I'm brand new... Help!? :)

[MissGreen]

Hey everyone,
So I'm about three weeks into veg on my first crop ever! Pretty excited, and also unsure of how this goes... First question I have is:

I'm not sure where to top my plants at? All of the pictures I've seen for reference online have had stems that are symmetrical (two leaves branch off at same location), whereas mine do not. I've attached a picture of one of them.

Also, should I be pruning off any of the bigger leaves or newer growths that are shown?

~ In need of guidance.

 

[Seamaiden]

Hi MissGreen, welcome to the farm. Where, or even whether you top the plant is much an individual preference that, to me, is related to growing style, and so for me I don't top too early because it means a plant that has a main stalk that splits too close to the ground. I have learned about that the hard way. I prefer to have at least 8" of single main stalk for a plant that's going into the ground, and do only cuts inside using a sea of green method that disallows topping altogether.

It looks as though your baby has about 6 nodes of growth, and I personally would allow for 8 before topping, but this is specific to a plant that's going outside to become a TREE. If it's staying indoors, then you can top it now if you like. Don't cut anything off just yet, get a feel for the plants, learn more about growing itself, wait for flip, whatever. Once you flip it into flower, you'll want to learn about canopy control so you get the best quality buds the plant can produce. Look up lollipopping/pistil whipping and those sorts of techniques.

 

[619ster]

I find LST to work MUCH better for clones with long internodes. Do some LST to your girls and watch them bush out naturally. No cutting necessary. And as Sea mentioned, once they are bushing out, work on canopy management.

 

[Dunge]

Hey everyone,

Welcome to the farm and farming.
The photo you provide is not that of a common seedling.
Seedlings usually produce pairs of branches from nodes.
As the plants get older, the branching starts to alternate, like the branches pictured.
Might this be from a cutting?
Pruning is a powerful and controversial tool.
Pruning can serve a number of objectives, but not cutting anything is your best option until you understand what it is you are trying to accomplish.
Perhaps a single topping would be advised if you have height limitations.

One more thing:
Do whatever Seamaiden suggests.
She is one of many helper spirits here.

 

[Seamaiden]

Since it was sitting in a rockwool cube and all nodes appeared to be alternating, I assumed she's got a clone there. I'm still waiting to get alternating nodes from seed.

And, thank you. I consider that a great compliment. :)

 

[paulycali]

Welcome to the farm missgreen! Looking good for sure. No need to prune off bigger leaves or what not. I usually never do that until the last week or so of flowering so i can get some well needed light to the lower budsites. When it comes to topping it can be hard to explain. What i would do is use a search engine for images on how to top marijuana plants

 

[ttystikk]

Welcome to our little shared obsession, Missgreen! So- did you do it in the kitchen or the conservatory, and were you using rope or the candlestick at the time? LOL

Yes, I feel better now!

Alk of the advice above is good- and the best is this; decide what size and shape you want your plant to have, and then your topping and training will have the necessary direction. Yes, you will mess up- but you will learn from what you do and improve. Training plants is one skill that takes perhaps the most time to master, due not only to the endless variety of plants but also the nearly endless shapes we want to train them into!

Just by way of example, in a thread on an experimental growing setup, I'll be training a couple of plants to grow 'inside out', where they will share the same trellis as a four foot wide by four foot tall 'tree'- but the 1000w bulb will be in middle...

 

[MissGreen]

Thanks for the suggestions! I suppose more info would be useful as well:

-they will be staying in the 4x4 rockwall cubes through flowering

-Im using 60 watt lights, they are clones (not from seeds)

-I plan on growing them until about 3-4ft tall

-there will be about 20-25 plants per light (so they're not bushy but just have beautiful buds at the top)

Side note: I was originally set up by someone who has been growing indoors successfully for years, but unfortunatly he's not around to help after which. So that's where my style of growing (everything really) comes from.

So with my intentions now out there a bit, anymore suggestions as to where to top at between nodes?

 

[MissGreen]

Welcome to the farm missgreen! Looking good for sure. No need to prune off bigger leaves or what not. I usually never do that until the last week or so of flowering so i can get some well needed light to the lower budsites. When it comes to topping it can be hard to explain. What i would do is use a search engine for images on how to top marijuana plants

Thanks! I've tried googling images or tutorials and they all seem to be on larger plants or the nodes are spaced as from seed (and that's how they reference where to make the cutting)....

 

[MissGreen]

Thanks, and yes they are staying in those cubes indoors.

 

[paulycali]

The node is where the new leafs form. There is a main stem that connects to all nodes on the plant. Cut or snap the main stem as close to the node and pistils as possible. The node and one leaf set will now become the top of the plant

I cropped your pic the best i could to show you where to cut. Just cut that last main stem you see at the top of the pic off the plant. Try to get as close to the top new growth as possible

 

[MissGreen]

Thank you!! That helps a lot

 

[paulycali]

Thank you!! That helps a lot

Your welcome and i am very glad it helped :)

 

[ttystikk]

If you're going to grow a bunch of relatively small plants in 4x4 cubes, why top them at all? Aren't they ready to flip now?

Making them taller will not lead to extra yield. You've mentioned that you have low wattage lighting, so small plants would seem to be in order? Am I missing something?

 

[Capulator]

I find LST to work MUCH better for clones with long internodes. Do some LST to your girls and watch them bush out naturally. No cutting necessary. And as Sea mentioned, once they are bushing out, work on canopy management.

Slow down 619... we got a rookie in the house!!!

LST is low stress training missgreen. It means you bend the plant down (without snapping it). You can do this with a little bendable wire (plastic coated) and a skewer stuck in to the side of the rockwool cube you have there. Just wrap a little wire around the 3rd leafset form the top and pull the plant down while you hold it underneath the so the whole thing doesnt bend over and damage the new root ball. When the plant has a 90 degree bend in it (remember do this slowly and if it feels like you will snap it stop). Then tie it off on the skewer. This will promote the lower branches and will give you a more even canopy.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!!:)