For many growers, the topic of pruning cannabis can be controversial at best. Is it worth it to prune marijuana plants? It can increase yield, so I absolutely say yes, but there are risks involved when pruning cannabis.
The thing is, pruning has many benefits, but it’s not the only way to increase yield. There are other plant training methods that you can try. The trick is finding the right one for your comfort level and doing it correctly.
This article will discuss the various pruning methods and teach other ways to train your marijuana plants. I’ve also included a list of best practices at the bottom. Keep reading to learn if pruning is right for you.
- Pruning to increase yield
- The basics of pruning marijuana
- WHEN you prune is as important as HOW you prune
- The proper way to prune
- Train your plants to produce more with pruning
- Pruning can increase your yield by 25%
- 3 of the best pruning techniques
- How to Lollipop
- Over-pruning will ruin your plants
- 3 High-yielding, non-pruning training techniques
- 7 Tips for pruning your marijuana plants
- FAQ about pruning marijuana plants
Pruning to increase yield
Want to know one of the easiest ways to increase your yield?
It’s pruning.
Gardeners of every type prune their plants to keep them trim and tidy. For many of them, it’s simply because the plants can grow out of hand and become too difficult to deal with any other way. Plus, it has little risk since pruning marijuana is relatively harmless to the rest of the plant. But there are more benefits to pruning:
For some plants, such as marijuana and tomatoes, pruning can also cause higher yields.
What cannabis grower wouldn’t want tidy plants with higher yields?
Pruning cannabis plants helps keep plants small while also optimizing it so that the bud sites receive the best light for your cannabis plant and airflow. If you need to know what the best cannabis plant light schedule is, then read our guide.
This is especially useful for places where the laws limit the number of plants you can have. Pruning helps a grower have fewer plants while enjoying the same yields as before. If you do it right, your valuable marijuana plants can become even more valuable. Pruning marijuana is one step beyond the basics of giving plants life and keeping them happy and healthy. It’s not, however, for beginners.
Here’s why:
You need to give the process some thought and planning beforehand. The process of pruning marijuana plants is delicate, and you could damage your plants. If you don’t fully know what you’re doing, don’t prune at all. Keep in mind, you don’t have to prune. Some experienced growers never prune their plants. They prefer to let nature do its thing. This is not that bad of an idea since pruning has its risks. However, pruning in a controlled, moderate way can be extremely useful. When done correctly, you can produce the healthiest, best-growing plants with the most THC.
The basics of pruning marijuana
By definition, pruning marijuana is merely the process of clipping pieces of a plant off. If the grower can remove these pieces in small and specific amounts, the result is a stronger plant. In a way, pruning is similar to grooming. A certain amount of leaves will die during a marijuana plant’s life cycle. Their swift removal could keep your plant from wasting valuable resources on dying limbs.
These leaves don’t die quickly, so by clipping them early, you might be saving your plant weeks of extra effort. Removing parts of the plant that are already dead (such as discolored leaves), is like removing dead tissue from a human’s wound. It also provides more sunlight to the smaller leaves closer to the base of the plant and opens up better airflow.
The best part?
You may be helping your plant. When you prune cannabis, a plant can focus on more important things, like the still-healthy leaves, or growing brand new leaves. Your plant can grow faster and produce more chlorophyll. Because of a more efficient use of resources, the end result will be a larger, healthier plant.
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Pruning cannabis also encourages new branches to grow on your plants. Once your plant begins having a pair of leaves sprouting from the very top on a daily basis, the topmost leaf will develop some new branches.
As long as you wait for the plant to be mature enough before you start pruning, it will continue producing new nodes and leaves. That’s good news because more branches mean a higher yield.
How to prune marijuana plants
- Step 1 – Select a new shoot
- Step 2 – cut it off
- Step 3 – pruning successful
“Sanitize clippers and blades between cuts by dipping in rubbing alcohol.”
Jorge Cervantes
WHEN you prune is as important as HOW you prune
You can start thinking about pruning marijuana plants in the second week of the growing phase. At that time, your plant will have several internodes, and you’ll be able to see a bit how it’s growing. If you are growing an Indica plant, wait another week – they grow a bit slower than Sativas.
Since growing continues until the third week of flowering, you can prune up to the second week of flowering. This gives your cannabis plants some time to recover. They’ll always need a couple of days to recover after a pruning session.
When should you prune?
It’s even possible that they stop growing during this period because all their energy is focused on recovery. Since you want as much energy as possible to go to the buds, do not prune after the first two weeks of the flowering period.
Do not prune after the 2nd week of the flowering period.
Until then, remove about a quarter of the new side shoots every week. Be sure to leave the older leaves and twigs, because they produce a lot of sugars. You also should ensure you keep enough fully-grown leaf surface. They produce sugar and prevent light from being lost by falling to the ground.
The proper way to prune
You do not want to prune incorrectly. When pruning cannabis, don’t tear a leaf away with your hands; instead, cut them with scissors or a knife (make sure your tool of choice is quite sharp before use, check these pruning tools).
People who prune cannabis plants successfully do these two things:
- Water your plant immediately after pruning. This reduces the amount of shock to your plant while also stimulating growth.
- Include plant food when watering
These two tips can make your pruning more productive and less likely to harm your plant or slow down its growth.
If you want to be extremely cautious, you should only prune the leaves that already look unhealthy. If they are turning yellow or have brown tips if their lobes are partially eaten, and if they are withered at all, you can (and should) safely remove those leaves. You can also try removing the original shade leaves from branches that you have already pruned. It’s safe to do this after the branches begin sprouting new leaves.
The old leaves will yellow and die eventually anyway, so by removing them earlier, you can allow your plant to focus its valuable resources on other things. Removing these leaves also provides more sunlight to the smaller leaves closer to the base of the plant, which gets them to grow faster and produces more chlorophyll.
What about the leaves that you prune?
Unfortunately, any leaves that you prune when your plants are less than 3 months old will not be very smokable. This may feel like a waste but remember that the point of pruning is not to have an early stock of weed, but rather to improve your overall yield in the end. This may seem like a cruel joke, but nature actually intended this.
THC is beneficial to your plant. Responsible, strategic pruning helps your plant to enhance its ability to produce THC and repel insects. Your plants don’t have much THC until they are three months old because leaf-eating bugs typically start becoming active (and hungry) roughly three months into the growing season.
THC repels insects, so it is no accident that marijuana plants develop lots of THC around this time. They need it to keep those hungry bugs away. If you are curious and impatient, you can go ahead and try smoking some of those leaves, but don’t be disappointed when it doesn’t end with a successful high. Burning is a good option since it won’t leave any evidence of your marijuana possession, but you’re better off making butter or oil out of them.
Train your plants to produce more with pruning
Simple pruning can improve your plant’s yield, but intentional, creative forms of pruning can do even more. As a grower, you can train your plant to grow in a certain manner using pruning.
This can lead to even larger yields, more efficient use of lights, increased airflow, lower costs and a better harvest.
Plant training by pruning proves that pruning can be much more than looks.
Here’s how it works:
- Prune during the earlier stages of growth.
- Remove certain parts of the plant that are not dead (in addition to dead leaves of course).
- Force the plant to recover; it grows back stronger.
There are many types of pruning techniques that will also train a marijuana plant. The most basic form, defoliation, removes some of the leaves of a plant; typically, the largest fan leaves. When this process is completed during the beginning of the flowering stage, it allows buds to grow fatter and denser.
“The e
Jorge Cervantesffects of pruning are much stronger than the more subduedconsequences of bending.”
Defoliation is only appropriate for healthy plants and should only be used indoors (where the growing cycle can be controlled). This technique is simple, but still only recommended for the most advanced growers.
Other pruning training techniques include topping, fimming, and lollipopping. Topping and fimming involve the deliberate removal of the top of the plant’s stem. This will cause the plant to almost grow into two, creating multiple colas instead of one. Whereas lollipopping, on the other hand, is a more deliberate form of defoliation, removing the lower bushier growth of a plant so that it is shaped like a lollipop.
Training your plants by pruning can lead to a larger harvest with less effort.
Because training techniques like these can cause significant damage to a plant, they should only be used on healthy plants. They are also best used indoors.
Pruning can increase your yield by 25%
Training can produce amazing results, but you don’t have to train your plants to increase your yield. There are some benefits to pruning on its own. When done correctly, it can improve sugar distribution and increase your yield.
Here’s my advice:
Prune the young leaves or side shoots. The tiny buds at the bottom of the plant are a great thing to let go as they do not yield anything worthwhile and won’t grow to the size of other buds. They will use energy, however, which a waste since you won’t use them.
Beginners should not try pruning the large fan leaves. They need those leaves.
Plants produce sugar so they can grow, and a marijuana plant needs to produce a lot of it. It creates sugar by converting water, light, and CO2. This process also creates oxygen. This sugar is sent to the buds, side shoots, and young leaves because they grow quickly and use a lot of sugar. The larger, fully-developed leaves produce their sugar.
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You can prune without harming your plants. Pruning cannabis plants does not have to be high stress. Many growers believe that extra stress will force a plant to grow faster as a way of compensating for time lost. However, there’s really not a lot of evidence to back this up and cutting up the plant too much will leave you with considerably less than you might have wanted. You don’t want to cut off more than you need to produce the desired results.
Pruning can be harmful to your plant and lower your yield if you don’t know what you are doing, so don’t if you are new to growing.
If you are new to growing (less than three times), now is not the time to start. Take some time to learn what a fully-grown plant looks like first. Look for the buds at the bottom of the plant. If you’ve already grown a few times, try pruning a couple of plants. Don’t prune them all – that way you can compare your pruned plants to the plants you haven’t pruned.
Most importantly, don’t expect to master this technique the first time you do it. Pruning cannabis is something you do intuitively.
3 of the best pruning techniques
If you decide to train your plants by pruning, there are a lot of different methods to choose from. If you’ve already grown a few harvests, select the method that works best for you. Each method comes with its own set of challenges and benefits, so choose carefully. You can also sometimes use more than one method together to form a combined plan of sorts.
Keep reading to learn the advantages of using certain pruning techniques.
Yield up to 5 ounces per plant with topping
Topping is typically misunderstood by most growers. However, it is a training technique worth considering.
Here’s why:
Topping helps maximize your plant’s access to sunlight. This is especially important if you have a grow room indoors since your light is limited (and expensive) compared to natural sunlight. Topping marijuana plants involves cutting off the main shoot at the top, which stimulates the growth of more shoots and branches. Over time, it will turn the plant’s overall shape into a downward-facing cone.
Whereas a single growing shoot might produce a larger individual cola, topping the plant gives you 4 colas that can soak up the best light intensity. When you top a marijuana plant, the entire plant has access to more light.
The benefits of topping include:
- Bigger buds
- Bushier plants with more branches
- More leaves
Which basically adds up to…… a higher yield.
Some growers do not like topping because it slows down growth to a certain extent or may produce smaller colas. Although individual colas might not be as large, the cumulative yield is much greater than an un-topped plant.
Seedlings and clones respond to topping differently
Topping should be done early for the least negative impact on the plant – when it is around 10 inches tall and has a few internodes is a good idea. To be honest, however, you can start topping as soon as your plant seems strong enough. Check for the secondary growth that is located near the low nodes – this is a reliable sign that your plant can withstand topping.
For clones, the earlier, the better. In fact, as soon as clones take root properly and start to grow out, you can cut out the meristem. This will cause the plant to divide into two growing shoots. The growth will slow initially, but the plant will eventually become stronger and yield more. If you top low enough, the marijuana plant will create 4 growing shoots.
Seedlings are slightly different. It’s important to let the seedling develop and grow at least 4 to 5 internodes before topping. Topping a seedling too early will shock a plant, slow down the growth process, and waste a ton of time.
Also read Cannabis seedling stage
A seeded plant should be given enough time to take root properly and produce a few sets of fan leaves. Waiting until you see roots coming out of the drain holes is a good rule of thumb. Although most strains take well to topping, some don’t. Really short, slowly-growing indicas like Urkle take an even longer time when topped, but the process can still yield up to 5 ounces per plant with this method. To put it plainly, all plants improve with topping, but certain slow-growing strains may take a while to mature properly. That is why you start early.
How do you top cannabis?
Here is why topping works:
A shoot grows into 2 new petioles with leaves on them. The middle of the shoot contains a new shoot, and new shoots will be formed in the axils. A shoot, therefore, consists of 2×2 leaves, crosswise against each other. By removing this, the two shoots in the axils will grow to become the main buds.
Note: After your plant’s fifth leaf pair has popped up, you can safely cut off the main shoot
Topping is especially useful if your growing room isn’t very tall. By topping your plants, they will stop growing up and start growing out.
Sativas can grow very quickly and can become very tall, so it is especially useful for them. Since they don’t get very wide, you have to place many plants close to each other, to prevent wasted light. The light that doesn’t hit the leaves and falls on the ground is considered lost energy. With topping, you can leave more room between plants and still have a beautiful green blanket.
The results are often fast:
Another advantage of topping is that the plant can absorb more light. This is because it becomes wider and develops more leaves that can absorb the light. This can significantly increase yield – especially outdoors. It also applies to indoor plants, but it’s easier to use more plants to prevent light loss, rather than topping.
Topping also spreads the risk of disease. Since the process produces more main buds that are not as big, they’re not as sensitive to bud rot and/or other nasty diseases. This is mostly an advantage for outdoor plants, where growers can’t control the climate.
Some tips on topping:
When you are topping, make sure you only cut the latest shoot, so you only inflict minimal damage to the plant. It’s important to remember that your plant is damaged, so it will use its energy to heal the wound and won’t grow much for a couple of days.
You can top multiple times if you want to, but remember to leave some time in between sessions, so the plant can recover. Topping is always done during the growing phase, and possibly in the first week of flowering at the very latest. Otherwise, the plant has no time to grow wider, making the practice a waste of your time and your plant’s energy.
Topping result after 3 weeks
Again, be careful with the big, heavy plants, because there’s a chance that the plant will split in half under its own weight. It’s best to strengthen the plant with some tape, just under the topping, to prevent splitting. This is more of a concern for outdoor plants.
Fimming makes four buds out of one
Fimming is the partial removal of the latest shoot of a plant. When done, it creates four main buds instead of one.
A fimmed plant is wider than and not as tall as a typical plant. It also has more leaves exposed to light, causing more light to be absorbed. While the process damages the plant a bit, most recover quite well, making it a useful method of increasing yield.
The benefits of fimming include:
- More leaves
- Wider plants
- Better light absorption
Which again, means…… a higher yield. Download my free Grow Bible for more on fimming or other pro grow tips
Plants that have more leaves that can absorb light will produce a greater yield, and the fimming process increases light exposure to leaves. The light that doesn’t hit the leaves and falls on the ground is considered lost energy. Fimming ensures more leaves receive light
This technique is especially useful outdoors and is the secret behind those gigantic outdoor plants featured in pictures. It also works for indoor plants, but it is easier to use additional plants to make sure no light is lost. If your grow room isn’t very tall, fimming is very useful. In the case of Sativas, they grow very quickly and can become very tall instead of wide.
Fimming helps them grow wider instead of taller since the plants temporarily stop growing lengthwise and mainly grow in width. Now, you can then leave some more room between plants while maintaining a nice green blanket of leaves.
How to Fim
After it is cut, the shoot grows into 2 new petioles, each with their own leaf. The middle of the shoot contains a new shoot, and new shoots will be formed in the axils. A shoot, therefore, consists of 2×2 leaves, crosswise against each other.
By removing two-thirds of it, you’re only cutting off the leaves, while leaving the stems. These will, along with the shoots in the axils, grow to become main buds. So, you end up with four main buds. Make sure you don’t cut off too much, or you’ll only end up with two main buds.
Note: I never fim Indicas; they grow too slow, and the vegetative stage would last too long
Fimming damages the plant, and it will use its energy to heal the wound, so this can slow down the growth a bit. You may also notice that the newest pair of leaves are damaged when it starts to grow, but this is normal.
Fimming can damage some leaves, but that’s no problem. Fimming also spreads the risk of disease. Instead of a few big buds getting ruined, the process produces more main buds, and because they’re not as big, they’re not as sensitive to bud rot and/or other nasty diseases.
This is huge for outdoor plants because:
These plants have fewer defenses since you can’t control the climate and the moist fall air is perfect for bud rot. Indoor growers can simply place more plants without fimming them to spread the risks.
Some tips on fimming
- You can fim multiple times but leave some time in between fimming sessions for recovery.
- Fim during the growing phase and possibly the first week of flowering at the very latest. Otherwise, the plant has no time to grow wider, completely defeating the purpose.
Fimming results after 5 days
Be careful with fimming if you have a gigantic, heavy plant because there’s a chance that the plant will split in half under its own weight. It’s best to start strengthening the plant with some tape, just under the fimming, to prevent splitting. This only applies to outdoor plants, because they get much bigger and heavier than indoor plants.
Lollipop your cannabis plants for bigger colas
Lollipopping is a pruning technique that removes the lower growth of your plants to promote better bud development on the top.
By eliminating the competing growth, energy is directed to the main kola sites. This technique is especially useful in setups that have no side lighting to reach the lower regions of the plant.
The main idea behind lollipopping is simple:
- Remove the overly shaded parts of the plant. They probably won’t do much.
- Force the plant to focus on producing larger colas
Lollipopping – No bottom leaves or small buds – Picture by howtogrowmarijuana.com
Why’s it called ‘lollipopping’?
It’s called ‘lollipop’ because of the shape of the plant once you have finished with it. When the lower growth is removed, all that remains is a plant with a long bare stem and one or more large colas on top. (However, this may vary a bit, depending on if you used other techniques.) Removing the lower bushier growth can also improve air circulation around the bottom parts of the plant where humidity often builds up, especially after watering.
For bushy plants that are susceptible to mold or other fungal infections, it lowers their risk, making it useful when growing outdoors in damp climates. Most growers agree that lollipopping should take place during the veg phase. Do it as a continuous process or all in one go but do so around a couple of weeks before you begin the 12 hours of light/12 hours of darkness.
This way, your plants have time to recover from the shock you just put them through before beginning their flowering mode.
The benefits of lollipopping include:
- Energy conservation
- Improved circulation
- Larger colas
And the best part …. A higher yield.
Some people believe you should never lollipop once the plant has started flowering. However, if the main work is done during the vegetative stage, you can do some light maintenance during the flowering period. You may want to prune those branches that haven’t quite made it to the canopy or remove the tiny popcorn buds that begin to form on the bare lower branches.
How to Lollipop
There are basically two ways to lollipop your plants; choose yours based on your desired results.
Technique #1 – Top down Lollipopping
While many growers consider this technique to be extreme, it is a quite simple process. Choose a point that’s about 4 nodes down from the growing tip of the plant, (or wherever you want the canopy growth to begin), then remove the growth from the main stem below that point.
To remove the growth, simply grasp the main stem between thumb and forefinger and slide downwards, taking the side shoots with you as you go. It’s a simple step but be careful not to damage the main stem. It’s best to use a clean, sharp blade or scissors.
Technique #2 – Bottom up Lollipopping
This is not as severe a form of
To do the bottom-up method, start at the bottom and work upwards. Remove short main lateral branches and any leaves on the lateral branches. If they are too short to make the top of the canopy, they should go. In the end, the bottom third of the plant should be bare of any growth.
This type of lollipopping often requires some maintenance trimming while the plant grows. You’d use this kind of technique when SCROG growing.
Over-pruning will ruin your plants
Plenty of new, excited growers make the mistake of overpruning their cannabis plants. Many times, it is because new growers want to sample as many THC-filled leaves as possible, even before harvest time.
Look:
It’s true that these first leaves are more exciting than anything you can buy, but you must proceed with caution. The best weed won’t come until it’s actually harvest time. You shouldn’t do anything that could slow down growth and reduce the productivity of the flowering stage.
Here’s two things you absolutely should not do:
- If no branches are growing out of a leaf’s basal stem, don’t cut that leaf off
- do not strip all the leaves off of one branch or stalk
If you do these things, you risk overpruning your plant – which could possibly lead to plant death.
3 High-yielding, non-pruning training techniques
If improving the yield is your goal, there are other ways to train your plant. Below are some plant training techniques that do not involve pruning.
Super cropping
This training technique can produce similar results to pruning with cutting the plant. With super cropping, the grower crushes the stem’s soft interior. When done correctly, super cropping should stimulate health, bring a higher yield, and increase potency.
Here’s how it works:
Just like with any injury, animal or plant, breaking the tissue down will cause it to be rebuilt more strongly. When you crush the inside of the stem (which is where nutrients and water are transported), it will be rebuilt thicker and stronger, allowing for even more efficient transport for these key elements.
How do you super crop?
The whole plant will become healthier if you pinch the center stem. If you pinch the branches on the side, you can control the shape of your plant. You can simply (and gently) bend the branch in whatever direction you want it to grow.
Super cropping tutorial at our grow course.
The best time to carry out super cropping is the second or third week of your plant’s vegetation stage. Simply pinch and twist the branch simultaneously between your thumb and pointer finger and bend the branch (without breaking it). Let it go as soon as you’ve felt it give way; even if it droops a bit, it will heal in time. Read the article Super cropping marijuana plants for more info
Monster crop for huge plants
Monster Cropping (a.k.a. flowering clones) is a new method of growing that one of our members brought to my attention.
Flowering clones a.k.a Monster Cropping essentially involves taking clones from flowering marijuana plants and then rooting those clones. They will reenter vegetative state and eventually create super-bushy plants with a large number of nodes and branches. This method was dubbed “Monster Cropping,” because that’s exactly what you’ll end up with—huge, monster plants.
Flowering plants typically aren’t a source for clones, and most experts will tell you that it goes against most rules of cannabis cultivation.
Also read the article Monster cropping marijuana plants for more info
Even so, the science behind Monster Cropping is legitimate, and you will certainly enjoy the results.
Low-stress training is the gentle way to train
The letters “LST” stand for “Low-Stress Training.” This type of training causes less damage then techniques such as topping or super cropping. Those methods are considered to be High-Stress Training or HST. LST is a safer option than HST since HST damages the plant at first. That being said, you can combine topping and LST training nicely (although plenty of successful growers choose the LST-only route and don’t do any topping at all).
Low-Stress Training in pictures
How does low-stress training work?
- Start by tying down your marijuana plant. This stimulates the growth of all the shoots newly placed above the main stalk
- Your plant will “think” it no longer has a main shoot, and prioritize its resources into growing its other stems faster
This will allow your plant to become denser and bushier. This method works well, as long as you do not rush. This is a technique that takes time and patience, and anyone who tries to do it too quickly will have poor results.
Low-stress training a cannabis plant.
A beautiful LST example:
There are many other techniques for “training” your plant that could come in handy, so make sure you know all of your options before beginning one. Pruning doesn’t have to be hard when you know what you are doing. As long as the benefits outweigh the risks, why wouldn’t you try it?
Whether you remove a few dying leaves or try your hand at fimming, your plants will benefit from all the extra attention. Just try not to stress them out too much.
7 Tips for pruning your marijuana plants
Regardless of whether you are pruning as a good habit, or deliberately training your plants, you’ll need to follow some best practices. Here are some tips for successful marijuana pruning throughout the lifecycle of the plant.
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1. Cut out lower, non-productive branches early.
When the marijuana plant is still relatively small but in a vegetative state, you can nix a few of the lower branches along with their attached leaves. There’s nothing wrong with leaving those particular branches on the plant, but, when it comes time to flower the plants, they won’t really produce much anyway.
This little exercise also allows the plant to focus more on the taller and ultimately more productive branches. This will increase growth in the meantime and can potentially increase yield toward the end of the plant’s life cycle. This differs from defoliation, which is done in the flowering stage.
2. Be careful pruning cannabis plants.
When cutting the branches, especially when the plants are young, it’s important to take great caution, as you could introduce diseases to your plant, or cause unnecessary trauma. Don’t use dull scissors or a serrated blade, and certainly don’t rip the small branches off with your bare hands. The last thing you want to do is shock the plant at such a young age. A nice, clean snip with some sharp scissors will do the trick.
3. Remove any dead or dying leaves.
As the marijuana plant ages, it’s obviously going to get bigger. The upper leaves will start to fill out and form a canopy above the lower parts of the plant. Unfortunately for the lower end of the plant, those leaves will likely all die as a result of not getting enough light. Snipping them off even before they start to turn yellow has almost the same effect as clipping your fingernails. Except, in this case, the upper leaves will benefit from the missing lower leaves.
Removing leaves that are not already dying is actually defoliation, and that can cause harm to the plant if not done correctly. For the least amount of risk, stick to the leaves that are already dying.
4. Keep the plants in check.
If you’re going indoors, then you are likely going to have some vertical (and occasionally horizontal limitations). Pruning can certainly remedy that situation without causing too much damage. If you’re growing marijuana outdoors, the plant will have considerably more room to grow. While that’s beneficial to some degree (because who doesn’t like bigger plants?), it can get you caught. Bigger plants are naturally easier to see than smaller plants, and towering outdoor plants are a recipe for disaster (unless, of course, you have a highly-concealed location).
Prune your plants so that they stay within your space requirements
5. Top the marijuana plants.
As mentioned above, topping can significantly increase your harvest. While it might seem counterintuitive to snip off the biggest branch (top cola), it can make a substantial difference. The top colas have a chemical in them that restricts the growth of the lower branches, and, when you cut it off, it allows the rest of the plant to flourish. The top colas are also pretty potent, making them perfect for a test smoke.
6. Don’t force flowering right away.
After you’ve topped the plant, you don’t want to start forcing the marijuana plant into the flowering stage immediately. Give it some time to recover. Cutting the top cola late in vegetative growth is not the same as cutting a few shoots or small branches early on in the game. The lower branches and leaves will slowly start to work their way up to fill the vacancy left by the top cola.
After about 4 or 5 days, you can start forcing the plants to flower, at which point you should be rewarded with a much higher yield for all your efforts. Once the plant is fully grown you will need to start thinking harvest time. Our free little Harvest Guide will help you determine the best moment to cut your plants.
7. Don’t prune during flowering.
Once the marijuana plant starts to flower, it’s really a bad idea to try to prune anything else. Of course, if there are a few dead leaves or unproductive branches, you might be able to get away with it. But, any wholesale pruning during the flowering period is a bad idea. The plants are already growing rapidly, and any extensive pruning to the plant will likely shock it.
Surprisingly, this is when defoliation should occur – but only during the first part of the flowering period. You also should not prune autoflowering plants. When done correctly, pruning can significantly increase your yield. However, you don’t always need scissors to stimulate your plant’s growth.
Some growers may prefer to grow more branches with the advanced technique of monster cropping. Others may prefer some low-stress training. There’s a technique for every grower, so don’t be afraid to try.
FAQ about pruning marijuana plants
When to start pruning cannabis?
You can start pruning your cannabis in the second week of the growing phase. Your plant should be ready for pruning on the tenth day. However, people growing Indica plants should wait one more week since they grow at a slower pace compared to Sativas.
How long does it take to recover after pruning your cannabis plant?
Your cannabis plant will only need a few days to recover after pruning.
How long after pruning cannabis can I begin to flower?
Wait for 4 to 5 days before you flower your plant. That way, you’ll give the plant enough time to grow and recover, resulting in a higher yield.
Thanks for reading. I hope you learned something, and if you’re looking to buy seeds, be sure to check out some of these happy stories!
I’m on my 4th grow, Ive chosen Mobi Dick this time. Sunday 7-18-21 I fed with week four Nutes. Today, Monday the 19th she measures 13″ tall and 19″ wide, groth has been incredible. I’m going to flip her next Sunday the 25th on the 1st day of week five nutrient feeding. Today she has at least 10 sets of nodes, I really cant tell she is to dense to count. Her big fan leaves are 2.5″ wide, shading the lower growing nodes. Should I remove these giants to let light in. I am also thinking about fining as well. Please advise!!
How about some guidance on trimming auto gems in a inside tent grow?
I have been growing outside since I was 14. I am 53 now. It was encouraging to me to read and discover that I have been doing the majority of your suggestions. But it didn’t happen over night. Alot of disappointing seasons. You are absolutely right. If you are a beginner don’t do anything to your plants but observe and carefully watch them grow and then one season everything you have heard and read Will click and make perfect sense to you and you will perform exceptionally and have a excellent seast. And then with the pictures of your flawless plants let the bragging begin. You know why? because you put the time and work in and you earned that right. So here’s to you my friend. Job well done. CP.
Great article and onfo, I now know how to FIM properly, most articles advocate nipping off 80 percent of the tip and side growth.
There’s some bs in this post. I defoliate every grow since my second grow 12 years ago and have only increased yields. Leaves are solar panels? Bullshit. II’m just ending week 8 and took off a ton of leaves before harvest. That’s defoliation #3 for this grow. There’s some good info here as well. If you haven’t tried it, don’t comment because you don’t know what you’re talking about. It serves SO many beneficial purposes for me. I wouldn’t ever not do it.
Need help desperatley. Have 4 plants 3 are ok one has grown tall and spindly and looks weird. Any ideas on recovery. 3 others have many yellowing leaves which i cut but heads which are forming dont look very dense. Plants about 5 months old and growing oitside
You keep talking about “FLOWERING YOUR PLANT” but what does that mean. Can you make your plant flower ???
Thanks for the info I wasn’t cutting branches I was just taking the leaves off big leaves that weren’t really productive it anyting is that going to harm my plant
I have a 4×4 tent with a1000 watt hps I’m a beginner . could I scrog about 4 gsc?
I grow outdoors in a cooler climate, summers can be short so maximising yield and managing the buds when temps drop is challenging.
Keep it pretty simple, top the plants and tie them down clean up any dead leaves and keep an eye on airflow throughout the plant.. I have tried super cropping and splitting the stem but didn’t really work for me but not to say I would not try again.
Zero complaints on yield.
Happy growing .
Awesome information!! My first grow and I’m glad I read it till the end cause you said No PRUNING with Autoflowers Thanks
I have so enjoyed growing and learning different things through y’all’s site forum and reviews and your products are wonderful very easy to maintain very anxious to see my harvest but patience is the key
Can I send you photos?
One thing maybe worth adding about pruning dead leaves; the discoloration is due to the breakdown of chlorophyll and other bio molecules back into their primary ingredients which are then pumped back into the rest of the plant for use elsewhere (e.g. trichomes). By removing leaves early, this recycling of energy is prevented. The analogy of removing dead tissue from a wound is accurate as dead plant tissue can foster viral/bacterial/fungal populations which is never a good thing, so I believe leaf removal would best be left until necrosis (dead/crispy brown areas) can be seen on the leaf.
Great information helped out alot,thanks.
I been growing for about 5 years indoors. I use all of these techniques all the time. I have supercropped clones now that will be monsters. Growing indoors i HAVE to use these techniques because of limited growing area. It all works if done correctly. Have fun growing!.
I have what they call a monster ! 3mos. Old ! So many branches ! All reaching sun . Afraid to much weight for buds ! Any ideas on thinning or should I let it go?
Are you growing indoors? If so, you can tie the heavy branches to a piece if pvc piping that you could put around the perimeter of the plants. There’s so much you can do if you’re growing indoors. I know nothing about growing outdoors. I even use tomato cages for support.
I accidentally topped my cheese autoflower, but it is working out well for me, we’ll see…
Very Detailed. It left me with few questions, and a whole lot of, I am so ready for this.
Hey dude I recently started growing but I’m not a problem by any means I have had plants produce 3 ounces on average but I’m still learning I’ve been growing 4 nice plants since April and they got to be about 2 feet so far. Then today I went and cut about six huge fan leaves off each one.bthe leaves were 8 to ten inches.i felt really bad after and read that.yiu should never cut those big fan leaves.. then I read that it won’t really matter..I feel like I fucked up..what do you think?
A video demonstrating this would be much more helpful than only written text. We need to see it done with expqnations..not read it…in my opinion
Had good results with ILGM seeds last year. 7 out of 9 sprouted. Excellent harvest.
Hi to y’all,
I too have had very good results from “ILGM” seeds. The genetics are spot on!..I’m in the process of slowly harvesting my “SUPER SKUNKS” as they ripen,approximately when the hairs or pistils are 3/4 or more brown/red/orange (whatever colour you want to call it.)on the buds. I have a question; are there any aussie growers that use this forum.
Very helpful thank you
Growing some white Widow. I read that you are not supposed to top off indica dominant plants. Is this true?
Randy, “top off” is a watering term, as in “I topped off my plants with just plain water” If you mean; To top the plant… You got bad info. You can top any plant genetics you would like to except Autoflower genetics. Topping will stunt autos. For any regular or feminized gentics; Sativa or Indica; Top if you want to.
You are the. Greatest
Your article was very helpful. Thanks
I would like to ask if it is alright to use the Bergman Grow fertilizer longer than the 4 week time on the feeding schedule if your plants haven’t grown tall enough ?
I am at a point where my plants are about 9 to 10 feet high. I topped them months ago. They are loaded with flowers and buds. Should I prune the leaves that are big it’s really bushy. Help
cool
How far up the plant should you cut if plant was 3 ft tall?
Dude amazing thank you
Not sure if it was a misprint or what, but the part in this article that says “once the plant starts sprouting a new set of leaves daily” cannot be correct. I have never seen one sprout a new set daily. Once a week maybe, but not daily. If this is correct, then I’m doing something terribly wrong.
Joel, The article says; ” Once the TOP of the plant (the kola) starts sprouting new leaves every day”, and this is not a misprint. Healthy plants do sprout new leaves from the top as new growth daily, it is mature enough to prune or top. Happy growing. thanks for watchiing out.
Thank you !!
My plants don’t stretch enough to lollipop. 1000W makes them bushy and strong .
Great tips , first time grower need all the help I can get. thanks
Very Interesting— I’ve recently switched over to a SOG method… I am having a hard time figuring out how to trim for the highest yeild… My plants look like tall Dr. Seuss lollipops with a smaller cola than hoped. Next Round I Will Only Veg For 1 Week (This Round Was 2). Any Suggestions for trimming for SOG? .
Thanks for all the information about various ways to grow. I have a Bruce Banner plant (from your seeds) into its second week of flowering outdoors here in San Diego; yes December 8! I couldn’t wait till Spring to try out one of the seeds I purchased. So far, so good; lots of flowers forming. I’m trying to get some clone cuttings with budding flowers to take root. Should I remove the flowers from these to help them? Thanks again for all this information!
Jim B,
I suppose you could remove the flower but, it is not necessary. While rooting ,the flower will die and when rooted, new leaves will sprout replacing the flower. Make sure you are rooting the clones at least 18/6 photo period
Happy growing
too much reading, I’m confused… it there a difference between topping the plant to (say) start the scrogging process, and the pinching off the top tip to cause two tips to grow? I was guessing not, but then latewood’s response says “we don’t top (or prune) autos, yet in many place in all this great literature it says autos can be scrogged. I intend to try auto flowers for my next grow., and like the “science” of scrogging which I’m starting to get a handle on? thanx
You do not necessarily have to top the plant to SCROG. Another thing I always tell people is to try it and see for yourself. I know many who have manipulated “Autos” IMO, it was not that successful, but to each his own. You may achieve a result that you are happy with. Personally; I recommend you use feminized seeds to get a much bigger yield. Then you can top away 😀
Hello ,When growing auto flowers will the yield increase by pinching and pruning or is this for photo period only.Thank you
Joe,
This is for photo’s…Yes.
We do not top or prune auto’s. Good question 🙂
LST on Banana Kush made it bud outdoors in August. Ready to harvest on Sept 15. My other Banana Kush is three weeks behind. Started early spring from Fem Seed. Great yield, looks like about . 24 ounces or more.
“When the bases of leaves have branches coming out of them, you can remove those leaves. Always begin with leaves that are the highest up, as this will encourage smaller leaves down below to speed up their growth.”
WHAT?????
Drew,
Not sure what you are asking but, I do not agree with the quote, either. I would prune fan leaves from the bottom up. Hope this helps.
Some good advice on here…thanks
Hope you will delete Rick Karp’s offensive message. Seems he has some
deeper problems, needs to sober up and apologize, in my opinion.
You and your dedicated staff have provided nothing but positive, valuable
information to all of us, to take or leave… Much depends upon our locations,
climates, resources available, reasons for growing in the first place… I derive
hours of valuable knowledge from your website, the blogs & Q/A’s.
Growing anything should be fun, fulfilling, energizing and relaxing,
whether it’s flowers, vegetables, trees. We are here to help one another, find
our own measures of peace, & our spots in the universe.
Whether to Fim, Scrog, Lollypop, top, bush, clone, — its up to each of us
out here to make our own choices !! It’s uncomfortable reading some people’s
“Replies”, when they start to fight and criticize each other’s opinions….
Kinda takes the fun out of all this, don’t you think?
Perhaps you can ‘bleep’ out the vulgar language, while still allowing these
nay-sayers to get their jollies… You don’t owe them the space. LIfe is way too
Fleeting, for this negative stuff.
Looking forward to the good vibes & continued support from all of you.
Thanks, LK. Still hope Canada opens up❣
Hi LK,
Thank you so much for your kind words! And we have to agree with you, it’s all about having fun growing and learning while doing it. People should feel free to share their experiences and opinions but Rick’s comment was a bit rude without a reason indeed.
Terrific article, I’ve tried every one of these methods in the 25+ years I’ve been growing, think super cropping and some training is the way to go for me.
I pruned 1 plant of leaves that were blocking bud sites probably 5-10 leaves is this enough to hermie fem plants that are in flower.
RoyC,
Any stress can cause “hermie” effects. Light pruning should not hurt you. Keep in mind removing fan leaves is like taking a small piece of the heart and lungs from the plant; So, don’t get carried away. Also; It is a myth that removing a leaf will add much to the bud you are trying to light up…Overall light to the entire plant produces the best photo synthesis. 🙂
Happy growing
All I do is tie down my plant, it takes off when I do it. The yield is incredibly, two to
three pounds. Do not remove any of the sun leaves until it is dried. Like the way it makes my buds look when I trim em. It gives me enough smoke fer the year . Yur bible has helped me adapt to growin in Georgia, the climate an soil here are much different then Humboldt Co. in California. Many thanks to y’all!
Bella Linda,
Thanks for sharing and the kind words! 🙂 Peace
Eric ,
If you want to share you story, go here: ilgmforum.com
Once you have established yourself as an active member, you can share your pictures. I would be worried about harmful bacteria growing directly in a lake or river. Be aware. 🙂
Happy growing
I contacted you last year about my experiment – growing pot hydroponically outdoors in a river. I live on a houseboat and have plastic barrels cut in half and half filled with soil. the bottoms of the half-barrels have holes drilled through to allow the roots to pass through the soil, through the holes, and into the Willamette River, which is full of silt. I try to plant a little late because the river stays really cold when the snow melts off in May and June. But once that’s warmed up the pot plants love that way of growing. Hazards include muskrats and beavers, which will feast on your plants and almost turn you into an NRA gun nut… well, I exaggerate. I say a pox on the houses of gun freaks. But a varmint attack can wipe out your whole crop. If you’d like, I’d be glad to send along some progress photos of my crop this year. I appreciate your newsletters and consider you to be very generous and thoughtful. I have glaucoma and was loosing field of vision until I talked my opthalmologist to authorize me to grow (that was before pot became legal in Oregon, now anybody can grow.) Best wishes,
some problems with your article:
o You say not to prune with just your fingers, but sseveral of your pix show exactly that.
o It’s often not clear whether you’re talking about indoors or outdoors,
o Is it really science that pruning increases total bud mass, or does it just look like it? Pruning stresses the plant (as you noted), and the growth rate of plants has to be largely determined by how much sugar the leaves produce, all other things being the same. Is prunig really only useful to keep the plants small enough to fit into your grow space?
o I don’t think your photo shows the result of rooting cuttings during flowering (which is known to be very difficult).
Cannubis,
Thanks for sharing. These articles are generally meant for newbies and it is better to teach nrebies not to use their hands. Of course this falls on deaf ears and in fact we all tent to touch the plant. The difference is; An expert knows how to manage a plant while a newbie will panic if they carry a disease to a plant; So, I would call it preventative advice.
Indoor or outdoor doesn;t matter and is a moot point.
Everything about growing marijuana is a debate and a matter of personal choice. Agree, disagree, Do it, don’t do it…All personal belief and individual growers choice. All the info here is more of a guideline that works. each grower has to decide what method works for them.
Personally; I always yield more when not pruning all all. Although pruning or topping creates more bud sites or more energy to what is left; I don’t believe you can increase your yield; However, I do have expert friends that have the ability to measure THC levels and it appears that some advanced methods allow for that. Thanks for your questions.
Robert is absolutely right in that pruning needs to be learned gradually as you get more experience. The response to it is very similar to how tomato plants behave. However, don’t throw your trimmed leaves away. Just leave them in a container where the air can get to them. They will dry out naturally. Then they can be crumbled up by hand or in a coffee grinder. Use these to make cannabutter. There *are* active components in any leaf material. Whether this is THC or CBD is subject to debate. The more plant material used, will inevitably increase the strength you experience from your edibles. Test a small amount first before eating a lot, so you can gauge the strength. I use coconut oil + Soya Lecithin in a MB machine. Test a little on something 2″ X 1″ first after 90mins + before eating a bigger amount.
I made a typo. I use sunflower Lecithin – not soya.
Hey Robert, what does this sentence say? “Once your plant begins having a pair of leaves sprouting from the very top on a daily basis, the topmost leaf will grow some new branches.” I copied it from your section on pruning and I have to admit, I write some stuff when I am stoned but even stoned, I don’t know what you are saying.
Nely,
“Once your plant begins having a pair of leaves sprouting from the very top on a daily basis, the topmost leaf will grow some new branches”
It means; “After you prune or top, secondary limbs will cone from each node, and grow. The top will continue to produce new nodes and leaves, getting longer.
Happy growing.
One of 5 of my Trainwrecks buds have turned red in the center and the hairs are gone. Is this normal? She’s a beauty 7′ tall.
Lynn,
You better join our forum and let us see some images of what you are talking about. ilovegrowingmarijuana. com
We are not set up here in the blog for that type support. See you at ILGM support forum. 🙂
I am presently growing Purple Kush outdoors and am in the process of building a hydroponics set-up in a 4 X 8 grow tent with a 6oo W Metal Halide/HPS set of bulbs. I was hoping to use the scrogging method but you don’t recommend it for Indica. Since purple kush is a hybrid of Sativa and Indica, does the “no scrogging still apply?
Joe,
Make your own choices. If you want to SCROG a Purple Kush, then do it. Only way to learn
Can I crop the same plant several time the buds on top are mature the ones below need more time they are 12′ tall
Colin,
As long as the stem is supple, and you have several weeks left to grow; I would say yes to your question.
todd,
No need to feel stupid. Growing your won medication takes planning, and a solid foundation for success. Do not be discouraged. Join our forum at ilvegrowingmarijuana.con. We would love to help you grow successfully from start to finish.
Sorry for the typo.
ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
Ya know Roy, that thought crossed my mind but the WW looked at the end similar to picture of WW I have seen and the BB is exactly like the pictures I have seen. The BB had thin leaves and the flowering time did not want to end. 73 days.
The trichomes on the BB are very sugary. and the color of the bud is the traditional light greens. The flowers also grew from the top all the way down each stem to the dirt. When cutting to dry the bottom nugs were so low I had to trim them off so I could hang them. Thanks
I am having a weird Harvest. I grew two plants. White Widow which is 60/40 Sativa dom. and Big Bud which is 85/15 Indica dom. But, the WW grew as an Indica and was done at 56 days and the BB grew as a Sativa and was 73 days when harvested. The BB has snow covered buds and the THC content will be very nice. Strange genetic growing though. Have you experienced anything like this?
Plants growing differently than their genetics or did I just get random seeds when buying. I wonder if that is the case so all one can really do is buy seeds and watch what they grows as and instead of calling weed by name just call it by genetic. Lol
Hi Randy, it sounds to me the two seeds somehow got switched.. surprise!… 😀
I’ll tell them to drink more coffee and stay sharp.
i was given a female well past the flowering stage and planted her outside, it is my first plant ever. I have been told to prune her but she is growing nicely and seems to be doing great on her own she is about 3and a half feet now and is filling in nicely , so when should she start to bud and when should she be harvested. i feel really stupid in this as i have smoked for over 20 rs but never grew. am interested in keeping her healthy and productive. i was told she would not bud up without some pruning and i want to suceed in this new growth of mine, please offer any and all suggestions as to the right time and care. im being patient and watching her grow.
RE: “Sometimes even a fully mature marijuana plant’s buds won’t have enough THC to achieve a high.”
THAT is a load of Horsesh*t!
I am well over 50 and have never heard or read that in my life.
Pot is Pot….if it doesn’t get you high it is something else. It is not Pot.
Have you ever heard of CBD? Some plants have lots of CBD and very little THC. Take a look at Hemp. No THC. Try getting high on that crap.
I take my cuttings to my friends house and he makes hash with them I don’t know how he does it but it will knock u out
it is not good idea to smoke leaves, but article is helpuful
Probably because I took very good care of them
It works! You can get far with just a little basic knowledge and care.
My very first grow I didn’t get much but the quality was outstanding
Robert said something very true about beginners and pretty much just being there for your babies will make all the difference in how they turn out I appreciate all the knowledge thank you
Coffy,
We appreciate your kind words. Robert set up a pretty cool place. If you like the articles here, you should join our support forum. We have a friendly community with helpful knowledgeable growers always sharing information. 😀
I find that the leaves make a good mix instead of throwing them out.
I’ve got 25 seasons growing outdoors. This is The first. Year growing Seeds from ilgm. They have all germinated so far. I’m excited to grow w/good genetics. I’m growing on huegel kulture mounds. Can’t wait to see how they come out.
I thank you for such welcoming information. I’m not new to growing weed. I don’t have the luxury of special strains. Mostly feminized seeds.I get a lot from your articles.
Glad to help out Coffy! 😀
Steve,
I suggest you join our support forum. We have many knowledgeable growers that practice this technique and can help you better there. One thing to note; You do not want to over stress your plants, so exercise patience and do not go overboard with techniques like this.
Happy growing! lw
Hi Latewood,,,This is for information purposes,,not meant to be contrary..
First Let Me Say.. I live in Colombia,,Very close to the equator,,at a altitude of 4000 feet..My daylight hours are constant at 12/12..My average temperatures are 65 F to highs of 81/82..I am a new grower having one harvest under my belt..
I made all the mistakes..at least I don’t think I missed any..
After reading a lot and researching on the internet ,, I later tried pruning,,and because of ignorance I pruned very much and often,, I had one sativa plant that I pruned six or seven times..always leaving on all the fan leaves that I could,,It was heavy with buds also..I tried to cut only the buds..The plant responded instantly by providing new flower at the bud cut site..I harvested a lot of cannabis from that plant..
Yes ,I do live in a nearly perfect location,,and I sure that this contributed greatly to the yield..I’m now into my third grow,,,and seven plants growing..I hard pruned all of them several times,,often twice a day..clipping new flower locations at every junction….all are sativa and the plants respond by making two new shoots at the cut..Again I do not mean to be critical or argumentative…I’m just passing along “My Learin’s “
Great read, but one thing I would like to know is how often can I pinch the tops of the branches .
Abbott,
Best way to keep up with your plant would be to join our support forum and start a grow journal. This way you will always have reference to your grows. Hopew to see you there! 🙂 lw
I could use a calendar to track my plants’ progress and needs. When should I be doing what and what should I expect week to week and month to month?
All your seeds did very well, but for operator error. My first grow will produce an excellent supply through the winter and I will try a few different strains next time around. Your advice is invaluable. Thank you.
Thanks for the suggestion Abbott! We’ll def look into it. Good to hear your first grow went well!!
Hi! Thank you so much for your great information, very helpful. I’m in my second year growing, going for the CBD side of things. Growing these beautiful plants with your advice is fun.
Good to hear you’re enjoying the process Betty and we’re glad to have helped!
I acquired some baby high cbd low thc plants, new to growing and am not sure what to do for pruning them, when will they form buds and when do you harvest to make tincture, so far so good, they are thriving under grow lights with fertilizer tea. they are growing fast and look healthy. Thank you for your information.
Beginners at growing, we have started by cloning and they are growing very well. Keep this information coming the articles are educational and very helpful. We just tipped the new plants and already have new shoots emerging, approx., 4 or 5 new stems on each. Not sure what nugz stands for, but following you suggestions seems to be enhancing the growth. Thanks you.
Hi Robert, that’s great, keep us posted we love the hear from fellow growers.
Nugz = nuggets = bud, nothing but an acronym.
Kris
Brian,
Sorry to say; I don’t have an answer for you. Removing dead leaves is prudent; It is not a good idea to remove healthy leaves. No confusion. Fact
OK so all that did was confuse me because I’m allways pruning for a higher yield. I don’t cut off the original huge fan leaves the leaves I prune r the leaves on the bud stems so this way u have your main bud on etch stem & all the smaller nugz below the main bud on that stem. If I don’t do this pruning method I wouldn’t get nearly as much yield. So this article is telling me not to prune off the leaves on the bud stems & cut off the main huge fan leaves ???
Never cut leafs of they are the soler panels for your plant it might seem like some leafs are in the way of tips.in early flowering but just leave them alone they will sort there self’s out the disinformation and bulshit I read on here is in credible I fell sorry for people trying to grow and only no what they see on the Internet cause after 30 years growing I’m telling you most info on the Web is wrong e c levels ph all bs
Remember were the student’s to the most unique plant ever and its Rare to find a post on re veging ..I have to say it’s the most unique gift for indoor growers we can’t ignore. .Its great for cloning and reflowering plants again instead of starting over with seeds..This is a must for all to learn. .Especially were its frowned and not allowed. .Knowing its a female why not re veg. .She is unique and deserves more credit ..
Bcbuddy,
It is not uncommon at all to re-vegitate plants. I have done it with great success. The only difference between your method and mine is: I leave them in the flower room and reveg under 12/12. I get good results every time. 12-14 hours of light allow for much stronger rooting; FYI. Thanks for sharing
latewood
Reading your article on monster cropping by cloning flowering plants, my grow buddies and I have been doing that for many years, rooting results can be an issue, we also have been re-growing harvested plants. We leave a bit of leaf and some small lower buds and usually they will show new growth in a few days under 20 hours of light. They are truly monster plants the second time through the grow cycle. They already have a good root system and they grow very well. Is this a common practice or are we unique.
Noticed theres nothing saying to not prune or top while flowering.
Im 2 weeks into flower gonna prune and top tonight! Wish me luck!
Peace
When plants are flowering they are putting energy into that,not growing,so there is no more point to top it. It will not grow bushier.
[…] overzealous beginners get a little bit creative with pruning. When it comes to pruning, remember that less is more. Pruning can increase growth, but if you do […]
I’m a new grower and have 2 growing atm. 1 plant I thought I’d made a mistake and I actually realized I topped the plant! This one I’m growing in a great soil mixture. The other I have only tipped the top after 5 branches and it is much bushier. This one I’m growing in coco fibre and perlite and using a 3 stage fertilizer. I also on both plants have removed only 2 lower branches. At night I use red and blue led lights. It will be interesting seeing the difference. As a newbie am I doing the right thing. Happy growing guy’s and girl’s.
How did the one with the Coco fiber and perlite turn out? I have heard that the Coco fiber and perlite are just for aeration of the soil, and retain no water, or nutrients. I mix high quality potting soil (from a greenhouse) and layers of Coco fiber, maybe four layers, starting at the bottom to keep the soil from coming out. Seems to be working well.
Excellent knowledge for a novice grower so THANKFUL that you took the time to write and share thanks again
Absolutley loved all the info!!!!!! Couldn’t do it without you Mr. Bergman. Thank you so much sir!!
Hi to all,just a stoned thought , maybe robert you could bring a strain out called ;”SIR BERGMAN”!??…haha. what ya think robert???…
Hi Robert, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to share with all of us your wisdom! My daughter and I have just begun to grow and she is quite a bit more knowledgeable than I am but this is both our first time growing. Naturally we have been given advice from others, read all kinds of stuff on the internet, and have gone by what my daughter has brought in from a friend or two that grows, (that being her source of knowledge). The more I read and hear from people, the more confused I seem to be. Until now! I found you, of course on line so I started reading and what I was reading I understood! Needless to say, my quest for finding info on a topic I know absolutely nothing about has ended here with you. I find your articles and how to’s not only interesting but informative and easy to follow. We have done many things the wrong way, this being our first grow, but I am very confident that our next one is going to be much, much better, and I thank you. I look forward to your next email.
Stay cool! Sincerely, Denise
Hi Denise, Thanks for sharing. Welcome to the ILGM grow community and be sure to join our grow support forum. You can learn a lot there from expert en fellow growers
Jessica,
That would definitely shock the plant. It also sounds like you would be harvesting part of the plant prematurely. Not a good idea really. Hope this helps.
Perhaps you would enjoy our Support Forum. Join up and experience a friendly grow community with many helpful experts and contributing members. 🙂
Hi so I pinched the top of my plant in its early stage causing it to fork into two shoots. When it went into 12/12 my porch light was left on and caused the back half of my plant to go in to 12/12 two weeks late. I’m just wondering can I harvest one of the shoots and let the other shoot grow or will that send it into shock? What is my best option to harvest? Thanks.
As long as the light leak is fixed you can continue your grow. Both plants were probably affected if they were beside each other. But if light leak is taken care of you should be ok
Plants will slow or stop growing for a minute but should resort back to a healthy grow after a few days. Just be careful with light leaks as they can and do cuz plants to go Hermie on you.
Hi to all in the grow world, I grow outdoors(for many years)my neighbors pourch light (when left on) shines onto my grow site, but I have’nt noticed any bad effects,although I did have a hermophrodite from all feminized seeds last year!..maybe the extra light does have an effect!?.. BONG ON !!?…….
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I would just like to add that smoking leaves is not a good idea. You’ll get a pretty gnarly headache and except for the sugar leaves, which are covered in trichs and is where most cannabinoids and such are located, the leaves don’t contain much THC. Letting your plant fill out trimming what is necessary for light penetration to bud sites and then just using all your trim, including the leaves, to make butter or oil would probably be your best bet if you’d like to get the most from your plants. Lots of other good info though.
I always thought you could combine topping and super-cropping, why do you recommend against it?, thanks in advance.
I’ve been wanting to grow for a while and this has just what I need to hopefully get beautiful healthy buds… thank you!
Really need help plant budding out but would like to le it get fatter higher y ields and ju st keeping it repoducing. Please advise. Help
Your tips are awesome and I couldn’t do what Im doing with out you! thanks! Debbie
The information you offer is the most concise that I have found! But, again, it’s called “weed” for a reason. I am growing plants that come from 40-year-old seeds and they are in the flowering stage. I followed your ‘lighting” information and that certainly helps, but my plants get their light from the sun that pours onto the windowsill. I’m a newbe, so wish me luck!
Marilyn, thanks for sharing. Good luck and keep us posted!
40 yrold seeds are not gonns have the punch the nee stuff has, less its collumbian gold or thai. Use good seeds. Very important. Im jußt another ol head, learnin the game. But you gotta have good seeds.
great info!!!! I might be crazy but i never top my plants.
Excellent article, just what I needed to know. Thanks.
Can I pinch out my tips and flip um to 12 x12 straight away
Well it’s my first time got 3 plants a bit confused about useing tap water and plant food?
Since you can”t know Exactly what is in your tap water as far has iron ,salts chlorine and more I use strictly rain water and in winter melt snow.
Learn something new
Shame on you for being so hateful and using vulgar, vile language.
You need to check yourself, stay off this site, Now. What a black Spirit you are..
Can you tell me what stage I’m in