Please help, I want to Top indoor plants but I'm scared because I never have

The videos online aren't good enough for me to have confidence in topping without making a mistake. I have pruners, I have indoor tent with no pathogens and a sterile environment, I just don't know what part to cut. They said 5th node, I thought you just cut the main stalk of the plant up top? I'm so confused. Can anyone record a home video of them doing it if they are planning to and please show me better and any better explanations will help but I really need a video or pic of the exact spot because I just don't understand the exact location the videos online show.. no matter how many times I rewind it. I wish I had a grower to show me in person.

Can you drop a pic of the plant in question?
Show me the plant, and I'll give suggestion on where to cut. It's different for each plant, some at 3, some at 6.

You'll want to wait until your plant has at least 5 nodes, and you should almost never top below the 3rd node.
Besides that you can whenever you want and which ever node you want based off of how you want to structure the plant.

Can't make a mistake in that sense, the only 2 mistakes that can be made, are topping a auto too late and topping a photo without giving adequate growth time before flower. Doesn't matter what node you take just keep in mind once the top is removed itll stop growing yes you'll turn one shoot into to however you wont grow anymore main sites. You'll have 2 main sites per node one on each side of stalk.

What's the mystery? Snip the stem just above the last node you want to keep. In my case, I grow to 6 nodes then snip so that I have 4 left. From there I clear out the bottom node or two then LST train out the ones I've got left.

LeastExpectedGrower said:

What's the mystery? Snip the stem just above the last node you want to keep. In my case, I grow to 6 nodes then snip so that I have 4 left. From there I clear out the bottom node or two then LST train out the ones I've got left.

Click to expand...

Why not just snip after the 4th node comes in? Why wait until 2 more show. And why can't you get rid of bottom 2 nodes before you snip at 4th? Or does it not matter. Imo they would just keep taking nutrients from the nodes you want to keep? There's no fan leaves for energy providing from the bottom 2 nodes anyways right? Just curious.

cousinsmooth said:

Why not just snip after the 4th node comes in? Why wait until 2 more show. And why can't you get rid of bottom 2 nodes before you snip at 4th? Or does it not matter. Imo they would just keep taking nutrients from the nodes you want to keep? There's no fan leaves for energy providing from the bottom 2 nodes anyways right? Just curious.

Click to expand...

The bottom of your plant is going to grow tiny popcorn buds. Best to cull everything past a certain point and let the rest of the plant use the energy, plus, it let's air flow beneath the canopy, which helps prevent pathogen issues.

When plants get to where I want in growth I'll just pinch tops off in between nodes before it has a chance to grow and stalk out. I've went from 6 nodes to 4 nodes all that and more. That works if you kinda slack and miss the opportunity or it shoots up quick missing your opportunity to top at preferred node and growth. For me just pinching off top node I want gone works effortlessly. You dont need anything or you could leave everything, it's all trial and error in finding what you like and what works for you. You really cant go wrong as long as its fed and roots are happy.

cousinsmooth said:

Why not just snip after the 4th node comes in? Why wait until 2 more show. And why can't you get rid of bottom 2 nodes before you snip at 4th? Or does it not matter. Imo they would just keep taking nutrients from the nodes you want to keep? There's no fan leaves for energy providing from the bottom 2 nodes anyways right? Just curious.

Click to expand...

I wait a bit because it gives the plant more time for root growth and/or additional foliage to grow. I don't top and then trim out the other parts at the same time. I top, then I go back a few days later and if everyone looks pretty happy, I start 'editing' the plant. I'll often do that in a few rounds.

then once I've trained the nodes out horizontally, I re-top those branches at about the 3rd node on each branch to terminate them and also remove some of the other uprights along the way.

Topped & Training:


Re-topped on the axial branches and the stuff in the middle trimmed out except for a few verticals:



This ends up giving 10-12 main colas to work with.

A few days for recovery:



And a bit later on after 12/12 with some stretching:


Nodes 1 & 2 are long removed. Nodes 3 & 4 are offset pairs of branches, each with two verticals, then I've left a couple of the branching nodes and topped them so they each have 2 verticals.

LeastExpectedGrower said:

I wait a bit because it gives the plant more time for root growth and/or additional foliage to grow. I don't top and then trim out the other parts at the same time. I top, then I go back a few days later and if everyone looks pretty happy, I start 'editing' the plant. I'll often do that in a few rounds.

then once I've trained the nodes out horizontally, I re-top those branches at about the 3rd node on each branch to terminate them and also remove some of the other uprights along the way.

Topped & Training:
View attachment 5139518

Re-topped on the axial branches and the stuff in the middle trimmed out except for a few verticals:

View attachment 5139522

This ends up giving 10-12 main colas to work with.

A few days for recovery:

View attachment 5139524

And a bit later on after 12/12 with some stretching:
View attachment 5139525

Nodes 1 & 2 are long removed. Nodes 3 & 4 are offset pairs of branches, each with two verticals, then I've left a couple of the branching nodes and topped them so they each have 2 verticals.

Click to expand...

THX!!! Can't wait to try this on my next grow. My current grow is drying I harvested a couple days ago. That's why I don't have any pics. I'm just curious for my next grow because I definitely want to try this since it boosts yield so I've heard. Thank you so much again. I understand now topping is just a fancy word for pruning the top main stalk of the plant so that it grows on an even level horizontally and gives more nutrients to the horizontal branches beneath the main middle stalk where the plant was cut/pruned/topped. Am I correct?

cousinsmooth said:

THX!!! Can't wait to try this on my next grow. My current grow is drying I harvested a couple days ago. That's why I don't have any pics. I'm just curious for my next grow because I definitely want to try this since it boosts yield so I've heard. Thank you so much again. I understand now topping is just a fancy word for pruning the top main stalk of the plant so that it grows on an even level horizontally and gives more nutrients to the horizontal branches beneath the main middle stalk where the plant was cut/pruned/topped. Am I correct?

Click to expand...

Yes. One of the things it does is short circuit the plants' genetics that give it a single dominant stalk or cola, and you get more even growth and development of the other branches/colas. I've tried just using LST/HST to tie down that one big main, and it really led to wonky height plant shape...so this is just easier for me. Also, I was a bit more attentive since this plant is if not straight sativa, heavily so and I was expecting a lot of vertical growth and stretch and wanted to minimize that for my tent. So far, that has worked (along with giving a good amount of light early on to keep the nodes tightly spaced) and both plants are in the 2-3 foot range 4th week in flower. I have plenty more upward room should they need it.

LeastExpectedGrower said:

Yes. One of the things it does is short circuit the plants' genetics that give it a single dominant stalk or cola, and you get more even growth and development of the other branches/colas. I've tried just using LST/HST to tie down that one big main, and it really led to wonky height plant shape...so this is just easier for me. Also, I was a bit more attentive since this plant is if not straight sativa, heavily so and I was expecting a lot of vertical growth and stretch and wanted to minimize that for my tent. So far, that has worked (along with giving a good amount of light early on to keep the nodes tightly spaced) and both plants are in the 2-3 foot range 4th week in flower. I have plenty more upward room should they need it.

Click to expand...

Nice!!! Well said! I guess I technically topped my harvested grow because I vegged for too long and it grew into the lights so I literally topped it and cut it in half LMAO. But then again it didn't change much since I did just before 2nd week of flowering just before yield gets effected.. I'm sure that's the benefits of topping are much better earlier on and with lst for horizontal growth. I just felt like all I did was save my plant, not get any benefits from topping so late.

cousinsmooth said:

Nice!!! Well said! I guess I technically topped my harvested grow because I vegged for too long and it grew into the lights so I literally topped it and cut it in half LMAO. But then again it didn't change much since I did just before 2nd week of flowering just before yield gets effected.. I'm sure that's the benefits of topping are much better earlier on and with lst for horizontal growth. I just felt like all I did was save my plant, not get any benefits from topping so late.

Click to expand...

I've had some Ca/Mg issues this time around and a little tip-burn, probably because of moving to a new water/feed system, but overall the plants don't seem to care much about the topping/pruning. This is what the tops look like in week 4 of flower with a strain that should go 60+ days flowering:

A few pics if they help. First one is a young untopped plant, if I were to top I'd cut at the line shown. Second pic is a recently topped plant, notice the increased side branch growth trying to become the new tops as the now 2 new growth tips develope at the node you just cut.

Another reason I like to to early is to give the main stem a chance to bulk up before the plant becomes too lenky

Left: larkspur was topped. Right: not topped.

I mean, let's just discuss what topping does for overall flower production, LOOK AT THAT DIFFERENCE. I told my wife if I see more larkspur pop up, I'm gona top em all.

edit-in: we got some pinks ones, too

oodawg said:

A few pics if they help. First one is a young untopped plant, if I were to top I'd cut at the line shown. Second pic is a recently topped plant, notice the increased side branch growth trying to become the new tops as the now 2 new growth tips develope at the node you just cut.
View attachment 5139549View attachment 5139550

Click to expand...

So after topping, the 2 new growth tips where you topped just magically appear? How long after topping until they come out? Also I'm sure you have to leave a half inch of the node or so? I imagine if you cut it too short that the growth tips won't come out?

cousinsmooth said:

So after topping, the 2 new growth tips where you topped just magically appear? How long after topping until they come out? Also I'm sure you have to leave a half inch of the node or so? I imagine if you cut it too short that the growth tips won't come out?

Click to expand...

Yup, you'll usually see them start the next day or so. Just like if the one top kept growing you'd have 2 growth tips start at that node eventually. Topping pretty much just stops the plant from having one apical dominant tip.

I mean you don't want to cut the plant right in the middle of the node but you don't need a half inch of stalk above the node to top. Ive pinched em pretty close. You got the right idea though.

I've seen 3 or more new top shoots protrude out of a F&$# I Missed or topped site...

I just topped my week or so old seedlings, lol.

Truth be told, I have a habit of topping every single tip on the entire plants, for the entire time until they bud. I don't miss very often either. I like big bushes

This is about the size plant i like to top, while still in solo cups. It makes LST significantly easier when they get up-potted.