Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas
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Uncle Ben
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That doesn't come near as "thick" as my indoor gardens. Leave them alone and do not lollipop. My plants are crammed into a limited space and they produce very well, up to 10 oz of bud/plant.
Pix #4 & 5 reflect how I grow indoors. https://www.rollitup.org/t/no-lower-budsites-do-not-need-light-to-develop-get-educated.829061/
MuckyDucky
Well-Known Member
Beautiful plants and colas UB. Thanks for the info and link. Yep, I will go ah la natural this round with no leaf trimming. I found the same thing; that bud sites do NOT have to have light to produce.... last grow I had buds completely shaded that were sitting under other buds in a scrog grow. They were a very light green, hard, firm and sticky. They colored up after a few hours in the light.
Chargermane
Member
I think uncle bens topping technique worked wonders on my plant
Chargermane
Member
Ill try to take a pic with the lights off when they wake up. My camera broke so i have to use my front facing camera...hopefully with no flash it'll capture the greenery 
Chargermane
Member
chiefbootknocker
Well-Known Member
I used this method on my last grow, and personally didn't like it. First, the stems were kinda thin throughout the grow, the plants needed support because of the weak stems, and also because of the whole center of the plant being gone. I also didn't realize any gains in yield either. I'm not sure maybe this method was just to control Sativa stretch though. If I were ever to grow again I would just stick to my Christmas Trees. They've never let me down before.
Fun experiment though. I tried it on 1) LSD 1) White Rhino 2) Vanilla Kush
Fun experiment though. I tried it on 1) LSD 1) White Rhino 2) Vanilla Kush
NewtoMJ
Well-Known Member
This question may have been answered, but I've been growing a little over a year now and the first few plants I let grow untouched to get a feel for their life cycle. Now I've topped a few plants using this technique and the first node(closer to the roots) always seems to grow a little shorter than the second node(closer to the point of pinch). This time around, I have noticed my plant's second and third nodes are growing a lot more even and vigorously than the first and second. Would it be possible to pinch above the third node, and remove the shoots from the first node to give myself the four main colas? Or is this just going to give me 2 mains and a lot of side branching?
Billy Madison
Well-Known Member
member at icmag on a thread they made about you
"I wonder what uncleben himself thinks about waiting to 5-6 nodes before topping back to the second. Maybe he's changed his mind on it.
You are wasting some time and growth by waiting for the plant to get that much bigger only to top it back down again, there's no denying that. Maybe only a week or so, but still.. if you're happy with that, fair enough, but it is wasted time imo because it's for no benefit as far as I can see.
For me, to do the process in that way suggests the person doing the topping is worried about the plant being too fragile at that young age to respond well. It's not, I can say that from experience. I never wait for the plant to get bigger before I top it.
Next time, top one plant at the second node as soon as the shoot emerges, and leave the other one til it's 6th node and see what happens. Small side shoots from any branch can be used to make a clone. No need to wait for the main branch to grow to use that.
The best way to top a young plant is to fold the new emerging shoot over on itself so it pops like a little sugar snap. That way you don't damage the side shoots at all like you could with scissors or a razor. "
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=272286&page=4
Thoughts uncle ben?
"I wonder what uncleben himself thinks about waiting to 5-6 nodes before topping back to the second. Maybe he's changed his mind on it.
You are wasting some time and growth by waiting for the plant to get that much bigger only to top it back down again, there's no denying that. Maybe only a week or so, but still.. if you're happy with that, fair enough, but it is wasted time imo because it's for no benefit as far as I can see.
For me, to do the process in that way suggests the person doing the topping is worried about the plant being too fragile at that young age to respond well. It's not, I can say that from experience. I never wait for the plant to get bigger before I top it.
Next time, top one plant at the second node as soon as the shoot emerges, and leave the other one til it's 6th node and see what happens. Small side shoots from any branch can be used to make a clone. No need to wait for the main branch to grow to use that.
The best way to top a young plant is to fold the new emerging shoot over on itself so it pops like a little sugar snap. That way you don't damage the side shoots at all like you could with scissors or a razor. "
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=272286&page=4
Thoughts uncle ben?
SpaaaceCowboy
Well-Known Member
I have an outdoor plant I topped using the UB technique...It was full and bushy indoors...Waited till the 6th node or so....Cut above the second...Now there is nothing in the middle of the plant...It was full, and lush with tight nodes...now the 4 main stems are thin and weak, and nodes are way spaced out.....Granted the outdoor plants are not getting as much sun as I wanted them too but I should just have let the pant gone without topping...I believe it would have been a way better plant...I am also going to have to put stakes to hold her up...Oh well.
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
Yes, if you keep all output removed. Why? Apical dominance - the growth hormones will tend to collect in the upper part of the plant. I have grown a plant to say.....4 nodes, pinched off the lower 2 branches and upcanned up to the remaining 2 nodes. You'll get the benefit of 4 main colas and an increased root mass, output from the nodes that were buried.
Good luck,
Uncle Ben
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
This guy isn't getting the entire jist of plant processes and tissue development but good advice - experiment. By letting the plant grow to 5-6 nodes you insure more root mass just like potentially you'll get more bud yields with increased root and foliar mass. With more root mass, more "energy" (I hate that term
) will be directed to the foliage that is left so it will grow faster. Ever worked with trees? I have, thousands of them. Let the tree go "trashy", lot's of foliage, root mass is set, remove all whorls from the ground up to eye level and watch the the top 2' take off like a rocket come spring. It's a judgment call though. I can top above 3 nodes and get what I want faster than most that wait until 6-8 nodes. It depends on how experienced of a gardener you are.
Interesting thread, thanks for the link. Feel free to take my response back. BTW, tried to subscribe to IC Mag a while back and as usual some one stole my handle.
Also, if anyone has an inside track to a mod or potroast I'll be glad to post the original photos as long as they'll stick them in Post #1 where they belong.
Tio
Uncle Ben
Well-Known Member
Aint my technique at fault brother!
NewtoMJ
Well-Known Member
I did some reading on the five types of hormones a plant has, and figured that would be the answer you gave. I already topped at 3 but when I went to remove the bottom growth I saw shoots coming from the cotyledons. Now I am probably going to let it go out of curiosity(never seen cotyledon shoots). But thank you for the help, I appreciate the advice and your time in responding.
Billy Madison
Well-Known Member
put your response back - will see what a mod can do but I'm new over there...
just frustrating trying to get through to some folks for years
tried telling them to manipulate the auxins and apical dominance however they wanted, but I prefer your method.
Some couldn't quite comprehend that.
edit- just sent a mod a message - see if we can get you on the forum
just frustrating trying to get through to some folks for years
tried telling them to manipulate the auxins and apical dominance however they wanted, but I prefer your method.
Some couldn't quite comprehend that.
edit- just sent a mod a message - see if we can get you on the forum
Last edited:
Sativied
Well-Known Member
desertdog
Well-Known Member
IHowdy!
whatHowdy!
Based on quite a few questions about topping I've received here: https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/13820-fimming-topping-101-a-12.html I decided to reproduce a thread on my favorite topping method published at cann.com about 10 years ago. Even though I've got much better photos from many latter grows both indoor and outdoor, I'm gonna stick with the old photos from the original thread. Lighting is HPS from start to finish with the exception of using 4' long shop fluors from germ until about 2 weeks. Some pix were taken outdoors for better resolution thanks to an old camcorder I was using.
Selecting the point for topping to get 4 main colas -
To get 4 main colas, let your seedling or cutting (clone) grow to about 5-6 nodes and pinch out (cut) the stem just above the 2nd true node. The node where the cotyledons attach doesn't count. The result will be a redistribution of the auxins and other hormones that normally collect in the tissue of the terminal leader's tip. These ho moans will be redistributed to dormant buds that reside in the nodal axis where the leaf petiole attaches to the "trunk", below the cut. The new foliar output response will be quick (within 24 hrs., see photo below) if you have a healthy growing seedling and will be your future main colas - 4 instead of the usual 1:
Here's a photo of the same plant about 8 weeks into flowering. The plant is about 42" tall, has 4 main colas with an abundance of large, healthy fan leaves.
This is an indoor shot just prior to harvest showing the colas bulking up quite nicely. Notice how the weight of the heavy colas is naturally pulling them apart, which opens the plant up so that light can penetrate the interior of the canopy. This is the same principle used by fruit orchard managers who create an open vase profile for their trees in order to increase production. This profile also has a side benefit of providing good interior air movement which reduces fungal/rot pressures.
The plant after harvest showing the branching scaffold and dominant 4 main cola "trunks", opposing nodes one right above the other. Smaller secondary branches also provided good bud production. This plant yielded over 10 oz of cured bud.
~ Topping for 2 main colas ~
Pinch out the seedling above the 1st true node to get 2 main colas:
Any questions, fire away.
Happy gardening,
Uncle Ben
Based on quite a few questions about topping I've received here: https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/13820-fimming-topping-101-a-12.html I decided to reproduce a thread on my favorite topping method published at cann.com about 10 years ago. Even though I've got much better photos from many latter grows both indoor and outdoor, I'm gonna stick with the old photos from the original thread. Lighting is HPS from start to finish with the exception of using 4' long shop fluors from germ until about 2 weeks. Some pix were taken outdoors for better resolution thanks to an old camcorder I was using.
Selecting the point for topping to get 4 main colas -
To get 4 main colas, let your seedling or cutting (clone) grow to about 5-6 nodes and pinch out (cut) the stem just above the 2nd true node. The node where the cotyledons attach doesn't count. The result will be a redistribution of the auxins and other hormones that normally collect in the tissue of the terminal leader's tip. These ho moans will be redistributed to dormant buds that reside in the nodal axis where the leaf petiole attaches to the "trunk", below the cut. The new foliar output response will be quick (within 24 hrs., see photo below) if you have a healthy growing seedling and will be your future main colas - 4 instead of the usual 1:
Here's a photo of the same plant about 8 weeks into flowering. The plant is about 42" tall, has 4 main colas with an abundance of large, healthy fan leaves.
This is an indoor shot just prior to harvest showing the colas bulking up quite nicely. Notice how the weight of the heavy colas is naturally pulling them apart, which opens the plant up so that light can penetrate the interior of the canopy. This is the same principle used by fruit orchard managers who create an open vase profile for their trees in order to increase production. This profile also has a side benefit of providing good interior air movement which reduces fungal/rot pressures.
The plant after harvest showing the branching scaffold and dominant 4 main cola "trunks", opposing nodes one right above the other. Smaller secondary branches also provided good bud production. This plant yielded over 10 oz of cured bud.
~ Topping for 2 main colas ~
Pinch out the seedling above the 1st true node to get 2 main colas:
what a bummer I can't see pics, I get the idea though and know what to do. If you could repost pics that would be very cool.
Any questions, fire away.
Happy gardening,
Uncle Ben
desertdog
Well-Known Member
Howdy!
Based on quite a few questions about topping I've received here: https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/13820-fimming-topping-101-a-12.html I decided to reproduce a thread on my favorite topping method published at cann.com about 10 years ago. Even though I've got much better photos from many latter grows both indoor and outdoor, I'm gonna stick with the old photos from the original thread. Lighting is HPS from start to finish with the exception of using 4' long shop fluors from germ until about 2 weeks. Some pix were taken outdoors for better resolution thanks to an old camcorder I was using.
Selecting the point for topping to get 4 main colas -
To get 4 main colas, let your seedling or cutting (clone) grow to about 5-6 nodes and pinch out (cut) the stem just above the 2nd true node. The node where the cotyledons attach doesn't count. The result will be a redistribution of the auxins and other hormones that normally collect in the tissue of the terminal leader's tip. These ho moans will be redistributed to dormant buds that reside in the nodal axis where the leaf petiole attaches to the "trunk", below the cut. The new foliar output response will be quick (within 24 hrs., see photo below) if you have a healthy growing seedling and will be your future main colas - 4 instead of the usual 1:
Here's a photo of the same plant about 8 weeks into flowering. The plant is about 42" tall, has 4 main colas with an abundance of large, healthy fan leaves.
This is an indoor shot just prior to harvest showing the colas bulking up quite nicely. Notice how the weight of the heavy colas is naturally pulling them apart, which opens the plant up so that light can penetrate the interior of the canopy. This is the same principle used by fruit orchard managers who create an open vase profile for their trees in order to increase production. This profile also has a side benefit of providing good interior air movement which reduces fungal/rot pressures.
The plant after harvest showing the branching scaffold and dominant 4 main cola "trunks", opposing nodes one right above the other. Smaller secondary branches also provided good bud production. This plant yielded over 10 oz of cured bud.
~ Topping for 2 main colas ~
Pinch out the seedling above the 1st true node to get 2 main colas:
Any questions, fire away.
Happy gardening,
Uncle Ben
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