Trimming pistils for increasing size & density

HowardC · Sep 16, 2025

I saw a video that showed the trimming of the very top pistils . This was suggested as a way to increase bud size & density .For the life of me I can't recall where I saw this video. Anyone know if trimming a few tips off of the top pistils is "a thing?"
Thanks

RoadKillSkunkHunt · Sep 16, 2025

HowardC said:
I saw a video that showed the trimming of the very top pistils . This was suggested as a way to increase bud size & density .For the life of me I can't recall where I saw this video. Anyone know if trimming a few tips off of the top pistils is "a thing?"
Thanks

It's not a thing I have heard of. I have also heard a lot of things especially about cannabis. This one is news to me.

Beazy · Sep 16, 2025

I’ve heard of it but forget what it’s called. I believe yours suppose to cut more than just pistils tho I think it was cutting the very tip of the buds. Never tried it personally

Week4Bytch · Sep 16, 2025

HowardC said:
I saw a video that showed the trimming of the very top pistils . This was suggested as a way to increase bud size & density .For the life of me I can't recall where I saw this video. Anyone know if trimming a few tips off of the top pistils is "a thing?"
Thanks

If it was some old timer with hair to his shoulders..he was doing it to remove the light burnt tips off the top.

Kyfarmerb1984 · Sep 16, 2025

Hello my friend,
Honestly I've never seen or heard that in particular but we as growers,students and pupils of this most amazing plant have done many things to them over the years in the name of bigger,better,denser and stronger buds!.Any and all of us whom has got more than a few cycles under our belt have tried many things, some things that we immediately regretted and some that we thought made us Kyle kushman all of a sudden! Lmfao!.
But to your question, my advice is now based off 25 years of mistakes and failures, and considering that from the look of your pics,you obviously have experience, them girls are beautiful and healthy, I wouldn't do nothing to them but feed a little extra ,where are we ,week 4?,4 and a half?.I would go to 9 if there listed as 8 seekers and id just throw a little extra fertilizer to her, what are you feeding them?.But yeah this far into flower i wouldn't stress them, she is gonna start throwing moe trichs and terps and we dont want to get in the way of that.you know what I mean?.
Well I hope I helped, I love what u got going man, looks great!, sincerely, Kyfarmerb1984

HowardC · Sep 17, 2025

Outstanding reply! Thanks!
I flipped these on Sept 28.

I'M using GH. I dose for 2 gal and my watering can is 2.5 gal so I'm a little light.
I'm using well water and I add a very large pinch of ascorbic acid which reliably gives me a pH of 6-6.3. I add a dash of CalMag each feeding. Is this too much? Since I've been feeding I've used the proper measuring spoon but I've been able to get the dosing with dashes and pinches always going light. It's not rocket surgery but it's got to be done properly without short cuts in my very limited experience.

These were started in recycled FF soil. I was confident the soil was "empty" because I had flushed the 1st grow 3X. Before I went to 7gal fabric bags I charged the soil with the veg formula.

Since flipping I've been using only flora grow & CalMag. I also acquired an additional grow light and try to keep the PPFD at 750+ for this flowering. Probably have another 8 weeks I imaging?

These are in a temporary location due to a still too hot attic. I should be able to move them in another month but I may just leave them and continue spread the colas out and keep them the same distances away from the lights. It's convenient having, basically, a light for each plant. Not a commercial quality setup by a long shot. I have room here for L & W but I am concerned about running out of headroom so I do have a contingency plan and I'd only have to move them about 10 feet from the location they are in currently. It's a job I don't look forward to.

This is my 2nd grow. My first was also 4 plants and yielded much goodness but the LARF was unbearable. Thus the swing toward less colas/bigger buds hopefully.

Perhaps I'm ahead of the learning/success curve (I can't judge this so?)? If so it's due to this forum and all the massive online help that available. I feel like I'm overachieving but I can deal with that since it may be my very first time doing so. The plants are doing great IMO. I don't have baby hands and I love the large leaves.
Thanks all!

Beazy · Sep 17, 2025

It’s called back building

Galgrows · Sep 17, 2025

I've heard of this " back building" seems kinda hard to be sure and do it right.

Week4Bytch · Sep 17, 2025

HowardC said:
Outstanding reply! Thanks!
I flipped these on Sept 28.

I'M using GH. I dose for 2 gal and my watering can is 2.5 gal so I'm a little light.
I'm using well water and I add a very large pinch of ascorbic acid which reliably gives me a pH of 6-6.3. I add a dash of CalMag each feeding. Is this too much? Since I've been feeding I've used the proper measuring spoon but I've been able to get the dosing with dashes and pinches always going light. It's not rocket surgery but it's got to be done properly without short cuts in my very limited experience.

These were started in recycled FF soil. I was confident the soil was "empty" because I had flushed the 1st grow 3X. Before I went to 7gal fabric bags I charged the soil with the veg formula.

Since flipping I've been using only flora grow & CalMag. I also acquired an additional grow light and try to keep the PPFD at 750+ for this flowering. Probably have another 8 weeks I imaging?

These are in a temporary location due to a still too hot attic. I should be able to move them in another month but I may just leave them and continue spread the colas out and keep them the same distances away from the lights. It's convenient having, basically, a light for each plant. Not a commercial quality setup by a long shot. I have room here for L & W but I am concerned about running out of headroom so I do have a contingency plan and I'd only have to move them about 10 feet from the location they are in currently. It's a job I don't look forward to.

This is my 2nd grow. My first was also 4 plants and yielded much goodness but the LARF was unbearable. Thus the swing toward less colas/bigger buds hopefully.

Perhaps I'm ahead of the learning/success curve (I can't judge this so?)? If so it's due to this forum and all the massive online help that available. I feel like I'm overachieving but I can deal with that since it may be my very first time doing so. The plants are doing great IMO. I don't have baby hands and I love the large leaves.
Thanks all!
View attachment 2526186 View attachment 2526187

Doing all this and you still want to trim the top of your buds?

HowardC · Sep 17, 2025

I know. I can be a real dick about shit sometimes. Always looking for more & better. I hear it all the time, "why didn't you leave well enough alone!"
Never have and prolly never will.
There's always room for improvement.

cpurola · Sep 18, 2025

HowardC said:
I know. I can be a real dick about shit sometimes. Always looking for more & better. I hear it all the time, "why didn't you leave well enough alone!"
Never have and prolly never will.
There's always room for improvement.

There is! Love your attitude. I'm doing crazy stuff to my plants every year. Outdoors only so I can only do so much at a time. But I have ideas. LOL
@cbrians is another 'experimenter'.

Coconutz · Sep 18, 2025

Check our fimming that might be what you're looking for?

Topping vs FIMing Cannabis - Instruction Guide | Grow Weed Easy

Topping and FIMing are two plant training techniques that involve "pinching" or cutting off some of the top growth of your plant. These techniques are designed to give you a free way to achieve better plant shape (to make better use of the available light

www.growweedeasy.com

THCosmic · Sep 18, 2025

Beazy said:
It’s called back building

Interesting topic here. Glad you found the terminology because I can now deep dive into this.

Stokes · Sep 18, 2025

Dont hack at your buds dude. Im not saying it’s not a thing, but I’ve never seen anything that would justify bud mutilation

Im not sure where you saw it but just remember those guys on YT will put out anything they hear for more content

THCosmic · Sep 18, 2025

Stokes said:
Dont hack at your buds dude. Im not saying it’s not a thing, but I’ve never seen anything that would justify bud mutilation

I'm sure someone once said that about topping/fimming.

All in the name of science!

THCosmic · Sep 18, 2025

Just wanted to throw the AI Overview in here so others can quickly catch up on the subject:

AI Overview

When used in relation to marijuana, "back-building" is a cultivation technique used to create denser, more compact buds. The technique is also referred to as "bud pinching" or "bud topping".

The back-building technique
The process involves trimming or snipping the very tip of the main cola (the largest flower cluster) during the middle of the plant's flowering cycle, typically around the fourth or fifth week.

By removing the uppermost part of the bud, the plant's growth hormones are redirected from the vertical tip to the lateral (side) sections of the cola.

This causes the rest of the bud to swell and thicken, resulting in a rounder and more uniform shape.

Potential benefits

Creates a "bag appeal" finish: Many cultivators use this method to produce more aesthetically pleasing flowers for the legal cannabis market.
Increases density: Back-building can help produce buds that are more dense and tightly packed, especially with sativa-dominant strains that tend to grow fluffier, less compact flowers.

Drawbacks

Does not increase overall yield: The final weight of the harvest typically does not increase with this technique, as it only reshapes the existing bud structure.
Risk of mold: By creating a tighter, more compact bud structure, the technique can increase the risk of mold or bud rot, particularly in humid conditions.

Stokes · Sep 18, 2025

THCosmic said:
I'm sure someone once said that about topping/fimming.

All in the name of science!

Meh

Ive never seen topping do what good LST cant

Topping has its place, but its drastically overrated when it comes to actual yield increase.

These were just done by my buddy Blunt, LST only

THCosmic · Sep 18, 2025

Stokes said:
Meh

Ive never seen topping do what good LST cant

Topping has its place, but its drastically overrated when it comes to actual yield increase.

These were just done by my buddy Blunt, LST only

View attachment 2527173

Same can be said about LST, hehe. There are even purists today that insist that never handling the plant is the best.

LST works wonders. I've tried topping, fimming, and of course always LST. Anything to keep a nice even canopy.

Stokes · Sep 18, 2025

THCosmic said:
Same can be said about LST, hehe. There are even purists today that insist that never handling the plant is the best.

LST works wonders. I've tried topping, fimming, and of course always LST. Anything to keep a nice even canopy.

A trained plant will always yield more.

Kyfarmerb1984 · Sep 18, 2025

Hello my fellow cannabis cultivation Brothers and Sister!,
I love all answers that his question provoked, this is absolutely what I missed about this place and what I personally miss about growing myself.
The ideals, the brainstorming, the "what if,s" and " did you ever hear of,s".
So back to the question our brother had,
Well I am all for every technique that has been mentioned so far but for me all of these techniques I would only implement during veg or the first couple weeks of flower.I am all about establishing a perfect,comfortable environment for the girls so that they can focus on thc and terp production from beginning of week 3 on to harvest.Though I am not saying I haven't in my younger years experimented further into flower, I am just saying that after all I have learned and now know, I know that from week 3 on is pivotal in thc and size production being that she has a perfect ,stable growing environment. For me that meant 82 deg and 55 % humidity lights on and 72 degrees lights off up until halfway thru week 7, from there id stay at my 82 lights on but drop to 65 deg lights off.
I hope I helped some, either way I am enjoying our conversations, thanks 2 all of yall!.Sincerely, kyfarmerb1984.

Trimming pistils for increasing size & density

Trimming pistils for increasing size & density

HowardC

RoadKillSkunkHunt

Beazy

Week4Bytch

Loyal To The Soil

Kyfarmerb1984

HowardC

Beazy

Galgrows

Week4Bytch

Loyal To The Soil

HowardC

cpurola

Coconutz

Topping vs FIMing Cannabis - Instruction Guide | Grow Weed Easy

THCosmic

Stokes

THCosmic

THCosmic

Stokes

THCosmic

Stokes

Kyfarmerb1984

Trimming pistils for increasing size & density

Trimming pistils for increasing size & density

HowardC

RoadKillSkunkHunt

Beazy

Week4Bytch

Loyal To The Soil

Kyfarmerb1984

HowardC

Beazy

Galgrows

Week4Bytch

Loyal To The Soil

HowardC

cpurola

Coconutz

Topping vs FIMing Cannabis - Instruction Guide | Grow Weed Easy

THCosmic

Stokes

THCosmic

THCosmic

Stokes

THCosmic

Stokes

Kyfarmerb1984

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency