How full is too full, and lollipopping experience!

OldSchoolest · Dec 21, 2024

Hey guys.

So I’ve always pruned back my plants growing outdoors, and I did the same this first time inside, but I’m not too sure about how much lower growth to remove because I’ve never had to really worry about it before!

So far in week 3 of flower (starting today) I’ve removed any little sucker branches, and anything that isn’t reaching the top, but do you guys continue to remove the little branches that start growing further up until branching stops?

Meaning that there comes a point in early flower when the mains stop growing branches and only grow buds…

Also kind of wondering how full you guys get your tent’s canopy…as much as possible?

Thukah · Dec 21, 2024

I think you have the right idea, If I went light on the lolli popping and start to notice necrosis of lower branches/leaves during flower, I try to snip them if I can reach. Filling out my canopy to the max is always a goal, but managing dense areas and encouraging airflow is a continuous battle.

OldSchoolest · Dec 21, 2024

Yeah the top canopy is super full, and I keep plucking leaves that cover up bud sites, but I just started week 3 today, and still fully in the stretch. So. Just waiting until I know exactly what I am dealing with. This strain has been really all over the map in terms of morphology!

OldOneEye · Dec 21, 2024

Space the final frontier. I tend to fill every inch of space I have. I defoliate so light penetrates.

OldOneEye · Dec 21, 2024

Justlovetogrow · Dec 21, 2024

I lollipop the shit outta mine not right or wrong just my way

Budtirement · Dec 22, 2024

OldSchoolest said:
So far in week 3 of flower (starting today) I’ve removed any little sucker branches, and anything that isn’t reaching the top, but do you guys continue to remove the little branches that start growing further up until branching stops?

Meaning that there comes a point in early flower when the mains stop growing branches and only grow buds…

On my last grow, just before flipping the lights in early July, I removed all the suckers below 2 nodes from the tips of each cola. During the stretch she grew 3 or 4 more nodes above that and then most of that space filled in with flower. This prevents any larf.

But I do want to point out that I didn't top this plant, I just super cropped her above the 4th node and turned that top to the side, and I think that makes a difference. She grew tall with thin branches that turned out really needed support. On previous grows of the same strain that I topped above the 5th node, the plant stems ended up thicker, shorter, and didn't need much support.

Eledin · Dec 22, 2024

Thats a really good canopy you have there! I wouldnt say its too much just be careful during the fattening phase that the buds dont touch each other. I do lollipoping around week 2 or 3 of flower, they dont grow anything new after that and if they do I remove it.
In my case:
1. Leaves that are not directly getting light out
2. Thin branches that dont reach the light enough out, if they do reach the light but theyre thin I might leave just the tip of the stem with a couple of leaves for a decent bud, but pinch out every other bud site on the stem.
3. Pinching out every bud site that is not gonna be worth it on the stems I left.
4. If anything new grows, after theyre done growing (3rd week or final of 3rd week of flower) I do a last cleaning, new growth and new shitty bud sites go away.

You can also lollipop before flower but doing so during flower wont stunt your plants unless you massacre them. You really need to remove a lot for them to get stunted, specially if youre only removing shadowed stuff.
Not my best grow but I dont have many pictures from when I lollipop and the last one was videos, so here's an example of 2 grows ago. (Summer is not the best without AC but it will ilustrate the idea)
Lollipop in week 3 of flower

Bud fattening phase

OldSchoolest · Dec 24, 2024

Oh cool.

I’m just constantly worried that I’m taking too much off ha ha. But the canopy looks great!

See…

OldSchoolest · Dec 24, 2024

Week 3…

Day 17 I think

OldSchoolest · Jan 1, 2025

Stacking!

Eledin · Jan 1, 2025

OldSchoolest said:
Oh cool.

I’m just constantly worried that I’m taking too much off ha ha. But the canopy looks great!

See…

That looks like a good lollipoping to me! You also did your LST before toping so youre set I think, I dont do that, yours is better than mine
If im not right someone will correct me but Im under the impression that the more you remove the less buds youre gonna have but the bigger theyre gonna be. Overall lollipoping hard might reduce production due to lower buds being removed but I prefeer less and better than more and smaller. Unless my stash is empty then I might leave some stems that I would normally remove.

Eledin · Jan 1, 2025

OldSchoolest said:
Stacking!

Looking healthy!

OldSchoolest · Jan 1, 2025

The last photo that shows two different plants with different looking leaves and morphology kind of….

I feel like they only look different because I vegged the smaller on for a week less and now they take up water and nutrients at a different pace and such.

It’s really crazy to me indoors how very small variables can make a HUGE difference!!

Like veg time, nutrients, temperature, light intensity, etc.

I heard a guy say that he did side by side grows from the same cut, and hit one with a shitload more light than it needed, and the other with a little less than it needed once he flipped lights…the crazier thing is that the one with more light was dense, harder, and smelled like hash/earth, and the other one with less light was a little bit less dense and smelled like grape soda ha ha ha.

Just goes to show that environment is everything, and even with the exact same cut…it might grow totally different in your garden!!! AND the only thing that was different to the numbers was the light intensity!!!

OldSchoolest · Jan 2, 2025

These thin leaf varieties are my favorites!

Don’t have to stress defoliation up top that much!

I’ll post more photos in a couple weeks as they fill out!

jamesmessenger1 · Jan 4, 2025

How’s this run going in terms of from seed indoors and not clones outside?

Curious.

OldSchoolest · Jan 4, 2025

jamesmessenger1 said:
How’s this run going in terms of from seed indoors and not clones outside?

Curious.

Well.

From seed is definitely more of a thing that I think should be reserved for finding a mother.

Like if i buy 20 seeds, grow them out, and pick one to keep…

That’s the best use of seeds in my opinion because right now I have 5 plants, and all of them are growing differently…I hate that.

I want my canopy to be the same buds, and truly uniform ha ha ha.

So. From seed is good to find one to keep, but not for production!

Clones give you total control.

OldOneEye · Jan 4, 2025

OldSchoolest said:
Well.

From seed is definitely more of a thing that I think should be reserved for finding a mother.

Like if i buy 20 seeds, grow them out, and pick one to keep…

That’s the best use of seeds in my opinion because right now I have 5 plants, and all of them are growing differently…I hate that.

I want my canopy to be the same buds, and truly uniform ha ha ha.

So. From seed is good to find one to keep, but not for production!

Clones give you total control.

That's because the "breeder" didn't take the time and effort to make a True Strain.

Eledin · Jan 4, 2025

Im with both of you, nothing beats the consistency of good clones from a good pheno but you can find very stable genetics too in seeds. That said for a person doing SOG I wouldnt recommend seeds, no matter how good the bank is, not only is super expensive for a small plant but also its inevitable that some will eat more, some less and some will be more sensitive to light. For me, doing SCROG, seeds is the way to go. I have 2 small indoors, keeping a mother would only reduce my yield and my indoors are not big enough to do a proper SOG anyway. Its all a matter of circumstances I believe, what you like to do and what are you focusing on. If you only focus on production time and pushing good stuff asap you will want clones in hydro if you have the space and money for it, if youre gonna have 8 plants like me... that would turn into 4 if I keep a mother... not worth it.

Eledin · Jan 4, 2025

Also for hydro I wouldnt be able to grow 100% organic, the closest there is to that is Athena and some suplements are organic but its mostly mineral. 100% organic doesnt mean its better, but it does have a different taste. I love my organic weed but if you give me a snowy hydro bud I will gladly smoke it and probably enjoy it more than my organic weed hahaha. Also being asthmatic I found that with organic the smoke is smoother too.

How full is too full, and lollipopping experience!

How full is too full, and lollipopping experience!

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How full is too full, and lollipopping experience!

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