Help with mainlining + other general questions

[shittygrower69]

Hi everyone,
it’s my second grow (first photoperiod grow i did an auto last time)
I decided to try mainlining but now i’m pretty confused what to do from here. as you can see from the video the plants have like stems coming from the sides and stuff and i’m just not sure if im supposed to chop those off or not. Isn’t each branch just supposed to have the 1 main cola thing? I have no idea what i’m doing

Also second question, when should I top again? i think i’ve only done it twice i can’t remember though. How many total colas do I want? If i chop of the little side ones should I then top again?

Also let me knnow if you see any issues/have advice about my setup, I know it’s kinda janky

My plants (left is white widow right is wedding cake) are in 7gal fabric pots with a sf1000 and some random $40 600w light from amazon for a total power draw of 200w. (is that too low?)
temp is on the high side at 85 sometimes reaching 90
humidity usually 50ish but yesterday i moved the hygrometer and it went to like 70 idk (is temp and rh too high?) i also put in a dehumidifier last night so we’ll see what that does. its not a smart one or anything its just always running.

Id really appreciate any help/advice!!

 

[deerman12]

I had this light for my first grow. It was ok but small harvest and marginal looking buds. ViparSpectre and Mars Hydro both are good reasonable choices, there are many great brands of lights. I would suggest to spend as much money on a light that you can afford. You will not be sorry.

 

[shittygrower69]

I had this light for my first grow. It was ok but small harvest and marginal looking buds. ViparSpectre and Mars Hydro both are good reasonable choices, there are many great brands of lights. I would suggest to spend as much money on a light that you can afford. You will not be sorry.

do you mean the sf 1000? or the generic light

 

[deerman12]

This is what I am using with great results. There many really good lights available SF1000 is really 100 watts. More wattage and better lights produce better buds. These have worked well for me. Just my opinion. There are a lot of lights more expensive and better than mine. My goal was not to spend more than $1000 total since it is a hobby.

 

[shittygrower69]

Ok thanks. Do you have any advice about the mainlining part?

This is what I am using with great results. There many really good lights available SF1000 is really 100 watts. More wattage and better lights produce better buds. These have worked well for me. Just my opinion. There are a lot of lights more expensive and better than mine. My goal was not to spend more than $1000 total since it is a hobby.
View attachment 2217614View attachment 2217616

This is what I am using with great results. There many really good lights available SF1000 is really 100 watts. More wattage and better lights produce better buds. These have worked well for me. Just my opinion. There are a lot of lights more expensive and better than mine. My goal was not to spend more than $1000 total since it is a hobby.
View attachment 2217614View attachment 2217616

 

[BB22]

This is a mainline video that @Imzzaudae posted. I think it’s helpful.

 

[deerman12]

I grow mainly autos because they are fast, so I don't do much more than remove a few extras leaves to allow more light to get through to the flower. I am not a mainline expert. I usually a scrog next when I grow photos.

 

[AZreefer]

Those plants been cut a second time? If so youre done topping. Form here it looks like you nailed it. Im no expert. Hell ive only done it once. But yours is looking good. How many node you have on each tip? Hard to tell on my shitty phone.

 

[shittygrower69]

@AZreefer I’ve topped twice yeah. I think it’s about 5 nodes per stem? maybe a 1-2 more on stems branching from lower. Isn’t the point of mainlining though that i’m growing colas only on the main stems? I don’t know if this is correct at all but should I chop off the little side growths so plant focuses on the main stems? You don’t think I should top a third time? I have 8 main stems right now but I think it’d be good to double that to 16. but i’m new to this so I don’t know!

 

[AZreefer]

So on the stems you currently have poking out new branches is where your colas are forming from now. You have 2 colas per node reaching upwards now. Dont chop on those unless you want to thin out your mainline. If you currently have 5 nodes per stem thats 10. 10 colas per stem currently. I think thats too much.

 

[shittygrower69]

So on the stems you currently have poking out new branches is where your colas are forming from now. You have 2 colas per node reaching upwards now. Dont chop on those unless you want to thin out your mainline. If you currently have 5 nodes per stem thats 10. 10 colas per stem currently. I think thats too much.

so what would you recommend I do? I’m not sure I fully understand what you mean, sorry. You think I should cut a few off because 10 is too much? wouldn’t that lower my yield?

 

[AZreefer]

So ive never done a side by side myself. But ive followed a few growers that have increased their cola number to 32 or more beside a plant left mainlined at 8 cola. Ive only concerned myself with those that have done this in a tent with a similar setup to myself ( a 750w or bigger light). The yeild on the plants with more than 8 cola dont seem super impressive for my own personal gain. Im talking ive not seen a difference of more than a few oz per plant even with 2x as many colas. Im not sure if this is universal but i have seen this result with more than 1 grower in an indoor setting with a really big light.

So for real solid advise, the absolute best i can give you is watch a few more grow videos about it from start to harvest. See how a sucessful run is topped and defoliated. And then once you understand the strucure you are going for then trim your plant to look like that.

You have the mainline structure set. You need to look at the new growth to see where the nodes are. These new branches are going to be your colas. You dont really need more than 2 nodes.....

Ummmm. Youre close. Lol. I could point this out to you if i were there.

@Captspaulding

This guy is a mainline master. Make your shit look like his. Just use that.

 

[shittygrower69]

So ive never done a side by side myself. But ive followed a few growers that have increased their cola number to 32 or more beside a plant left mainlined at 8 cola. Ive only concerned myself with those that have done this in a tent with a similar setup to myself ( a 750w or bigger light). The yeild on the plants with more than 8 cola dont seem super impressive for my own personal gain. Im talking ive not seen a difference of more than a few oz per plant even with 2x as many colas. Im not sure if this is universal but i have seen this result with more than 1 grower in an indoor setting with a really big light.

So for real solid advise, the absolute best i can give you is watch a few more grow videos about it from start to harvest. See how a sucessful run is topped and defoliated. And then once you understand the strucure you are going for then trim your plant to look like that.

You have the mainline structure set. You need to look at the new growth to see where the nodes are. These new branches are going to be your colas. You dont really need more than 2 nodes.....

Ummmm. Youre close. Lol. I could point this out to you if i were there.

@Captspaulding

This guy is a mainline master. Make your shit look like his. Just use that.

I found this video from HyperactiveHighs that says to "wait for the third and fourth node to grow and then you're going to cut above the third node. You're gonna remove the lower nodes and let the plant recover. This would bring you to 16 tops. Then do this again for 32." He says going above 32 or 64 will just end up with smaller buds. Does this sound right? You say I don't need more than 2 nodes so you agree I should cut the lower ones off but leave 2? I think I do want to top again for 16 total main colas.
This video also says to lower every node under the main tip.

 

[AZreefer]

I would agree with the smaller buds with too many colas based on what ive read. With my current grow ive got a few i lined up 12 colas but thats the max im putting on a single plant.

I topped to the 3rd node and then topped to the 4th node. On some plants i cleaned off everything except 2 nodes on each arm for 8 cola

How are you topping and training?

Mainlining with LST seems very popular. Ive been watching pod casts intended for pros (way out of my league but some topics translate to hobby level) and topping seems to be a huge point of interest for the pros. They seem to get very excited when discussing this ive noticed. Some swear on no...

www.thcfarmer.com

i dunno if i linked this right but thats a good thread with good info.