Welcome to the cannabis school for new growers section. In this section you can ask and get answers to questions about growing cannabis. Whether you are are new to growing cannabis or thinking about getting into the hobby, there are no silly questions so ask away. To become part of our online cannabis growing community click here to register.
Topping of cannabis plants is a method used by growers to increase the amount of "tops" on a cannabis plant. It's normally used alongside other training methods to maximise a growers yield from their grow area. Each top will form into bud during the flowering cycle of your grow. More tops will generally mean more buds/cannabis flowers.
Topping a plant will promote 2 new tops to grow where 1 would have been. Topping can be repeated many times in a grow and is not limited to only the top of the plant. I will top every part of my plants during the veg stage. If I top a plant 4 times I will have 8 a new tops, if i top them 8 new tops i will have 16 new tops etc.
When to top a cannabis plant
It's important to remember that when topping a plant it will need time to recover. For this reason topping, as with most heavy training methods, is done during the vegetative part of your grow.
It is generally accepted that the best time to top your plants for the first time is after the first node. Nodes are sets of leaves and branches that grow from the main stem of the plant. Once your plant has produced 4 of these it's time to top for the first time.
As I mentioned above a plant may be topped repeatedly through out the veg stage of your grow. If you plan to top several times it's good to allow 2 nodes between each round of topping.
How many times you top a plant depends greatly on your growing style and the time you wish to finish your grow in. A topped plant needs time to recover before flower kicks in, a topped plant you wish to top again is best allowed to grow some between rounds of topping.
How to top a cannabis plant
First you want to locate the area/areas of the plant you wish to top. Some growers will only want to do this once so they will top the main stem only.some growers will want to top repeatedly and all over.
The only tool needed to top a plant is a sharp set of scissors. I prefer to use thin nose scissors. Thin nose bud trimming scissors work great.
My choice of scissors, these are widely available and cheap. Very good for harvesting to.
Here you can see a top of a cannabis plant. The 2 smaller sets of leaves will become 2 tops.
Cut along here.
Be very careful not to damage the growth either side of the stem you are cutting.
You have finished topping your cannabis plant. You can see the 2 new tops here, they will now grow towards your light.
I would just like to add that topping is a great way to organise your canopy and spread your nodes evenly for a better crop incorporating LST and topping. It's become fairly standard practice to top the main stem to allow 4 main branches, but for the second stage topping it's worth having 5 nodes with atleast an inch of inter node
This just works out to a even plate canopy which is regularly spaced enabling sufficient airflow and light to each developing node site and its growth tips
I would just like to add that topping is a great way to organise your canopy and spread your nodes evenly for a better crop incorporating LST and topping. It's become fairly standard practice to top the main stem to allow 4 main branches, but for the second stage topping it's worth having 5 nodes with atleast an inch of inter node
This just works out to a even plate canopy which is regularly spaced enabling sufficient airflow and light to each developing node site and its growth tips
translated from the bongo of the canna jungle
I agree, i go into this it the linked LST guide. I love topping and beating my plants into my desired shape. But i gotta say it is very nice to see a plant grow into a natural shape, its not as efficient especially for indoor growers but its becoming a rare sight these days. Mon the Christmas tree canna plant.
These users thanked the author Keeno for the post:
Topping of cannabis plants is a method used by growers to increase the amount of "tops" on a cannabis plant. Its normally used alongside other training methods to maximise a growers yield from their grow area. Each top will form into bud during the flowering cycle of your grow. More tops will generally mean more buds/cannabis flowers.
Topping a plant will promote 2 new tops to grow where 1 would have. Topping can be repeated many times in a grow and is not limited to only the top of the plant. I will top every part of my plants during the veg stage. If I top a plant 4 times I will have 8 a new tops, if i top them 8 new tops i will have 16 new tops etc.
When to top a cannabis plant
It's important to remember that when topping a plant the plant will need to recover. For this reason topping as with most heavy training methods is done during the vegetative part of your grow.
It is generally accepted that the best time to top your plants for the first time is after the first node. Nodes are sets of leaves and branches that grow from the main stem of the plant. Once your plant has produced 4 of these it's time to top for the first time.
As I mentioned above a plant may be topped repeatedly through out the veg stage of your grow. If you plan to top several times it's good to allow 2 nodes between each round of topping.
How many times you top a plant depends greatly on your growing style and the time you wish to finish your grow in. A topped plant needs time to recover before flower kicks in, a topped plant you wish to top again is best allowed to grow some between rounds of topping.
How to top a cannabis plant
First you want to locate the area/areas of the plant you wish to top. Some growers will only want to do this once so they will top the main stem only.some growers will want to top repeatedly and all over.
The only tool needed to top a plant is a sharp set of scissors. I prefer to use thin nose scissors. Thin nose bud trimming scissors work great.
My choice of scissors, these are widely available and cheap. Very good for harvesting to.
Here you can see a top of a cannabis plant. The 2 smaller sets of leaves will become 2 tops.
Cut along here.
Be very careful not to damage the growth either side of the stem you are cutting.
You have finished topping your cannabis plant. You can see the 2 new tops here, they will now grow towards your light.
Thanks j thought you could only do this a few times as it would stress the plant..but now I know I can do it a bunch and get lots of top crown buds cheers mate
These users thanked the author Wayne36 for the post (total 2):
Keeno (Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:52 pm) • Son Goku XD (Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:04 pm)
@Keeno I think the title should be "A guide for topping photo-period cannabis plants" as it more accurately reflects the subject. The rules are different for autos.
Never give advice. Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it.