Hey Tex....autos photos....fems regs.....

Some don't top their plants...
Some lst their plants...
Some top and lst their plants.....

It is a preference you have to choose.....

I like to top my plants most of the time....I have to keep my plants small so lots of training involved.....

If you're running photos, you could top the plants to make clones.....that would keep the canopy lower, while allowing the lower growth to catch up.....if done, let it sit and recoup for a week.....then you might decide to flip....

I run photos. I top and do LST. I have a way of estimating. I change the light to 12/12 when the height of the plants (measured from the surface of the soil to the top of the plant) is 1/3 the distance from the surface of the soil to the light. So, if the plant doubles in height after the stretch, that still leaves a safe distance from the light to the plant. So far, that has worked well for me. It's probably a good idea to account for characteristics of the strain and such other factors, though.

These are photos feminized. If I top, how much longer would I need to stay in veg stage? I honestly think I should not top this batch. This is my first grow. I do want to prune a bit and only keep like 4 to 5 nodes maybe? What distance would you recommend the light to always be from the plants? I know the further away makes the grow taller but to close can burn. Any advice would be great. My tent is 3x3x72 I have 600 watt and vivosun 4 inch duct fan and filter with 6 inch circulation fan.