How to trim?!

Hi guys,

Rookie here! I need to trim the little branches off the bottom of my plant to increase circulation and I was just wandering if someone could tell me what the best way to do this is? I've been told just to use a sharp razor but does it matter where abouts you make the cut or what angle you do it on? Also my plant's about 2ft tall now and it has some really big leaves coming out of it that are drooping and consequently seem to be blocking the light and growth of the fresh branches beneath them, should i cut them off too and if so do i cut them in the same place or just chop the leaf off?!

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers

Don't chop any leaves off. If your lower branches are being unproductive you could take a razor blade and cut it flush with the main stem. There are other ways to help these low branches though, such as using side-lighting.

Cheers mate, side lighting sounds interesting but i probably ought to get the extreme basics down packed before i start getting ahead of myself!

t-8 fluoros work pretty good for side lighting

If you want to get the basics down first then try the side lighting. There are many many opinions on the trimming of lower branches but the main thing to remember that nature put them there for a reason. Even the small branches help give the plant energy to grow the plant. Most people IMHO cut these branches and think wow more light! More light for what? if you cut the branches and leaves off of the bottom of the plant the light has nothing to work with, the light is only good if you have leaves for them to interact with. Take your time learning the basics, how the plant grows naturally, where and when it might give you a chance to take a leaf without adversely effecting your plant. Patience and reading are going to be your biggest assets in growing properly. Happy Growing

cutting the lower branches is a great idea if you dont have side light or a light mover.those branches will steal energy used to flower the tops and more important parts of your plant.nature did put those branches there for a reason BUT mother nature does alot of stuff for a reason.mother nature provides your plants with 300PPM of natural co2 but optimum co2 level is 1500PPM ,so dont get caught up in all that mother nature does it this way bullshit.cutting lower branches WILL increase your size of buds and yeild...good luck.

Appreciate all the advice guys although I'm definitely outta my depth here weighing up the pros and cons of your different opinions so i guess i just need to experiment a bit! Are side lights expensive? Anyone got a photo of what they look like cause I'm just picturing a normal light but on its side?

drew k.420 said:

cutting the lower branches is a great idea if you dont have side light or a light mover.those branches will steal energy used to flower the tops and more important parts of your plant.nature did put those branches there for a reason BUT mother nature does alot of stuff for a reason.mother nature provides your plants with 300PPM of natural co2 but optimum co2 level is 1500PPM ,so dont get caught up in all that mother nature does it this way bullshit.cutting lower branches WILL increase your size of buds and yeild...good luck.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say this means that 1500 ppm is the 'optimum' level. It isn't as if mother nature is providing carbon dioxide solely for cannabis plants. The levels vary with location even outdoors, where it is typically more like 350 ppm. Different plants are capable of handling different levels of carbon dioxide. If all other factors are beyond adequate, more carbon dioxide will speed up growth. However, I have heard from more than one source that so far as cannabis is concerned carbon dioxide may speed up growth and even increase yield (biomass) but in turn it will reduce potency.

Side lighting is any type of appropriate lighting: compact fluorescents, tube fluorescent, or even HPS/MH lights in the lower wattages. The purpose of these lights is to provide light on the side. The light isn't necessarily on its side, although horizontal lighting is ideal in most instances for this. These supplement light for the lower branches, sides of the plant.
It is necessary indoors due to the inverse square law as pertains to light. This has to due with how light shining on an object from fixed distances will fade exponentially. Do some research on it if you're interested, it is practical knowledge for growing.