8 cola getting ready to flip question

HowardC · Aug 9, 2025

This is my 2nd grow. It's my first attempt to manifold a plant.. My first grow had tons of larf and I'm trying to go 180 from that horror scene so I am mainlining 3 plants.
One was started from a clone so it's a couple of weeks ahead of the seed starts and I want to flip it soon. My question is about the nodes that grow along side of the main branch nodes (8). These can be seen in the close up photo. Do I remove any of these or are these going to become part of the bud producing colas? Am I robbing myself by removing these tiny nodes?

THCosmic · Aug 9, 2025

I use the rule of thirds. Top third of the plant will be your canopy, only remove fan leaves blocking light from other bud sites that you are unable to tuck behind the bud sites. Middle third will be fan leaves to capture any light penetrating the canopy and will be used later in flowering as batteries for bud growth, all small newly developed branches are pruned. Bottom third is barren, everything removed.

If it looks like a bud site will be able to catch up to the canopy, then let it grow. You can always train the bud sites at canopy height to lower the canopy small amounts at a time. That node in question looks very health and should be able to catch up to canopy height easily. I would keep it and any others like it. That will be more good bud.

Edit: Wanted to mention the main reason I keep the bottom third barren. It is for air flow. You can have a lower fan push air upwards. This prevents the leaves sticking together from their perspiration lowering the risk of any mold related diseases.

JIMKSI64 · Aug 9, 2025

I would not clip anything until after stretch. If you have experience with the stretch on this pheno and it is not much that would change my mind but holy cow I had a white widow with some early fluff 14 inches down and by lifting it up into the light I got 6 more viable tops by week 4 flower.
My thumb rule is after the stretch any bud site under 35k lux for photo 12 12 and under 25 k for autos at 18-6 gets pulled.

HowardC · Aug 9, 2025

JIMKSI64 said:
I would not clip anything until after stretch. If you have experience with the stretch on this pheno and it is not much that would change my mind but holy cow I had a white widow with some early fluff 14 inches down and by lifting it up into the light I got 6 more viable tops by week 4 flower.
My thumb rule is after the stretch any bud site under 35k lux for photo 12 12 and under 25 k for autos at 18-6 gets pulled.

How would I compare lux to ppfd in your scenario?
For clarification I'm not asking about removing leaves. Just concerned about the nodes and if removing some helps or hurts. I don't want more than 8 colas.
Thanks

dankstranger · Aug 10, 2025

This looks like a clean first manifold. Nice work moving away from that bushy mess. Since you're aiming for a true 8-cola mainline, those tiny laterals popping at each main's nodes are basically suckers. If you leave them, you'll creep past 8 tops and siphon energy. If you remove them, the plant focuses on your eight spears. From your pics and notes, you're on track to prune those out.

Here's how I'd run it:

Before flip (or right at flip): Keep only the terminal tips of your 8 mains. Strip the undercarriage: growth on undersides of mains and anything below the manifold. Leave fan leaves unless they're blocking a bud site you're keeping. Tuck first, snip last.

During stretch (days 7-14): If a side shoot races to canopy height, you can keep it, but that makes it a 9th or 10th top. You said "8 only," so be ruthless and remove extras. Gently tie and level the 8 tips so the canopy stays even.

After stretch (day 21): Do the final lollipop: bottom third barren for airflow, middle third support leaves, top third bud sites. Then stop heavy pruning and just leaf-tuck.

On the lux vs PPFD thing: quick rule for white LEDs is PPFD ≈ lux / 65. So 35k lux ≈ 500-600 µmol/m²/s. If a site is well under that after stretch, it usually ends up airy. Good candidate to remove.

Bottom line: For a clean 8-cola mainline, remove the tiny node laterals on the mains, set the structure just before/at flip, let the stretch show you what can truly keep up, then do a last cleanup around day 21 and ride it out. Airflow down low, even canopy up top. You've got this.

HowardC · Aug 10, 2025

dankstranger said:
This looks like a clean first manifold. Nice work moving away from that bushy mess. Since you're aiming for a true 8-cola mainline, those tiny laterals popping at each main's nodes are basically suckers. If you leave them, you'll creep past 8 tops and siphon energy. If you remove them, the plant focuses on your eight spears. From your pics and notes, you're on track to prune those out.

Here's how I'd run it:

Before flip (or right at flip): Keep only the terminal tips of your 8 mains. Strip the undercarriage: growth on undersides of mains and anything below the manifold. Leave fan leaves unless they're blocking a bud site you're keeping. Tuck first, snip last.

During stretch (days 7-14): If a side shoot races to canopy height, you can keep it, but that makes it a 9th or 10th top. You said "8 only," so be ruthless and remove extras. Gently tie and level the 8 tips so the canopy stays even.

After stretch (day 21): Do the final lollipop: bottom third barren for airflow, middle third support leaves, top third bud sites. Then stop heavy pruning and just leaf-tuck.

On the lux vs PPFD thing: quick rule for white LEDs is PPFD ≈ lux / 65. So 35k lux ≈ 500-600 µmol/m²/s. If a site is well under that after stretch, it usually ends up airy. Good candidate to remove.

Bottom line: For a clean 8-cola mainline, remove the tiny node laterals on the mains, set the structure just before/at flip, let the stretch show you what can truly keep up, then do a last cleanup around day 21 and ride it out. Airflow down low, even canopy up top. You've got this.

Wow! This is gold. Thank you.
I'm confused about at what point will the branches stop putting out the nodes? My understanding is that eight colas will be eight large buds. Is this correct? I'm more interested in a lot less trimming than I am quantity.

Galgrows · Aug 10, 2025

Hi Howard in my experience with growing those nodes will stop pushing out stems/leaf later in flower. You may always get some small attempt of plant trying to repair an grow but it really slows down mid flower and you can keep plucking or leave them for now and continue what your doing, cut them off later 3-4wks into flower. During veg they'll just continue trying to repair an grow.

8 cola getting ready to flip question

8 cola getting ready to flip question

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8 cola getting ready to flip question

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