1st Full Size Grow. Is My Canopy Getting Too Thick In Flower?

[Logixcraft]

Hello all, just need some feedback.

I'm running 4 QB324 at 620Watts in a 4x4 space.

I currently have 4 girls in 18litre smartpots and 1 girl in the centre in a 5gallon smartpot testing a different training method.

I'm just wondering if my canopy is getting too thick while in flower and if I need to give the girls a hair cut.

Any suggestions and opinions are all welcome.

The strain I'm growing is
-El Chapo
-Indica dominant hybrid
-Cloned from my mother plant
-LST and Topped. Currently using Tomato cages to keep canopy as level as I can.
-Flipped over to 12/12 n April 14th
-General Hydroponics Flora series Expert feed chart along with some aspirin

 

[Monster762]

Hello all, just need some feedback.

I'm running 4 QB324 at 620Watts in a 4x4 space.

I currently have 4 girls in 18litre smartpots and 1 girl in the centre in a 5gallon smartpot testing a different training method.

I'm just wondering if my canopy is getting too thick while in flower and if I need to give the girls a hair cut.

Any suggestions and opinions are all welcome.

The strain I'm growing is
-El Chapo
-Indica dominant hybrid
-Cloned from my mother plant
-LST and Topped. Currently using Tomato cages to keep canopy as level as I can.
-Flipped over to 12/12 n April 14th
-General Hydroponics Flora series Expert feed chart along with some aspirin


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I flipped 3 days behind you. I would try moving things n exposing budsites first. Any lower lower stuff is just going to waste energy. I would move stuff around and get rid of tiny sucker branches that don’t get light after you move stuff. Don’t be afraid to tie the tops where you want them. Less trauma the better.

Overall answer to your question is yes you need to open it up some for light and good air is just as important. Try tying em around first. And I’d say you can run those lights a little closer. You want it all in flower.
I’m no pro though.

 

[Smerb]

I run into this question in my own head often, The more you chop off the less plant structure to build those lovely buds, the less you chop your heady tops will not be the structure your looking for. Its a fight, you better win it! haha

 

[Smerb]

Final answer, just let em grow! Trim some skirts though

 

[KlipschGuy]

My opinion is No! Don't apply any stress to you're plants. If you was gonna defoliate you should have a day or two before start of bloom. Don't apply any stress to you're plants during the stretch phase man, it will only cause you yield. Don't cut out you're veg nutes till the stretch has ended either around week 5 and using you're bloom nutes as well throughtout, until you final flush. If you do flush!

 

[Planter01]

I've got the same problem OP. My tops are jammed and my roots are bound up but at this point all I'm doing is popping in a few stakes to expose them to as much light as possible. I started with 6x9 coverage with 18 3590 cobbs but Im down to 2/3s of that do to killing a driver. It's a tight fit for nine plants but it looks like the girls will finish and I'm betting yours will be fine as well. Good luck bud.