Amputate a branch?

I have a white widow plant with a fasciated branch. It’s like 3-4 branches in one and it’s really bushy. I was going to leave it and see how it went but I have noticed some mites and it’s difficult to get complete coverage since this branch is so dense.
I was thinking of amputating the branch or at least the top of it. Except it just started early flowering.
flowering or not is is ok to cut off a big branch like this? Or will it be too much stress?



as for the mites. I’m treating as best as I can but how do you all deal with drying after harvesting if there’s potentially any left? I’m hesitant to bring them indoors to dry if there’s any bugs/eggs remaining. I’m alternating insecticidal soap and pyrethrin based spray every 4-5 days for now

Itd be fine, Id try defoliating it before straight cutting it off though, see if you can take off alot of it to get in the nooks and crannies... If that doesnt work, you can cut it off, wont kill the plant, but again... It isnt really ideal..

ever think of trying to use it to clone?

HydroKid239 said:

ever think of trying to use it to clone?

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Critical Canuck said:

but I have noticed some mites

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Who wants to clone plants with mites?
Once out, never in.

True. Idk the first thing about pests... but wasn't sure it it was severed.. could it be treated..

HydroKid239 said:

could it be treated..

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Sure, treat it like gambling. Maybe they are dead, maybe not.

dunphy said:

Itd be fine, Id try defoliating it before straight cutting it off though, see if you can take off alot of it to get in the nooks and crannies... If that doesnt work, you can cut it off, wont kill the plant, but again... It isnt really ideal..

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Yeah, good plan, I'll lollypop that branch first to see if I can get it under control

Can you take a picture of the whole plant btw? Just want to make sure that isnt like more than 50% of your whole plant... If its just a random branch your good... But if its a major percentage of the overall plant.... Id wait on cutting straight off.
Sorry I should've mentioned this sooner...I think I thought I saw the whole plant but looking back at it now I can see you hadnt posted a whole plant pic.

wtf thats crazy

Good God! If that's not some photoshop gag, ,please don't cut it! I wanna see what happens! Mother of God! What the hell have you been feeding that thing Semore? End the mites and let this show begin!

And yeah, I wanna see a video of this thing! Or pictures of the whole plant, or both. That's pretty fickin cool!

I had some asshats raid my greenhouse on the second week of August about 5 years ago, they chopped my 10 biggest plants and stole plants that were no good to anyone at that stage. They chopped an Obama but missed on large lower branch. That branch ended up giving me almost a pound of beautiful bud. So while I wouldn’t mess with my plants on purpose this far into flower, I think it’s safe to say, she’ll recover from the shock and provide you with good bud!

JimmiP said:

And yeah, I wanna see a video of this thing! Or pictures of the whole plant, or both. That's pretty fickin cool!

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The branch is highlighted here


From the side

if I was to cut it off it would be here

I'd be favouring getting rid off the whole branch as you have indicated.

It's no loss really and if it helps reduce the pests I would fire away.

It's a lovely plant and not as if it's a great loss, sacrifice it no doubt.

Those mutated branches are a pain in the arse anyway, the do not yeild as much as expected by appearance because you will find they are all thick strongflattened stalk which is no good to man nor beast.

Get rid and move on instead of it annoying you til harvest.

KK26 said:

I'd be favouring getting rid off the whole branch as you have indicated.

It's no loss really and if it helps reduce the pests I would fire away.

It's a lovely plant and not as if it's a great loss, sacrifice it no doubt.

Those mutated branches are a pain in the arse anyway, the do not yeild as much as expected by appearance because you will find they are all thick strongflattened stalk which is no good to man nor beast.

Get rid and move on instead of it annoying you til harvest.

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Agreed.
Anytime Ive had any mutated branches like this there have been more problems than benefits.

That branch isnt a significant majority so the plant should be fine to lose it.

What I would recommend though... If thats a zip tie on your stem, take that off...
If the stem split, tape will work just fine and allow for some stretching of the tape as the stalk gets fatter..

The zip ties are way too strong and will cut off circulation and potentially girdle your plant.

Usually if you break a branch, you can just hold the break exactly where it came off, then add some tape and a splint for a couple days... Then take all of it off. The plant will reattach the branch if the damage isnt too severe and you can reattach it in the same spot. Infact, once it repairs, it will form a knuckle and actually be a very strong spot on the stem, sometimes stronger than what would've been there had it not break..

Critical Canuck said:

The branch is highlighted here
View attachment 4665384

From the side
View attachment 4665383
if I was to cut it off it would be here

View attachment 4665385

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thats no plant. thats a tree

dunphy said:

Agreed.
Anytime Ive had any mutated branches like this there have been more problems than benefits.

That branch isnt a significant majority so the plant should be fine to lose it.

What I would recommend though... If thats a zip tie on your stem, take that off...
If the stem split, tape will work just fine and allow for some stretching of the tape as the stalk gets fatter..

The zip ties are way too strong and will cut off circulation and potentially girdle your plant.

Usually if you break a branch, you can just hold the break exactly where it came off, then add some tape and a splint for a couple days... Then take all of it off. The plant will reattach the branch if the damage isnt too severe and you can reattach it in the same spot. Infact, once it repairs, it will form a knuckle and actually be a very strong spot on the stem, sometimes stronger than what would've been there had it not break..

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That's 2 of us agree with the sacrifice.

Risks outweigh the benefits.

As for the zip ties, I agree the are very strong and not for use on young growing plants but be the looks of it the plant is done growing it main stalk I think so could get away with it this time.

KK26 said:

That's 2 of us agree with the sacrifice.

Risks outweigh the benefits.

As for the zip ties, I agree the are very strong and not for use on young growing plants but be the looks of it the plant is done growing it main stalk I think so could get away with it this time.

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Yeah the zip tie was from man handling it while trying to get the damn insecticidal soap spray under everything, caused a branch to split from the main stalk, was a couple weeks ago and done growing. I'll remove it today anyway.

As for removing the flat branch, should I cover the opened wound with anything to keep it from getting infected or help it heal?

I may only go half way down this branch, there are a few normal branches off of it, I can top it just above those..

Critical Canuck said:

I may only go half way down this branch, there are a few normal branches off of it, I can top it just above those..

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Yes I thought that was the plan, def want to only take the flattened stalk.

As for the wound.. Some people leave it open, itll close up/seal itself in a couple days, You could also make an antibacterial using cinnamon or something to apply to the wound just to be sure nothing gets in there.

Id start at the top, and cut down more if need be... Instead of starting from the bottom and taking too much off in one cut.