Did I Top Correctly?

[KaptainKush]

Hey guys, im new to the thread and the scene itself so as the title says, did i top my plants in the right spot? Theyre about a month old and i attempted my first top and am now nervous if i did it too high or in the right spot at all. Its probably more or less me underestimating myself but id rather be cautious than dumb. I personally think i did them one node too high but im no expert by any means. So here they are

 

[dnewsome2]

As far as I know you're supposed to leave a tiny bit and not chop it Too Close to the node. Yours looks fine to me it's pretty hard to hurt them.

 

[KaptainKush]

Ive read that its really tough to hurt them. I just want to make sure that ill still get the double branches out of it or if i just hurt it and will have to redo it once it repairs itself. Thanks for the reply

 

[dnewsome2]

Oh you're definitely going to have two come out. Then you can top those shoots and so on. It's hormones are all freaked out right now but in a few days it should snap out of it and in a week it should start growing rapidly.

 

[Whitesnake]

Looks good to me.

When I top I aim to FIM (Fuck I missed) which means you take most of the new node's leaves but leave a bit like 1/3-1/2 of the node. FIMing still redirects a lot of auxins (plant hormones) to the next highest nodes but you'll still have a node in the middle. So long story short topping removes the apex node and results in 2 apex nodes, FIMing results in 3 apex nodes. Ya dig?

*edit I described how I "FIM" but the article does it a bit differently. the concepts are similar though

http://www.growweedeasy.com/fim-your-way-to-multiple-colas

 

[Whitesnake]

If you're new to the scene and are interested in plant training techniques I'd definitely recommend learning how to safely bend your stems, true LST (low stress training), and supercropping. Bending is definitely an important skill to learn early. I'll look for a good video explaining it if you'd like

 

[dnewsome2]

Looks good to me.

When I top I aim to FIM (Fuck I missed) which means you take most of the new node's leaves but leave a bit like 1/3-1/2 of the node. FIMing still redirects a lot of auxins (plant hormones) to the next highest nodes but you'll still have a node in the middle. So long story short topping removes the apex node and results in 2 apex nodes, FIMing results in 3 apex nodes. Ya dig?

*edit I described how I "FIM" but the article does it a bit differently. the concepts are similar though

http://www.growweedeasy.com/fim-your-way-to-multiple-colas

That's great info.

 

[KaptainKush]

Ive seen a few videos of guys taping one of the leaves to their pots as a part of LST but it wasn't something i was comfortable doing for my first grow. Im gonna top and scrogg this grow and see how i do and go from there

 

[Whitesnake]

Ive seen a few videos of guys taping one of the leaves to their pots as a part of LST but it wasn't something i was comfortable doing for my first grow. Im gonna top and scrogg this grow and see how i do and go from there

Good luck man. It's a really fun learning experience. If you ever end up accidentally breaking a stem don't freak out, just get some duct tape, straighten and set the broken stem on where it broke, and tape it snugly back together. It's important to make sure both the tape and the stem parts are snug. The plant transports nutrients/water by osmotic pressure so if you make a snug relatively airtight seal with the tape and the stems are touching it'll grow together good as new. I've actually broken off a full bottom arm branch (with about 15g of nugs on it about half way through bloom) and taped it back up with support and it grew like nothing had happened. At least I'm pretty sure it's osmotic pressure, either way it works and it's a really easy fix.

I would recommend learning how to bend and supercrop though. With bending and supercropping go slow and kind of pinch and twist to break up the inner cell wall before really getting into it, if you don't break up the inner cell wall with the twist/pinch the stem can be very brittle and be more likely to snap than to bend. Same with supercropping except you want to feel a little crunch. Anyway cannabis is really resilient especially in veg so keep experimenting amigo

 

[KaptainKush]

Much appreciated man. Its been fun so far. Just tranplanted them into 5 gallon grow pots (probably too big for them rn another minor mistake). They seem to be growing well. Its my inexperience that i worry about. Which is why i decided to come to a forum to express my concerns and get tips u cant simply google..

 

[Whitesnake]

Experience is the greatest teacher my friend. Forums are cool but lots of times there's conflicting opinions lol.

5Gal pots are pretty big, I made that mistake my first grow as well and it turned out fine. Do you know how to water/feed?

I've been starting mine from clone in 1gal and transplanting to 3gal's right before flipping to 12/12. I water every 3-4 days although 2-3 would be ideal, a lot of people swear by daily watering but they're likely growing in very very well draining mediums like pure coco coir or hempy buckets (100% perlite). Cannabis likes frequent wet/dry cycles to facilitate root growth and root oxygenation. Overwatering can drown roots and eventually kill the roots which down the line causes nutrient deficiencies. Not to mention overwatering invites soil pests like root rots/fungi and bugs like fungus gnats (although fungus gnats are a fucking joke to deal with, like on a scale of 1-10 they're a 0.5 but still)

 

[KaptainKush]

I have a firm idea on how to feed but of course, not 100% on it. I have the General Hydro nutes. CalMag and all that jazz. Liquid seaweed and molasses.. Right now im watering with phd water, 5mls of CalMag, 4mls of GH vegan plant booster, two drops of GH root enhancer and 2-3 drops of something else i cant remember, all in a 1 gallon container Its made by GH and is suppose to act the same as molasses. I tried liquid seaweed and the molasses bit but it made my water really brown (of course) and i was unable to test the water cause of how brown it turned it. So i didnt use it and pushed those 2to the side. I water when my soil (happy frog) is dry 1 inch below the top

 

[Whitesnake]

Ok sounds like you have a pretty good idea on that front. Happy frog is a pre-amended soil so you could technically feed only water and it'd grow fine. As long as you're waiting for it to dry out a little you're on the right track for sure. I'm running the GH line right now and it's a good starter nutrient company. I'd imagine the "drops" are SuperThrive lol amirite?

Anyway sounds like you're on the right track with watering/feeding for your first grow. Way to grow dude! lol

 

[Whitesnake]

Do you know how to read the plants to see any nute problems asap?

Some nutrients are mobile and some are immobile. Mobile nutrient issues will manifest on lower leaves first and immobile will manifest on new leaves. If you see anything other than green everywhere (except in purple leaf strains) you probably have a problem somehwhere. Might be minor but still the earlier you correct issues the better off you'll be.

Also keep an eye out for pests. You can see the first signs of a pest infestation by looking for "stipling" or little white spots which are actually bites into the leaf. Mildew is also a common problem and that looks like there's a bit of white powder on the leaves.

 

[KaptainKush]

Ok sounds like you have a pretty good idea on that front. Happy frog is a pre-amended soil so you could technically feed only water and it'd grow fine. As long as you're waiting for it to dry out a little you're on the right track for sure. I'm running the GH line right now and it's a good starter nutrient company. I'd imagine the "drops" are SuperThrive lol amirite?

Anyway sounds like you're on the right track with watering/feeding for your first grow. Way to grow dude! lol

Its call floracious plus lol

 

[KaptainKush]

Do you know how to read the plants to see any nute problems asap?

I believe the leaves will start yellowing?

 

[Whitesnake]

I just edited my previous post and added a clutch leaf chart and some infos

 

[KaptainKush]

Okay so basically if it isnt green everywhere then theres an issue.. With that being said, i did notice slight yellowing on the tiny baby leaves at the bottom of the stem on one of them i believe. Close to the stem. Not the whole leaf.

 

[Whitesnake]

Yellowing bottom leaves are a sign of nitrogen deficiency- the plant is cannabilizing the nitrogen (mobile nutrient) in the older growth to give to the newer growth.

Another common one with cannabis is Calcium or Magnesium deficiency. My que to add more CalMag is purpling leaf stems and slight yellowing along the veins of the newer leaves.

 

[Whitesnake]

Some yellowing on lower leaves is natural if the plant is big enough. If you're seeing yellowing on lower leaves and the plant isn't 9-12" tall I'd say step up the nitrogen a little bit.

ALSO - check the plants under natural light, HPS/LED lights give off weird colors and it's hard to really see whats going on

*edit - yellowing leaves after week 4 in flower is ok, as long as it's gradual and not all at once. by harvest it's common for most of the leaves to be yellow although some may stay green the whole grow. my last harvest all of the sugar leaves were still green and it was a decent grow