce quality bud.

Understand now?

Doc

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Yeah, thanks a lot! I'm going to let then grow nice and tall

Noinch said:

To me it depends where i'm growing outdoors, in a small backyard with not a whole lot of light I will top and lst, especially if they're up against a fence or something. However if I have a plant that's getting maximum sunlight on all of it's sides i'll usually leave it alone

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Oh yeah, at least 10 hours of direct sun a day!

redeyedfrog said:

Yeah i top outdoors twice and LST in flower, looks like Medusa in full flower, i would juast tie yours down and you will get many colas anyway.
Drill a hole in thelip of your pot and tie a string (soft cotton) then gently pull the top 1/3 of tge plant plant towards the pot until you think it wont snap (be careful they do break ) come back a week later and retension the string and pull it a bit lower.
You will notice the small brance that will usually popcorn will start to become more dominant
And walla you got many bud sites and youll at least double yield Ahh Medusa! Lollipop the bottom cuz that all rubbish anyways, bottom third of the plant just as you start flowering.

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For real, I heard about doing that training method, you really thing it will double the yield? If so I'm all in for it! My babies are getting almost the entire day of direct sunlight, are you sure it would be better the tie it down or to let it grow into a giant with all that light source?

green217 said:

FIM those ladies a few times if you can before they start flowering. worked great for me.
oh yeah, tie all those new branches down once they start crowding each other.

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What do you mean tie down the branches? Likeseparate them? Give them some space?

patrick adams said:

What do you mean tie down the branches? Likeseparate them? Give them some space?

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Tie them down so they grow horizontal and fan out. Light will penetrate much better and you will get solid flowering along the entire branch with some impressive vigor...because there is more light.

patrick adams said:

What do you mean tie down the branches? Like separate them? Give them some space?

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Yeah, exactly. After you FIM you will get a lot of new potential branches/bud sites, once they grow out if they are crowded together tie them down. I used sticks and stabbed them in the ground around the plant, tie one end to the plant and the other end to the stick that's protruding out the ground. Just be careful and don't bump in to the strings or let your dogs bump in to them in my case. My bulldog hit one and broke off a huge branch. I tried lst (tied a whole plant down once it got 3.5'), fim, and let the one grow out natural. The one I fimmed and tied down yielded as much as the others combined.

Here is a pic of that plant, it was my first mj grow ever. It is all one plant in the pic. God I wish I had the balls to do it again.

The yield off of that girl was LARGE!

patrick adams said:

For real, I heard about doing that training method, you really thing it will double the yield? If so I'm all in for it! My babies are getting almost the entire day of direct sunlight, are you sure it would be better the tie it down or to let it grow into a giant with all that light source?

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The whole point of LST is to expose the branches that would normally not get much light and would popcorn become main bud sites, bend that bitch over!

Im ramping up for my first outdoor grow (hopefully) next year, and while I dont have any direct experience I can say that every monster plant I have seen has been trained. The big ass trees I have seen have been started early indoors, topped and trained, put outdoors, and then either chickenwired or run through a square net to force the plant to grow outward into a bush instead of forming the usual up and down tree.

So far my plan is to top for eight main colas, and then force her through a tomato cage. Once she gets through that one, ill either run a bigger cage made of square wire, or ill find some cheap nylon netting to toss over her and train her through further. I think the idea is to get your girl as bushy and big as possible before she starts to flower later on in the year. The training allows more dominant tops to form, and lets light reach further inside of the plant.

Thats my inexperienced answer anyhow. Real life could punch me in the face once I try my ideas, but im very hopeful of how things will turn out! Good luck to you!