Can you pinch the meristems of a topped plant to increase yield?

[NateGrows]

Hey!

Dr. Bruce Bugbee recently did an AMA on Reddit discussing cannabis, and the topic of defoliation to increase yield came up.

He said that he doesn't recommend doing much defolation for anything other than air flow -- but he said that pinching the meristem at the very beginning of flower has a noticeable increase in yields.

I'm just wondering, if I wanted to do this; could I do it to a topped plant (pinching both meristems on the same day), or should I skip it considering I've already topped once?

Thank you!(!!!)

 

[SchwiftyGrower]

Hey!

Dr. Bruce Bugbee recently did an AMA on Reddit discussing cannabis, and the topic of defoliation to increase yield came up.

He said that he doesn't recommend doing much defolation for anything other than air flow -- but he said that pinching the meristem at the very beginning of flower has a noticeable increase in yields.

I'm just wondering, if I wanted to do this; could I do it to a topped plant (pinching both meristems on the same day), or should I skip it considering I've already topped once?

Thank you!(!!!)

Following! Intrigued

 

[Zill]

Nate,

Topping the tip of a branch removes terminal bud, apical dominance, allowing development of the lateral buds. Terminal buds produce the plant auxin hormone, IAA. IAA inhibits lateral bud growth. Remove the big bud, no more IAA and now side branches begin to develop buds.

Plan to sacrifice one plant. I think the topping should be done early way before the terminal Bud begins to fill out. Topping is done all the time.

Let’s see what others think…

Zill.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I sometimes prune the top of a plant near the end of stretching before budding begins. I do it to shape the crown. I've done it when plants stretch too much. It did seem to increase the yield. I think the yield improved because there was better light distribution. I basically made the crown of the plant parallel to the plane of the light.

I've read that stretching is the last part of the vegetation stage and not part of the reproduction stage. As such, I assume pruning is still okay during stretch. I haven't pruned after budding began because I've read that that's not a good thing to do, and it makes sense to me.

 

[Zill]

Love,

Last thing cannabis does just prior to initiating flowers is that “ flower stretch”. I’ve seen it in my outdoor plants. It’s rather dramatic how quickly a branch will extend a foot or two.

Zill.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

Last thing cannabis does just prior to initiating flowers is that “ flower stretch”. I’ve seen it in my outdoor plants. It’s rather dramatic how quickly a branch will extend a foot or two.

The stretch is indeed dramatic. I pruned the tops because the plants stretched up to the light. It was the most stretching I've seen so far. It was also a learning opportunity. I cut 6 to 8 inches off the tallest stems and bud formation was surprisingly good. So, pruning during stretching wasn't the end of the world.

 

[Zill]

I wonder what the benefit is to the plant by stretching. Sticking those aromatic flowers out there more for better insect notice. Maybe provides for more flower development. It’s expensive in terms of plant currency but the plant does it every time entering flowering.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I wonder what the benefit is to the plant by stretching. Sticking those aromatic flowers out there more for better insect notice. Maybe provides for more flower development. It’s expensive in terms of plant currency but the plant does it every time entering flowering.

There probably are multiple reasons, all based on the need to reproduce. There surely would be more space for flower development. Cannabis is wind pollinated, so being tall would expose the flowers to more wind and that would be a reproductive advantage. The height might protect the flowers from low-flying or crawling insects. I also suspect they spread their seeds when they fall over, so being tall would help with that, too.

 

[Zill]

Great points! Seed dispersal is huge.

Nice talking wit you!

Zill.

 

[NateGrows]

Hey everyone, thanks for taking the time to check out the thread and leave some interesting replies! Just letting you know it's always appreciated. Legends.