main-line topping ******best method******

[clockworx]

If you notice any mains getting taller than the others, you can gently slide that cola around the tomato ring until it's a more even height, or if you haven't used a tomato ring, simple pull that main out and away from the center of the plant and secure it down.

You can also use light supercropping to bend mains to an even height with your other colas while she's still in the vegetative stage.

Remember, you can use the soft ties and canopy ring to gently manipulate your plant as needed to fit into pretty much any sized space. I originally perfected this technique in a 3' tall cab!

Other than some light bending, your plant should naturally grow into a shape like this, producing huge, fat and dense colas that get the most out of your light!

 

[Theoneandonly Z]

great info man, thanks for sharing. Ive been using the more traditional technique for the majority of growing, It wasnt till last year when i started focusing on topping my plant low and working from there. I like how clean and established the stalk looks in those pics.

 

[clockworx]

Ok , well thats the chunk of it.....i should have just posted the link but I wanted thcfarmer to have the info directly on the forum...I use this method and it works great......this info is "nugbuckets" .....I'm just bringing it over to you guys.....he spent a ton of time making this along with nebula haze who condensed it into a few pages .....so thank you to both of those guys for the great info......

 

[clockworx]

Trying to put all this up from a fukin ipad before people started posting was a bitch....they need to make it so people can make the whole thread before it goes live .....

 

[Camdawg]

Trying to put all this up from a fukin ipad before people started posting was a bitch....they need to make it so people can make the whole thread before it goes live .....

but you did it.....and thank you. I love the way the stumps look all 90 degree angles

 

[fishwhistle]

Excellent read,thanks nugbuckets and clock.I grew up in east los angeles and learned this technique(or similar) from mexican american growers 35+ yrs ago!

 

[clockworx]

I was messing around one day with a clone that is known to be a floppy mess when flowering when an idea popped into my head.....I grabbed 2 hard metal spike dog brushes , the sharp flat ones that have 100s of spikes, I then started at the bottom of the plant putting the stem between the 2 brushes and squeezing to make tons of tiny holes through the stem.....well I did the whole plant just for fun and a week later the stem was thicker and rock solid, when I flowered it no support was needed and the nodes were tighter than ever.....just another little trick that might come in handy for someone...

 

[ttystikk]

I used to run a flat canopy ScrOG under a light rotator, which required that all of my plants be the same size, shape and height. I was running a northern lights cross at the time, very easy top top and train. I would start with four strong nodes on the main stem, then divide again as each branch got big. The same eventual result, and nice thick buds!

 

[SonOfDaMourning]

I shoot for 4 mains and top at the 4th node then again to male 4 but the intervals would kill me and max my height if i shot for 8! Also did lst but never in combination, good write-up and the detail is great! I like how you mention never to do it in flower, well most of us know but you covered the noobs and limited the ?'s down to zero as well, good call!

 

[tweedy]

I was messing around one day with a clone that is known to be a floppy mess when flowering when an idea popped into my head.....I grabbed 2 hard metal spike dog brushes , the sharp flat ones that have 100s of spikes, I then started at the bottom of the plant putting the stem between the 2 brushes and squeezing to make tons of tiny holes through the stem.....well I did the whole plant just for fun and a week later the stem was thicker and rock solid, when I flowered it no support was needed and the nodes were tighter than ever.....just another little trick that might come in handy for someone...

That's like the acupuncture of the old nail in the stalk trick. Ha. For those classy ladies.

 

[Donkdbz]

Cool for plants grown from seed BUTTTTT clones don't grow even like that

 

[clockworx]

Cool for plants grown from seed BUTTTTT clones don't grow even like that

The link also explains the same method for clones, it was just to long for me to keep pasting so I copied the main idea, doing it with clones is the same info with minor differences, I thought everyone would understand the concept with the 2 pages of directions but here is the link..knock yourself out man...and yes the method is more symmetrical with seed plants because the nodes don't alternate but it can be done with clones....

http://www.growweedeasy.com/main-lining-technique-nugbuckets

 

[clockworx]

The main idea here fellas is for the colas to only start from a "main-line" branch...and not to have a bunch of other lateral branches forming below the main........think in the shape of the letter "Y".....same for the clones....

 

[clockworx]

Starting From Seed: Nugbuckets Grow Journal - 8 Colas

This plant is from the strain "Ace of Spades" and was grown from seed.

I will build a foundation to support 8 fat, long and equal colas, coming from a central manifold, so none of the colas will be discriminated against by the roots.

I have already topped this marijuana seedling down to the third node. I removed the first node. You'll see that I left the 2nd node below the main hub for now. I am leaving these two growth tips so they can grow out and be cut off to produce 2 perfect clones.

If I wasn't saving the extra growth tips for clones, I would have removed all the growth below the 3rd node.



In the following picture, you can better see how the top node has been perfectly prepped to produce 4 new mains. Each side of the top node has two perfectly symmetrical growth tips.



After the extra node (the two growth tips on bottom) are removed to create clones, I will prune the rest of the plant so there's just the 4 mains, and adjoining fan leaves. Everything else is removed.



Now I will bond the 4 new mains down to the trunk.

 

[clockworx]

It only takes a day or two before the seedling gets her stride back and those faces are turned up again.



This quick recovery is due to the fact that we allowed this seedling to grow out quite a bit initially, and build up a strong healthy root mass. Here's what she looks like from the top.



After the marijuana seedling recovers from her initial bonding and pruning, she is pruned a third time for 8.

Before - 4 mains



Side view - 4 mains

 

[clockworx]

choose a matching node on each of my 4 mains, and top / prune them so there are two matching growth tips left at the end of each one. I remove any other growth tips besides my chosen 8.

I remove the initial ties, and bond the 8 new mains down. This time I've bonded the mains to the sides of the pot.

You can bond to anything that is convenient, though it's usually easier to bond to the plant itself or the pot instead of something on the floor. This allows you to easily pick her up and move her around without messing up the bonding.

After





Closeup of bonds
(I use garden soft tie, which is thick bendy wire that can be cut to any size)



She quickly will turn all her new mains upwards, like little faces peaking up at the sun.

After just a few days, that same plant now looks like this.

 

[clockworx]

After the plant has fully recovered, and appears to be growing fast and healthy, I transfer her into her bigger flowering pot. I use organic supersoil without added nutrients, so it's essential to transfer marijuana plants so they have enough nutrients in the soil to last all the way to harvest.

I add a canopy ring for future bending/training, and allow the young plant to veg for about two weeks.



You may choose to top all the nodes again for a total of 16 mains. Yep, you can go to 16, or even to 32 if you desire! Perhaps you may even go to 64, if it strikes your fancy, though I think 64 spreads the energy out too much unless you were doing some sort of serious ScrOG setup with a very long vegetative period.

Two weeks later...



The vegetative growth has reached the top of the hoop!

 

[clockworx]

Sometime 1 or 2 mains will get a bit taller than the others. When this happens, some simple supercropping can come in handy. It's usually the center mains that do this, if any.

Now the plant is set up similar to a ScrOG setup. She has all these mains that are exactly as tall as the tomato ring, kinda like how you want all your mains to fill up the area below the ScrOG screen before you allow any of them to start growing above.

Unlike ScrOG, main-lining takes way less time. It should only take a few light pinch/bends to keep all your mains orderly if you've main-lined properly to this point. With ScrOG, you can spend hours grooming your plant and trying to keep everything even and under the ScrOG screen.

Now that everything is even at the tomato canopy ring, it's time to allow the mains to grow out 3-6 inches before the plant is put into the flowering stage, or allowed to enter flowering.

Allow mains to grow to 3-6" above the ring, or about 16"-20" above soil-line



Notice how I've trained 6 mains around the outside of the ring, with two mains in the middle
(you can see younger plants being main-lined on the sides)

 

[clockworx]

Initiate Flowering

At this point, when your plant is 16-20" above the soil line, it is time to let her enter the flowering stage.

In the following pic, you can see our main Ace plant at the top, plus another Ace plant I main-lined which was topped an extra time for a total of 16 mains.



After about 2 weeks of receiving a flowering light schedule (at least 12 hours of dark each night), you'll notice that 50-75% of the flowering stretch is already complete.

Use Soft-Ties To Bond The Mains To Canopy Ring

At this point, the understory can be pruned (lollipopped) if you desire, and her giant "re-bar-like" stems can be softly tied to the ring as needed

Soft ties gently bond mains to the ring:



On an 8-headed plant, I usually leave 2 mains in the center and tie the other 6 around the edges of the perimeter.

I also have run all 8 mains around the outside. This can be a really great choice, especially for outdoor growers who suffer from mold, or growers who live in a high-humidity area. It really helps get air moving through all parts of the plant when the center is completely opened up, and this combats high humidity and susceptability to mold.

 

[clockworx]

Here is the same plant after 3-4 weeks of flowering. At this point, I don't really have any work to do. I just allow the manifold to produce even, fat & incredible colas for me. Main-lining does all the work for you at this point!



....things are getting really exciting now!..... You can also see pics of the 16 headed main-lined Ace, which has been allowed to continue growing out vegetatively this whole time.