topping

Kludge said:

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is why you do topping.

Notice how it doesn't have one main top, but instead has FIVE MAIN COLAS!

Here they are up close, this is about four weeks into flowering I think.

So basically this plant will have a bunch of fat ass colas instead of one big one with a few small colas.

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thats FIM'ing... Topping only generally gives you two main cola's until you top again and get more...

slight difference when topping you cut the new growth off completely that incourages 2 new colas too form. FIM'ing is the same thing in the same place the difference being with the FIM you take of 80% of the new growth instead of all of it and if you do it right you can get upto 8 new cola's.... The other main benefit to topping or FIM'ing is, when you do the said act it gives the bottom branches a chance to catch upto the top ones while the plant puts all of its might into repairing and rebuilding what you have just cut off and therefore the bottom branches tend to yeild more than they would if the plant was left!

sorry if i have just re written what someone else has allready posted just thought ide drop a line is as i have spent months reading into these techniques and what they can do so i can experiment with FIM on my next grow!

P.S. If you want too see what topping looks like when done right go to my pics of silvia in my sig if you look through them you will see the side shot of the very top of the plant split into 2 main cola's and those growing very well, where i topped the plant.

Oh yeah one mroe thing... You can do either of these methods from a minimum of the 4th node. I will be using the 5th on this plant alltho i do not have height problems i intend to FIM and see what the differences are to my last plant... keep an eye on my gorw journal again in my sig im not at node 3 allthough very small still, once it starts to gain in size and ive got 5 nodes ill be FIM'ing her so about a fortnight i would imagine maybe less!

happy tokin... safe

Sirgreggins said:

plugs? i thought you just dipped the cutting in gel then place it straight to the soil in a party cup, then transplant at about 6" tall... all the help i can get with cloning will help... I'm growing in a closet so space is limited, i can only grow about 2 plants at a time. i'm using a MH for veg and a HPS for flower...

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I've had issues with cloning. Good and bad.
What works best for me, is RapidRooter plugs (only for soil growing, will clog hydro pumps) with Vita Grow rooting compound.
I'll say 100% sucess rate (except for a few probs when I got called away for a week. Tough to mist and keep track of from 1500km away)

I use no dome, just sit the plugs in 6mm of water, mist them when I remember and around then let them do their thing.

see with the cloning thing i use peat pots once you've dipped the clone into the rooting hormone whack it in the pot water the pot untill its damp on the outside and then just keep the soil moist... Once you see roots poking through the outside just bang the whole thing in the largest size pot your going too use the peat degrades on its own and the plant is left happy as larry because you havent transplanted it as such and also the peat acts as a fertiliser... Peat pots are 69p in wilkos for about 20! if your in the UK outside ive no idea of costs sorry
happy clonin... safe