My first ever topping... it feels like s crime!

[freebird919]

Way too early.

I’m too very new to really know but that was my first thought too!

 

[SmokeyCoder]

I’m too very new to really know but that was my first thought too!

I'll report back in a few days and again in 2 weeks with photos of recovery, thats the only way to know if it was too early.

After advise and everything i read the deciding factor for when to top were pheno type characteristics, and ultimately the plant gated the decision not calendar days but looking for specific signals.

5 to 6 true nodes
Apical pushing
Lateral buds at node 4 visibly developed
Stem calliper sufficient to support twin co-leaders
And generally just a happy healthy plant

this is why P2 didn't get topped this morning instead only P1 and P3.

P2 is healthy now and recovered from a shaky start, but it is actively still catching up

P2 - 4 days ago 10/5/26	P2 today 14/5/06

I am quietly confident i made the right choice, and will happily eat my words if i was wrong.

 

[freebird919]

I'll report back in a few days and again in 2 weeks with photos of recovery, thats the only way to know if it was too early.

After advise and everything i read the deciding factor for when to top were pheno type characteristics, and ultimately the plant gated the decision not calendar days but looking for specific signals.

5 to 6 true nodes
Apical pushing
Lateral buds at node 4 visibly developed
Stem calliper sufficient to support twin co-leaders
And generally just a happy healthy plant

this is why P2 didn't get topped this morning instead only P1 and P3.

P2 is healthy now and recovered from a shaky start, but it is actively still catching up

P2 - 4 days ago 10/5/26	P2 today 14/5/06
View attachment 2640583	View attachment 2640584

I am quietly confident i made the right choice, and will happily eat my words if i was wrong.

I’d in no way be wanting you to be wrong or have any negative effects. In fact, at first, I thought you were a genius in your action. It’s just being so new I was concerned for you. I truly wish you the best and am always willing to learn from you, someone far above my level!

 

[PlumberSoCal2]

I had planned 4 plants to fill my 4x4 scrog

But only 3 seeds popped and 1 of those got off to a bad start which stunted its growth so for a while there and even now it might end up being just 2 plants

So the topping is essentially just to give me the best chances of a half decent yield I know it will produce the same if only slightly more in yield but after seeing how really tight colas were prone to rot on my out door grow last year (my first grow)

That and the hydro store guy really convinced me, he even bragged about filling an entire tent with 1 plant plus topping and training.

So here we are

Also apologies for all the typos in that first post

Typos? Ignore them. Language is for communication and I had no issue understanding what you said

Awesome. You're learning and doing and pretty soon you'll be helping others. Enjoy it all, the good and the bad as learning is key

 

[PlumberSoCal2]

I literally had only heard about fimming days ago but had already planned for topping

To be honest fat stinky buds are nice and I really enjoy a smoke, but I am really getting into the growing and the science behind it.

I plan to do something different each cycle. With end goal being cloning and running two tents for a rolling supply.

No buds left from my lat grow and now reliant on the prescribed THC I get from the doctor

Next you'll need to root the tops. More fun but many of us take cuts to root just in case the plant is killer so we can continue to produce high quality.

It's fun to try, takes up little space and you can always discard any you don't want or need. Something new to research and try.

This is the BEST hobby while producing your own medicine

 

[amneziaHaze]

i don't really believe in the way to early maybe its true and the plant slows down a little but end of day the 2 tops always grow i cut it as soon as i have room to cut it i don't wait for it to grow 5 stories then cut 3 stories

 

[Brother_Antioch]

I had planned 4 plants to fill my 4x4 scrog

But only 3 seeds popped and 1 of those got off to a bad start which stunted its growth so for a while there and even now it might end up being just 2 plants

So the topping is essentially just to give me the best chances of a half decent yield I know it will produce the same if only slightly more in yield but after seeing how really tight colas were prone to rot on my out door grow last year (my first grow)

That and the hydro store guy really convinced me, he even bragged about filling an entire tent with 1 plant plus topping and training.

So here we are

Also apologies for all the typos in that first post

Done properly, you'll have no problem filling a 4x4 with 2 plants. I did a single plant in my 28x55x80" tent using a DWC system. Filled the entire thing. I'm a couple weeks away from harvesting now.

Cheers,

BA.

Edit: I should add I topped 3 times, and this picture is from about 5 days ago. She's put on weight since then.

 

[CC57]

I normally do not top as my main grow is outdoors. No reason to top, I prefer to let the plant grow naturally. When growing indoors under LED light, I will only top when plants get too tall (mainly sativa landrace or hybrid), I prefer fimming, supercropping and LST.

 

[greengrower73]

I estimated yesterday that topping this morning was the ideal timenough space between nodes that i would completely botch it. After the snip and seey this beautilf clup of new growth fall away just felt wrong lol.

the first cut went well (i think) I made it on the 2nd strongest plant... affter that i felt confident doing the same to my strongest, but it has tighter nodes with thicker growth, and once again the clump new growth falling away just felt like a crime.

i then stepped back looking at the now topped plants and actually felt like oh i get it nbow the way it opend up the plant, all i can do now is wait. i plan 3 toppings on each plant.

View attachment 2640437View attachment 2640436View attachment 2640435View attachment 2640438View attachment 2640444

Well you topped it alright, nothing wrong with it but I just pinch the top off at the red line. You topped a bit low and imho wasted a weeks growth topping that piece off,

 

[SmokeyCoder]

It’s only been 4 days since I topped and I am confident I made the right choices.

The plants have exploded in that time and not shown any stress response to the topping, no slow down or pause just kept pushing up

Its shot up about 45-50mm trending towards the first training through the scrog in the next 24-48hr.

Plant 2 the smallest and slowest has exploded and also got topped 24hrs ago and is rapidly catching the other

Plant 1 front before and 4 days after

 

[SmokeyCoder]

7 days since my first ever topping and while some feedback suggested that it was too early, I am calling it a success!

Post topping day 0​	Post topping day 7​

I am just strating to train p2 through the scrog

And while P2 started out hammer head stalled for 2weeks before opening is cotyledons and looked like it would never catch up it is powering on. it might not be the biggest or bushiest but it has the most beautiful stereotypical 7 finger leaves and is now my favourite

P3 is short and squat and extremely bushy — so much so I had trouble finding the topping cut and figuring out which were the 2 new co-leaders.

I also had some concerns about pH and possible nutrient lockout, but I think it was just my EC/pH tester drifting a little. Either way the trend was still upward, so I've switched to my tank water (0 EC / pH 5.3–5.4) from the town water (0.2 EC / pH 8.0 fresh from the tap). No amount of lowering the input pH was working, and after talking to a few people they said the town water's pH buffer is fighting me, it's calcium bicarbonate, typical for NSW Central Coast mains). they explained the chemistry and my eyes glazed over but the change is seeing the runoff returning to much safer range.

 

[SmokeyCoder]

Well you topped it alright, nothing wrong with it but I just pinch the top off at the red line. You topped a bit low and imho wasted a weeks growth topping that piece off,View attachment 2640722

I have heard about pinching, and i might try it a bit latter, but its funny you say "...wasted a weeks growth" what was topped at the time was serious only 1-2 days of growth.

1-2 days growth might sound like exaggeration but i have been recording everything about this grow, daily photos, recorded measurements heioght width, observations the works.

this is just a small sample of the data i capture on the dashboard i wired together (software engineer by trade)

 

[SmokeyCoder]

ps take my yield calculations with a grain of salt it is best case scenario, based on what i got from 5 poorly developed outdoor grown plants

 

[Tahoekushcat]

If you wants lots of buds

 

[Hossgrows]

I normally do not top as my main grow is outdoors. No reason to top, I prefer to let the plant grow naturally. When growing indoors under LED light, I will only top when plants get too tall (mainly sativa landrace or hybrid), I prefer fimming, supercropping and LST.

I grew one all natural, and one topped and applied LST, last season. Untouched grew 10' or better. The other an 8' bush. Both were close in yield, but the buds were much nicer from the topped n trained. Both hybrids.
I love big plants, but I don't care to stand on top of a ladder to keep tabs on them. Getting to old to be playing like that, everything is all stiff n sore, than what used to.