fatalphenom
Well-Known Member
Im followin now lol. I figure, after the basic info regarding growing, alot of it is preference and situation specific.
step by step how to super crop
- Thread starter simpsonsampson420
- Start date
bigbudmike
Active Member
The problem with trying to lollipop is that you have to cut some limbs and the more you cut the more stress you put on your plant. The more stressed the plant is the more likely you are to stunt growth and/or yield. Try to limit the stress you put on your plant as much as possible.
Malevolence
New Member
I have problems with SC... when I do it I squeeze and roll the stem until it turns to mushy enough inside to bend it over. Usually in a couple days the bend is all dry and barely hanging on to the rest of the branch by a thread. When it heals up it's just woody fibers with big nasty looking holes ripped in the stalk.
bigbudmike
Active Member
First: Why are you supercropping so many areas on the same stalk?
Second: Did you try to do all those areas on the same day at the same time?
Third: When supercropping are you squeezing really hard or gentely?
There is no need to supercrop multiple times on the same stalk like that. It is ok to super crop more than once on the same branch but do it once then wait and see how its gonna effect the plant before proceding with additional cropping. If you try to do too many sites all at the same time it may shock the plant. When squeezing the stalk be gentel and patient. No need to rush through it. You dont want to harm a plant that has already taken so much time to grow. BE PATIENT!
I've got to repeat, GREAT THREAD!!! After I first read this, I went into my veg room and started SCing a couple of smaller plants. I took my time, still kinda beat one of them up pretty good, but eventually got the feel of having the stem kind of "pop". I even had one that had a little horizontal tear and I thought for sure I broke that one...But two days later, on two plants that were no more that 9" tall and had not yet been topped, all have become little bushes, tops EVERYWHERE. It also seems to have spurned a bit of a growth spurt, but I'm not sure if I'm just being overly optimistic. I'll say I'm hooked on this technique as the growth of the plant doesn't come to a halt like when you top. I'm sold and and thanks again.
good point. so im guessing above or below the first supercrop wouldnt matter....? i cant wait to try this out. i want to make the whole stem completely strong. and as for the side branches, maybe supercrop by twisting till it cracks would be enough. so it wont have to lean to the side and might still grow vertical. it would just make the branch stronger. but im a bit worried about the very bottom of the main stem. i wouldnt want to supercrop down there. hope that part is strong enough during the early weeks to hold up all those toughened branches.
bigbudmike
Active Member
Im not sure that some of you are understanding the concept. Super cropping is a technique for diverting the growth path of the plant. It is not directly intended to strengthen any branches. If one branch or stem is growing faster and higher than the rest (typically the main stem/cola) you super crop it to allow the plant to focus its growth to the rest of the branches. This allows the rest of the limbs to catch up and grow equally. You end up with an even canopy which will result in a higher yield by allowing the side branches (that dont usually yield much) to get more light penetration and produce more bud. Hope this helps. Again im not the OP so if im wrong please let me know and I will shut the hell up.
i understand. im just saying that the strengthened branches will help as well. it should.
MrMeanGreen
Active Member
You will never strengthen your branches to the point that it needs no support. The weight of the cola will find the weekest point on the stem and bend under pressure. You could have a stem with 20 strong SC knuckles the stem may be solid but the weekest point will now be where the stem meets the main part of the plant and bend / split unless supported from above.
As stated, SC'ing is a canopy management tool, nothing else.
As stated, SC'ing is a canopy management tool, nothing else.
B0SSofB0SSES
Member
When is the IDEAL time to start supercropping? and how much more bud can one expect to get from doing this?
YouHighBro
Member
I think from what has been previously mentioned that you should wait until you have about 4-5 nodes (so about 3 weeks into veg) before doing it... regardless by looking at the pics on page 1 it is pretty obvious that plant is mature enough to rebound from the stress you are putting on it... I would say use common sense, if it doesn't seem like your plant is mature enough to handle it dont do it. If you want to try it anyways, go for it and tell us how it goes 
Topping usually is once there are 5-6 true nodes... you should definitely read this about topping if you are curious, but just to re-state what has been said, topping and super cropping are not methods to be used together (although I guess you could). People normally chose super cropping + FIM over topping because it is less stressful and in most cases yield more of tha sticky shieett!
Topping usually is once there are 5-6 true nodes... you should definitely read this about topping if you are curious, but just to re-state what has been said, topping and super cropping are not methods to be used together (although I guess you could). People normally chose super cropping + FIM over topping because it is less stressful and in most cases yield more of tha sticky shieett!
ive tried supercropping. and dont really know what benefits were made. it looks the same. i also tried LST, and i am surprised by what it did. i only tied down the meristem for 12 hours and didnt care for it after that(it was about 1 foot tall). but now, after 2-3 weeks, one of the lateral branch seems to have taken over the apical dominance. the branch is as thick as the meristem and it's slightly taller. the other lateral branches seems to be doing the same thing as the ones on my topped plants. so it seems like to me, that LST has the same affect as topping<-- not saying for sure. cant wait till its done to compare. hopefully ill have the main cola really big plus the other colas just as big as a topped plant.
cdogthepirate
New Member
Just a couple quick questions. Been growing for 24 years and never tried the super cropping. I have read this and many other threads on the subject. Now to my question. Plants ten inches tall with 10 internodes. Bent between fifth and sixth internode down to edge of pot at 8 pm last night. Plants at 8 am this morning (12 hours later) have already knuckled come back to 90 degree and tops are J'd back towards the light. Is this normal for this to occur this rapidly? It seems that the auxins with this rapid of healing never got the time to "realocate" themselves to force more rapid growth of lower branches. Thanks a million.
it's been a while since i've done anything really productive around here.. but since i have a new grow going, and am doing things i often get questions about here https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/212352-all-new-growers-questions-tons-68.html i figured now would be a good time to do a nice new thread...
i love super cropping.. it is by far one of my favorite pruning techniques.. its quick, easy, causes little stress, gets huge results, and gets them quick.. best of all it can be done multiple times during the veg period.. this can mean huge results...
first lets talk a little about super cropping... the idea behind it is to push lower growth up and out... this means more tops, more lower growth that can get flowered, which all leads to heavier yields..
super cropping works by moving the auxins, or growth hormones, from the growth tips to other parts of the plant causing growth to happen below the point of super cropping...
to explain it in a way that makes sense, you basically fool the plant into thinking it has no top.. if the point in which you super cropped formed a horizontal line over the plant, the plant would try to push everything below that line up to give it a top... all the lower branches, instead of growing outward horizontally, will start to bend and grow upwards, vertically... really, everything below the imaginary line the super cropping makes grows vertically verse horizontally...
the end result from super cropping much bushier plant, more tops or branches closer to the light that will flower, and a shorter over all plant...
this can be done to any mj plant.. the only exception is autos.. it can be done once fairly early on.. but the veg life of autos is short so its impossible to get multiple super crops done successfully...
now, although it can be done to every plant, not all plants will react the same.. i urge you to try it on a few branches of a plant before doing the entire plant.. make sure your plant reacts well to it.. i haven't seen any plants that dont enjoy it yet.. but i havent by any means grown everything there is to grow..
now... for the slide show...
first, locate your plant... this girl was 3 weeks old monday.. i have super cropped her once or twice already.. you want to wait until there is a good amount of growth.. usually after a week and a half or two weeks your ok...
second, locate the spot on the stem you want to super crop.. remember it will create the imaginary line which all growth below will push up.. usually it is done close to the end of a stem or the main stalk.. i like somewhere under the 1rst to 3rd node set.. depending on how tight the spacing is..
this is where i decided to do her at...
now to start the super cropping... once you pick the spot, you want to gently squeeze the stem between your thumb and pointer finger... you dont want to pinch.. the idea here is to soften the stem.. not to break it...
this is somewhat what it should look like...
now turn your hand 90 degrees from where you started......
and do the same thing.....
hopefully after this your top will fold over like this...
if you have tops that are higher than the spot you just did do them also...
eventually you'll get to the point you do your entire plant, and it looks like this one when your done...
now a few last things before im done...
first.. please remember to start out doing a few branches at first.. make sure your plant reacts ok to it.. some do better than others... its better to make sure first... but again, i have not grown any that react poorly...
second.. if you tear the stem its ok.. you may get little rips that run vertically up the stem.. its alright if this happens.. your plant will be just fine... trust me.. it happens a lot..
third... be gentle when you squeeze.. you may need to work it a little if the stem is thicker.. this is ok... if you are too rough you will break it off.. i have done that.. topping unwantedly is not a pleasant surprise...
fourth... take your time at first... its nothing you need to rush.. get used to how the stem feels when it pops like you want it to.. how it feels when its softened enough to bend easily.. then build up your speed.. it can take a while to do a larger garden.. and you may want to hurry.. but patience is a virtue here...
lastly... when the spot your super cropped heals up it will more than likely be a thick round ball in the middle of the stem.. this is good.. think of it like scar tissue..