Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas

[Uncle Ben]

I haven't stopped by this thread in forever. Have you answered, what a true leaf is lately?
I'm going for the 2 main colas on the Black Rose I just started.

Not lately, and aint gonna start either.

 

[stonestare]

Wow so much info that this is bookmarked and wrote down so I can use this for further referance. Yes I read the entire thread and keep up the good work

 

[beans davis]

UB I topped a few plants this grow for 4 colas their 6wks boom. I never topped or trimmed my plants ,grew natural.
These hash plants i topped are bad to the bone,the colas on the ones i topped are just as big as the 1s i did'nt.
Theyre just as tall too.
I love this method.
My next grow i'm doin all of em.8 afghani X skunk bet i get more yield.
6wks into bloom and not 1 yellow leaf on any plant.

Thanks man

 

[Uncle Ben]

UB I topped a few plants this grow for 4 colas their 6wks boom. I never topped or trimmed my plants ,grew natural.
These hash plants i topped are bad to the bone,the colas on the ones i topped are just as big as the 1s i did'nt.
Theyre just as tall too.
I love this method.
My next grow i'm doin all of em.8 afghani X skunk bet i get more yield.
6wks into bloom and not 1 yellow leaf on any plant.

Thanks man

Glad it worked out for you.

Not one yellow leaf? Way to go! You must not be using "cannabis specific" foods.

 

[ThermalRider]

Very Informative thread UB...! Thanks for specifics..

What about topping MOTHER plants for four colas, advantages / disadvantages?

After taking clones from ole' Mom, can/would topping the CLONES after the 2 Node still apply?

Just sprouted 2 SLH, one of the helments did NOT want to come off. Attempted to pull of with tweezers and the whole top fell off to my horror..
Went on to work thinkng all day how i destroyed it..!! Whe i got home after work I check it and the straight sprout tip looked like it may have been a little light green which turned greener over the next24 hrs. It's behind in growth then the other seedlings but looks like it' going to survive my dumb ass decision to go in with the scapel/tweezers.. Lesson's learned.....

 

[beans davis]

Glad it worked out for you.

Not one yellow leaf? Way to go! You must not be using "cannabis specific" foods.

Dyna-Gro my friend,still adding a little grow at 6wks bloom no boosters!
My plants told me to do this.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Very Informative thread UB...! Thanks for specifics..

What about topping MOTHER plants for four colas, advantages / disadvantages?

After taking clones from ole' Mom, can/would topping the CLONES after the 2 Node still apply?

Just sprouted 2 SLH, one of the helments did NOT want to come off. Attempted to pull of with tweezers and the whole top fell off to my horror..
Went on to work thinkng all day how i destroyed it..!! Whe i got home after work I check it and the straight sprout tip looked like it may have been a little light green which turned greener over the next24 hrs. It's behind in growth then the other seedlings but looks like it' going to survive my dumb ass decision to go in with the scapel/tweezers.. Lesson's learned.....

Sorry about your luck. Plants don't need our help. They do fine on their own.

 

[Danielsgb]

Dyna-Gro my friend,still adding a little grow at 6wks bloom no boosters!
My plants told me to do this.

Good job listening to your plants, not using a schedule full of canna specific stuff.

 

[pistolpanda]

Hi, Uncle Ben, I was wondering if this topping method would work with a stealthy "cab" grow implementing the ScroG technique? I'm sure that this has been asked before, and I apologize, as I've been slowly working my way through the thread (I love to read big threads like this, they're the most interesting ones :3) but unfortunately I haven't the time to read through all 415 pages at once.

My plan was to go 16/8 for vegetative, using a mixed spectrum CFL grow, top it at the 2nd node to get the sites for the four main colas and have it all distributed amongst the ScroG screen. Then for flowering I would run a 12/12 light schedule with all 2700k bulbs. My light setup would be something like this.

LEGEND:
• @ = 6500k CFL
• # = 2700k CFL
• | = wiring

..@##@..
...|......|..
..@...@

They are running off a power strip using plug to socket adaptors, with the two side bulbs running down via nifty little socket extensions. Would this work out well enough with the 4-cola topping technique described, or would I be better to use single spectrum for each respective phase? Also, would it be more beneficial for the light schedules between vegetative and flowering growth to be more drastic (i.e: 18/6 for veg and 12/12 for flower, or even 24/0 for veg) or is 16/8 fine?

Thanks in advance, and great job on the thread +rep
-Panda

 

[Uncle Ben]

The first page describes the plant process. I'll say again, where ever you cut will induce output in the nodal axis of the leaf petiole and sometimes below that one node. I don't see any problem with SCROG except the maintenance thingie. It's too much for this boy.

 

[hegem0n]

Hi Uncle Ben!

I've been reading this forum in search of answers to my questions

Here they are (sorry if they've already been addressed):

What is your Veg/Flower schedule typically? 2 weeks from seed to seedling (cfl) then under HPS thereafter? Is that about the time you also see the 5-6th node and then do the topping? What height does that leave the girl? How long then do you veg then flip in order to achieve what usual height before harvesting? How much space/area does each plant take up after your technique is used?

What size/type hydroponics system do you typically use? 5 gallon sites? Recirculating? Soil instead?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Danielsgb]

Hi Uncle Ben!

I've been reading this forum in search of answers to my questions

Here they are (sorry if they've already been addressed):

What is your Veg/Flower schedule typically? 2 weeks from seed to seedling (cfl) then under HPS thereafter? Is that about the time you also see the 5-6th node and then do the topping? What height does that leave the girl? How long then do you veg then flip in order to achieve what usual height before harvesting? How much space/area does each plant take up after your technique is used?

What size/type hydroponics system do you typically use? 5 gallon sites? Recirculating? Soil instead?

Thanks for your help!

I've followed UB for quite some time picking up knowledge. I know some of them.

I've never seen him answer hydro. ?'s. I know he uses soil for cannabis.
His spin out thread shows a crop he grew and you can see his vigor of the seedlings.
He often says 'Plan your garden, and grow out your plan'.
He's mentioned using HPS all the way, and combinations of MH.
Hope this helps.
UB, hope I got part answered.

Here's some of his threads where your questions are answered in.


Uncle Ben's Gardening Tweeks and Pointers


Plant Moisture Stress - Symptoms and Solutions


Spin-Out for Chemical Root Pruning

 

[wesmokedatkush]

Great thread with lots of info. Just had a question for a plant newbie:

What are nodes and what are cotyledons?

 

[clobbersaurus]

Cotlyedons are the first leaves you see when you germ a seed; they are the ones with rounded ends that don't look like any others after them. Nodes are the junction points on the stem where the fan leaves and growing shoots grow out of.

 

[Danielsgb]

Great thread with lots of info. Just had a question for a plant newbie:

What are nodes and what are cotyledons?

You can google 'cannabis node' or just look up cotyledons. Those are some real basic terms you can find yourself.

 

[DonPowelleone]

this is my first ever post, let me start by saying thanks ub for all the help (like youve probably heard a million times already) but seriously, it is good to be able to read your advice knowing that it is usually factual backed by science and not just aload of misguiding oppinion. for that i am grateful as i am for anyone that takes the time out to help others when they dont have to do so....

right, i just wanted to put my two pennies worth in just as there was a few things as i was reading thru this thread that confused me alot and i saw you in a way contradict yourself a few times (or at least thats how it seemed to me anyway) and no one seemed to point it out to you for you to answer them so iv had to do it.

now, i know that you are gonna probably rip me to shreads about this (if u are even bothered to reply at all lol as i can see how frustrating it must have been for you to try repeat yourself and re explain things a thousand times) but there was just one thing i could never work out with all this true node shit.

right basically what confused me was this, you say cut above the second true node to get 4 colas. then wen people asked you about the true nodes you said the first true node is the one above the cotyledons as you dont class that as a true node. but thats where am like HUH? cos as far as im aware there isnt even a node at that point, there are the cotyledons then a single blade leaf then a node but no node from the cotyledons? so if the node from the single blade leaf IS the true node, then isnt that the first node anyway :S (and to make it even worse there is then shit loads of people chiming in with various other different oppinions which made me question myself even more and made it more complicated lol)

so thats my first point anyway and if you wish to explain in more detail about the cotyledons id be so grateful as to me its - cotyledons then no node (UNLESS YOU ARE JUST MEANING A NODE IS JUST A MEETING POINT OF A LEAF TO THE STEM? AS I AM MEANING A NODE IS A POINT AT WHERE A BRANCH GROWS AND ONE DOESNT GROW FROM THE COTYLEDON) then single leaf then node then 3 finger leaf then node etc. so if the one above the cotyledons is the first true node then realisticly its just the 'first' node anyway so putting 'true' before it just makes it confusing as hell as it makes me think well the first true node cant be just the first node lol (if this makes any sense haha)

right, then.... after i see you explain to someone its the one above the cotyledons, u then upload a picture of your own plant demonstrating your own method and youve topped it above like the 6th node and trimmed everything off below the 5th, so then am like HUH?! just when i thought i was understanding you, you then contradict yourself, i was like, why is he teling everyone to do it this way then go and do it a totally different way himself. so then studying your picture i notice the bottom fan leaf you had left on your plant had seven fingers which makes it a fully formed fan leaf which usually appears around the 4th or 5th node, so then that got me thinking, right, he must mean the first true node comes from the first fully formed fan leaf, but then that cant be right cos u jus explained to someone its the one above the cotyledons but tha certainly aint what ud done on that specific example. :S :S :S

So they are just a few things id realllllly like you to clarify for me please. and just incase u think im lazy and havnt tried researching to find out my self, iv spent the past two days trying my hardest to get a solid 100% answer to this without any doubts left in my head but it jus aint happenin i need to hear it from the man himself the last thing i wanted to do was post myself because now i no im probably gonna get ripped to shreads by you haha. but yeh, at least i think my points are appropriate to ask, and i read through over 50% of this thread including searching the thread for key words but like i said, no luck on a definate and also didnt see anyone point out ur contradicting example ;D

there might even be things iv missed but for now that will clear things up for me

thanks ub.... (go easy on me ha)

 

[mick3025]

Hi UB!

Searched and searched with no luck, so thought I would try you. I topped per your technique 2 weeks ago. Plant is 5 weeks from seed. I've had incredible growth, but it is all staying very low, i.e. the main branches are staying horizontal and not starting to turn up. Basically, I have a massive 5" tall bush that is around 14" wide. Everything looks healthy, albeit a groundcover at this stage. Have you seen/heard of this before? Wondering if there are any nutrients I should add to encourage more stem growth.

I did the same techinique to another strain at the same time. That plant immediately shot out a ton of growth, but all of the leaves are very small, probably 1/4 of the size of the untopped plants. I think I had some nute burn on that one so I flushed it. Again, my observation is topping encourages massive folier growth with limited stem growth.

Wondering if it has something to do with how old the plants were when topped, i.e. the % of leaves removed by topping as well as the size of the root ball.
In a 50/50 mix of HF and FFOF, HO T5 fixtures around 12" above the plant.

Time will tell, just thought I'd see if you or anyone has seen/experienced this before.

Thanks again for this forum, major help!

 

[Uncle Ben]

There are nor have there ever been any contradictory posts in opposition to what I wrote on the first page, at least not by me. If you're confused, it's not my problem.

The horizontal branching will turn up.

UB

 

[DonPowelleone]

I never said it was your problem... i didnt mean any offence by it... let me explain what i mean.

Some eye candy fer ya'll on one of my crosses grown outdoors - Positronics Haze X Sensi Skunk ~

Seedling in germ cup topped to get 4 main colas. Notice how leggie it is:

Here you show an example of you using your method of topping to get 4 colas ^^..... but thats doesnt look like you topped at the second true node to me?

This is what i meant by you seemed to contradict yourself, by explaining how to do it one way, then doing it a different way yourself.

 

[sso]

ive always just cut off the top as soon as the plant reaches the 3rd node, keeps the plant lot more compact, though admittedly it works best with pure sativas (only did one 2 indicas and both got rather bushy, too bushy for my liking) works great for the pure sativas though (lol, which very few keep though )

i see you mention waiting till the plant is bigger, because of stress? i did not notice any stress the times i did this, any comments?