Main-Lined plant. Cut tons of new shoots before flip?

Hi,

I have a main-lined plant that's been vegging for over 3 months as an experiment. Now, it's ready to be flipped. My goal is to harvest 8 nice long and big colas from the 8 main branches as the result of mainlining.

However, at every single node, there are new shoots coming out that's becoming mini branches. I was wondering whether I should cut these little shoots/branches before flipping to 12/12. The reason for my concern is once the plant is in flowering, all of the little shoots will stretch and thus have flowers too but since these small branches won't grow long, the buds/flowers on them won't be as big or good. Additionally, the smaller flowers from these small branches would probably take away resources from the 8 big colas. I am referring to the small shoots/branches from the top of the canopy down to the lower third of the plant. Please see attached photo with the red circle. Should I remove all of these?

BTW, I will be cutting all of the lower branches at the bottom of the main-line off for clones before I flip.

Thanks!

Update: Add more info. I am vegging/flowering under hybrid lighting and environment of outdoor and indoor. I will bring the plant out to bask in the sun on good days and put it in the tent for supplemental lighting or on cloudy/rainy day. But I am thinking that in late flowering, I will most likely keep her indoor more for more control. So, I need to control the canopy somewhat. If this is a 100% outdoor, I would probably put her in a bigger container and let her branch out like mad and grow bigger. The plant is currently about 1.5 foot tall from the top of the soil.

I wimped out and let the side shoots grow. The idea is yes, cut everything except your 8 mains and send all the nutrients and energy there. I let the strong looking side shoots grow and cut the small stuff. I ended up throwing a scrog net over it and had sort of a manifold scrog, good harvest though. I'd be careful bringing outside plants into the grow room. Too each their own, but I'm too worried about pests hitching a ride into your clean space. Some of them are not visible to the eye.

SheeshM said:

I wimped out and let the side shoots grow. The idea is yes, cut everything except your 8 mains and send all the nutrients and energy there. I let the strong looking side shoots grow and cut the small stuff. I ended up throwing a scrog net over it and had sort of a manifold scrog, good harvest though. I'd be careful bringing outside plants into the grow room. Too each their own, but I'm too worried about pests hitching a ride into your clean space. Some of them are not visible to the eye.

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SheeshM,

Thank you for expressing our experience from your mainline growth. Yeh, I am not sure what is to come with a ton of the small shoots that are coming out of every node on the main 8 branches so that's why I created this thread. Glad you chimed in. I will go ahead and cut maybe 5 or so shoots/branches every few days, to lessen plant shock, until they are all gone before I flip. Note that I will not remove the bud sites. I am only cutting the shoots and branches.

With regards to outside/inside hybrid environment, thanks for the warning. I am cognizant of pest issue with bringing outdoor plant into the tent; however, the other plants I am growing are also being brought inside/outside too. The plants got neem seed meal mixed in the soil for systemic pest management and I am spraying them weekly with neem seed meal seeped in water (instead of using neem oil) while they are in veg. So far, the pest have not come yet.

I had the same problem as you.. and as you said, it does seem to strip nutrients from the top you would think anyhow..I decided to chop them and keep the fan leaves... anything that’s shooting away from the main stalks.. I clipped... hated too but the idea here was no larf...now as the buds are growing into each other and stacking.. things appear a lot cleaner..in actuality, to me it was pruning, which in turn may have equaled a lower yield..I’m trying to get 4: 3 gallon pots in a 3x3 with 6-8 tops each... 24-32 tops... 1-2 lbs...prolly end up with 10 zips smdh...

The plant has no problem supplying nutes to the entire plant if you are feeding and watering properly. The side buds will get larger. If you have the light I would leave them. Make good BHO or press for rosin or bubble hash.

hotrodharley said:

The plant has no problem supplying nutes to the entire plant if you are feeding and watering properly. The side buds will get larger. If you have the light I would leave them. Make good BHO or press for rosin or bubble hash.

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I understand that the side buds will get larger but probably not A grade. And I do have the light, 3 x Quantum Board QB288 in a 4x2 tent. This tent is also housing a couple of other autoflowers. I don't know whether you have tried mainlining before, but the whole purpose is to get 8 big arse colas and no larfs or small buds. Additionally, if one cut off all the small branches and shoots, one would not have to manage the canopy at all as everything is spaced out and symmetrical, according to the whole point of mainlining.

unfiltered said:

I understand that the side buds will get larger but probably not A grade. And I do have the light, 3 x Quantum Board QB288 in a 4x2 tent. This tent is also housing a couple of other autoflowers. I don't know whether you have tried mainlining before, but the whole purpose is to get 8 big arse colas and no larfs or small buds. Additionally, if one cut off all the small branches and shoots, one would not have to manage the canopy at all as everything is spaced out and symmetrical, according to the whole point of mainlining.

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I supercrop for the same reason. Topping 3 times early leaves 8 branches but I shape it like the spokes on a wheel so yeah I do understand. Personal choices.

Hempire828 said:

I had the same problem as you.. and as you said, it does seem to strip nutrients from the top you would think anyhow..I decided to chop them and keep the fan leaves... anything that’s shooting away from the main stalks.. I clipped... hated too but the idea here was no larf...now as the buds are growing into each other and stacking.. things appear a lot cleaner..in actuality, to me it was pruning, which in turn may have equaled a lower yield..I’m trying to get 4: 3 gallon pots in a 3x3 with 6-8 tops each... 24-32 tops... 1-2 lbs...prolly end up with 10 zips smdh...

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So your final result, after pruning all the small shoots, was just the main colas (i.e. 4,8,16, etc) with flowers stacking from top to bottom without larfs?

These are 4 weeks from flip..so no final result.. I just noticed more energy going to the top.. more air movement. Underneath buds are connecting instead of the extra larfed buds reaching for light... but I suppose I could have keep them and harvested the top 8 and let it sit a bit longer so they got larger.. call it bonus... but yeah I see a neater plant with less trimming overall..I’m thinking more plants in tent with less trim and dry time.

Looks a lot like my last round, I trimmed off all those shoots and ended up with 8 nice colas.

Brettman said:

Looks a lot like my last round, I trimmed off all those shoots and ended up with 8 nice colas.

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Looks good..

Thanks for sharing your experience and nice looking mainline in flowering guys. It's pruning time for me.

Too bad that mainlining adds so much more veg time. I would say an extra month in order to create the desire canopy/structure. How much additional time did it take for you guys?

Your about right... so I started early but for this heat I run sativa dominant... gives the base time to form to hold the stalks...

But now I can get 3-4 plant instead of 1 or 2 bushy ones. I have 5 more by late July to early August they should be ready to flip going into Fall... hopefully baring my carelessness..

Hempire828 said:

Your about right... so I started early but for this heat I run sativa dominant... gives the base time to form to hold the stalks...

But now I can get 3-4 plant instead of 1 or 2 bushy ones. I have 5 more by late July to early August they should be ready to flip going into Fall... hopefully baring my carelessness..

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Yeh, one other nice thing about mainlining is you know exactly the structure of the plant so you can plan the spacing in your tent, that is if you grow indoors.