To top or not to top?

whatintheweed · May 16, 2024

Hi all, new grower here. I've been researching, but would appreciate any advice. My Blue Dream plant was started indoors beginning of April. Took her outside beginning of May, transplanted into bigger pot a few days ago. She has 11 nodes and is 28 inches tall. I didn't know about topping or training and I'm wondering if it's too late? The seed website says the flowering time is 8-10 weeks, but she is outside, so won't she start to flower close to the end of June? Just wondering if I should top her or not. Any advice is much appreciated.

whatintheweed · May 16, 2024

Couple of pics...

whatintheweed · May 16, 2024

Thanks Joe. She's potted in Whitney Farms organic potting soil. I have blood meal fertilizer. Ratio online says 1 teaspoon per gallon, to be mixed into top layer of soil, will that work to get the nitrogen up?

Asmodeus · May 16, 2024

Definitely top it, at least once

ArtfulCodger · May 16, 2024

I don't think topping is as important outside. Inside, where the light is hanging a few feet above the plants, the light penetration, and therefore canopy depth, is limited. Outside, with the light hanging 93 million miles away, the light penetration is essentially infinite. So it's a matter of preference. I'll usually top an outdoor plant once. I might top an indoor plant five times.

The flowering time cited by the seed company is the duration of the flower phase, not the onset of the flower phase.

Phyto · May 16, 2024

I'd top it, it will help you get more lateral growth.

Imzzaudae · May 16, 2024

I would not top her. I'd pull her over tie her down and let her bush. That's a nice plant . If you do this and feed her she will go nuts!

Budtirement · May 16, 2024

whatintheweed said:
but she is outside, so won't she start to flower close to the end of June?

You've got a good start. A photoperiod plant outside in zone 7 should be vegging all May, June and July. Days will start getting shorter June 21, the summer solstice. Early in August the days will get down to 14 hours and she'll start to flower. Finish in September or October.
Whether you top or not, with three months of vegging in full sun and nurtured with water and nutrients, she will get root bound in that pot quickly. You might consider putting her in the ground with a bag of Happy Frog or Coast of Maine so she can prosper unfettered.

whatintheweed · May 16, 2024

Budtirement said:
You've got a good start. A photoperiod plant outside in zone 7 should be vegging all May, June and July. Days will start getting shorter June 21, the summer solstice. Early in August the days will get down to 14 hours and she'll start to flower. Finish in September or October.
Whether you top or not, with three months of vegging in full sun and nurtured with water and nutrients, she will get root bound in that pot quickly. You might consider putting her in the ground with a bag of Happy Frog or Coast of Maine so she can prosper unfettered.

Thank you. I debated putting her in the ground, but it's mostly clay, didn't want her to get water logged, so I just transferred her to a bigger pot. I have bloodmeal fertilizer, which I haven't used yet. From what I've read, I can add one teaspoon per gallon of soil, mix it into the surface. Is that a good idea?

whatintheweed · May 16, 2024

Imzzaudae said:
I would not top her. I'd pull her over tie her down and let her bush. That's a nice plant . If you do this and feed her she will go nuts!

View attachment 2172572

Doing research on LST now, thank you.

Imzzaudae · May 16, 2024

Budtirement said:
You've got a good start. A photoperiod plant outside in zone 7 should be vegging all May, June and July. Days will start getting shorter June 21, the summer solstice. Early in August the days will get down to 14 hours and she'll start to flower. Finish in September or October.
Whether you top or not, with three months of vegging in full sun and nurtured with water and nutrients, she will get root bound in that pot quickly. You might consider putting her in the ground with a bag of Happy Frog or Coast of Maine so she can prosper unfettered.

I'm for sticking her in the ground with some bone meal and letting her grow.

whatintheweed · May 16, 2024

Th

ArtfulCodger said:
I don't think topping is as important outside. Inside, where the light is hanging a few feet above the plants, the light penetration, and therefore canopy depth, is limited. Outside, with the light hanging 93 million miles away, the light penetration is essentially infinite. So it's a matter of preference. I'll usually top an outdoor plant once. I might top an indoor plant five times.

The flowering time cited by the seed company is the duration of the flower phase, not the onset of the flower phase.

Thank you for explaining the flowering time, I have lots to learn.

Stokes · May 16, 2024

Topping is more for canopy management than anything. Remember, more branches = more branches you have to support

BloomBard · May 16, 2024

whatintheweed said:
Couple of pics...

Looking rad, man!

Natep · May 16, 2024

whatintheweed said:
Thanks Joe. She's potted in Whitney Farms organic potting soil. I have blood meal fertilizer. Ratio online says 1 teaspoon per gallon, to be mixed into top layer of soil, will that work to get the nitrogen up?

Look at build a soils craft blend. Might be a better option for feeding.

HerbalEdu · May 17, 2024

whatintheweed said:
Thank you. I debated putting her in the ground, but it's mostly clay, didn't want her to get water logged, so I just transferred her to a bigger pot. I have bloodmeal fertilizer, which I haven't used yet. From what I've read, I can add one teaspoon per gallon of soil, mix it into the surface. Is that a good idea?

even if you don't put it in the ground because it's mostly clay you want to transplant it in a noticeably bigger pot than the one on the photo rather soon.

fuzybuds · May 17, 2024

whatintheweed said:
Hi all, new grower here. I've been researching, but would appreciate any advice. My Blue Dream plant was started indoors beginning of April. Took her outside beginning of May, transplanted into bigger pot a few days ago. She has 11 nodes and is 28 inches tall. I didn't know about topping or training and I'm wondering if it's too late? The seed website says the flowering time is 8-10 weeks, but she is outside, so won't she start to flower close to the end of June? Just wondering if I should top her or not. Any advice is much appreciated.

Yes ,if it's a auto you may be a bit late ,but as a rule topping and leveling the canopy makes more bud sites shoots, and what not,and use the cuts 4 clones.keep the cut clean ,use sterile cutters ,knife, scissors, and clone them cuts man.theres been times I've topped 3 times or more and got dozens of clones.
Good luck.

Budtirement · May 17, 2024

whatintheweed said:
I debated putting her in the ground, but it's mostly clay

The ground here is marine clay. I got a cubic yard of leaf mulch delivered a couple years ago and I dug up a 4' x 8' patch of the yard down to about 15" and mixed the mulch with the clay. It was a couple days of hard work but I'm happy with the results. That section is now much darker with biological material and looks and feels like soil. Planting tomatoes, chillies, basal, sage and cannabis there this season.
Farming, like genius, is one of those things that is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration, right?

LoveGrowingIt · May 17, 2024

Clay soil is usually rich in minerals. The key to working clay is amending organic matter--and lots of it. I once had a garden with soil made from dust blown in by the wind. After millions of years settling, it was very dense clay. A few truckloads of horse manure did wonders for it.

Beachbumm · May 17, 2024

whatintheweed said:
Couple of pics...

Yup, cut her right about there

To top or not to top?

To top or not to top?

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Asmodeus

ArtfulCodger

Phyto

Imzzaudae

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BloomBard

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fuzybuds

Budtirement

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To top or not to top?

To top or not to top?

whatintheweed

whatintheweed

Attachments

whatintheweed

Asmodeus

ArtfulCodger

Phyto

Imzzaudae

Budtirement

whatintheweed

whatintheweed

Imzzaudae

whatintheweed

Stokes

BloomBard

Natep

HerbalEdu

fuzybuds

Budtirement

LoveGrowingIt

Beachbumm

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