Slow down girls

So I have a problem that I've never experienced. I am growing some Strawberry Banana and some Blackberry Kush in a grow room and am finding the Blackberry is growing far taller (30%) and thinner than the other girls. I thought I did my due diligence in picking strains but apparently the pheno of this Blackberry or perhaps it is more Sativa dominate.

So, I need to slow down the growth of the Blackberry by about a week so I when I flower they will all be ready height wise. I know I can top a second time slowing them maybe 2-4 days, LST or suppercrop and force them lower.

Are there any other methods to slow a plants growth or keep it shorter a few days outside of the above? I am 3.5 weeks into veg and doing a 5 week veg.

NOTE: The carbon filter is just holding up the exhaust until I can mount it to the ceiling

You don’t want to train them at all?


I’ve heard that switching to flowering nutes early will keep them from stretching but have no idea if that’s true.


it looks like just topping will buy you some time but I’d bet you’re gonna have to do some lst/super cropping eventually if you want an even canopy.

if one is Sativa dominant it’s only going to keep getting farther ahead of the rest faster and faster as it matures.

One easy way to slow growth and increase bushy-ness (besides LST) is simply dropping the hours of daylight. Go to something like 16/8 or 15/9 which usually gets them into pre-flower mode and reduces stretching somewhat later on. The more gradual you do it the less stretching you get in flowering.

Lst is well worth a try and actually pretty easy. Tie off the base of the plant to one side of the pot, then bend the top down to the other side of the pot. Take it slowly so as not to break it. What you are trying to achieve is getting the top below the other nodes - this will confuse the plant and make it thinks its top has been cut off, and every node will then try and become the top (causing bushiness and slowing vertical growth).

All good advise above. Another option is to top all the laterals the day before you switch To 12/12

You just top them.

Thanks everyone. I was wondering about reducing the light by moving them out for 6 hours a day. Might try that.

Why not just supercrop and then tie the branches in place, there is zero downside, plus you'll open up the interior of the plant to more light which will spur the growth of secondary bud sites. The goal should be an even canopy if you want to maximize your harvest and the best way to achieve that is to keep your budsites even from the beginning. I wouldn't mess with their lighting at all.

Rurumo said:

Why not just supercrop and then tie the branches in place, there is zero downside, plus you'll open up the interior of the plant to more light which will spur the growth of secondary bud sites. The goal should be an even canopy if you want to maximize your harvest and the best way to achieve that is to keep your budsites even from the beginning. I wouldn't mess with their lighting at all.

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Actually I had already decided to supercrop. Plus in my experience doing that creates a heavier bud later on. I agree on some LST to keep the canopy even or even SCROG but I have an odd light setup for those 2 plants so wouldn't have good coverage on the outer edges.

If you are a week behind on the others. Top the taller one and within a week it will heal and be on par with the others. Simple and effective with little work on your end.

Wizzlebiz said:

If you are a week behind on the others. Top the taller one and within a week it will heal and be on par with the others. Simple and effective with little work on your end.

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Top the tall one way down and root the thing. Ask @medicaloutlaw for a link to pictures where he's done this.