Topping

So I topped my plants a few days ago and they seem to be responding abnormally. But then again I dont normally top.
2 of them appear to be sprouting 4 new main branches off the top and 2 more from the node below.
2 are appearing from the normal spots, but then right out of the cut theres 2 growths coming directly out.
I have pictures of one.

That is called "fim"... It is fine, you will have 4 top colas instead of 2. fim stands for "fuck I missed".

You did it too early.
Next time wait until you get at least 4 solid branches (I wait 3 weeks), or you will stunt the plant.

Ohhh okay. Is it because I didnt have a large enough node to cut for "topping" so I finmed it by cutting off only the top growth?

So all those are going to be tops like I thought?

That looks like a clean top, not a FIM (Fuck I Missed) which is where you take off about 2/3rds-3/4rs of the new growth as opposed to it all (Topping).

Jimsamick is setting you straight, you just did it too soon (not enough nodes).

I think it should recover but you might need a more experienced grower to let you know the real implications.

Well I've done A LOT of research, and much of that was written by experiences growers who said that they normally top at 3rd node, sometimes as early as the second in cases of manifolding. There was also a lot that said they feel it's better to wait also.
I suppose both have their pros and cons, but it seemed preference is more debatable than negative implications.
They haven't displayed any signs of stress, or any significant stunting of growth. Of course it's normal that any plant needs to recover a little from part of it being chopped off though.

AndromedaM31 said:

Well I've done A LOT of research, and much of that was written by experiences growers who said that they normally top at 3rd node, sometimes as early as the second in cases of manifolding. There was also a lot that said they feel it's better to wait also.
I suppose both have their pros and cons, but it seemed preference is more debatable than negative implications.
They haven't displayed any signs of stress, or any significant stunting of growth. Of course it's normal that any plant needs to recover a little from part of it being chopped off though.

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It will be fine. It just takes longer to veg because of roots being small.

hotrodharley said:

It just takes longer to veg because of roots being small.

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Way longer, he just added 2 weeks to veg time until it will be a decent size to bloom.

AndromedaM31 said:

Ohhh okay. Is it because I didnt have a large enough node to cut for "topping" so I finmed it by cutting off only the top growth?

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Yes, you didn't have enough nodes (4 minimum/6 way better)
You want a vigorous, healthy plant before you top, so it can grow past your cut without slowing down
Personally, I don't bother topping anymore, I just let the plant go and count on one large cola instead or 2 or 4 smaller ones, because that's what you will get with topping
If you know that height is an issue, then I might consider topping, but I don't bother, I just LST if my plant starts to run into the lights.


I grow a lot of Haze, which I would NEVER top, I just bend them over.
These plants are mostly Hazes (3 week bloom), and what I will do is tie them down once they reach the lights, because they will be around 5/6' tall.
If I topped they would be 1/2 the height, with less bud sites, smaller colas (I get at least 1/1.5 per cola).
I run my shit (12 plants) under 1800 watts HPS in a 5x5 area, and I get great results, but if your in a tent with 1 fixture, I definitely would advise against topping.
I just like big plants, (like my women), and topping hinders that.
Next grow try not topping, and you'll see what I mean.
Good luck my friend

Whether you FIMd or topped you’re going to get more colas. But id wait a lil bit longer till you do it next time.

Well they took a while to recover, but now there is so many tops popping out I don't know what to do lol.
Height is definitely an issue for me, and I also want a flat even canopy so that's why I chose to top, and also scrog. All of the middle growth in the pictures has come in the last 2-3 days. They're about 4-5 inches tall at the moment

The little one on the left is just a random bagseed I cant get myself to get rid of even though I'm going to have no space for it:/

I think and correct me if I am wrong, when you top your colas will be smaller in sizes comparing to if you have just had one cola but total weight is still bigger with topping than without. Plus for growing indoor and height limitation it just helps to keep plants shorter with even canopy.

Top at the fourth, train six branches, make a canopy, be flowering shortly after you top

#Shortplantcrew

AndromedaM31 said:

So I topped my plants a few days ago and they seem to be responding abnormally. But then again I dont normally top.
2 of them appear to be sprouting 4 new main branches off the top and 2 more from the node below.
2 are appearing from the normal spots, but then right out of the cut theres 2 growths coming directly out.
I have pictures of one.View attachment 4229708 View attachment 4229709

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Watch Grand Master Level on youtube and he has a cool topping technique that helps with height and doesn't destroy the taproot. Hope that helps.

So it's been a little while since I topped, and the plants were doing great and putting out a lot of new growth but over the last 2 days they seem to have slowed down almost to a stop. They look very healthy and all, I just dont understand what's going on.

I was really hoping to start flowering pretty soon. Maybe 2 weeks. But now I'm not sure their going to be big enough by then.
The one on the right, the new shoots are growing in so thick that their pushing the bottom leafs into the ground, so I've had to support them.
Its main stem is literally almost a half inch thick at that size lol and the rest are very thick as well

AndromedaM31 said:

I was really hoping to start flowering pretty soon. Maybe 2 weeks. But now I'm not sure their going to be big enough by then.
The one on the right, the new shoots are growing in so thick that their pushing the bottom leafs into the ground, so I've had to support them.
Its main stem is literally almost a half inch thick at that size lol and the rest are very thick as well

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You'll be surprised how much they will grow in the next few weeks. Lots of new growth, supposing your environment is spot on. Good luck.

Were they just recently transplanted?