How much topping is too much?

[bigwata]

what's up yall!

i am a first time grower and i would like to get some advice . my plant is a bit over 1 month old ( almost sure she is a female ) and is growing tall but the branches stay short (see pictures ) . I would like to know how much i could cut off the top and make it a clone .

I was also wondering if the cut had to be made between two nods forming a v-shape or if i could just make the cut where there is only one nod ( she only has v-shaped nods at the bottom of the stem) . if so , i would have to cut the plant in half or more ) .

And last , what do you use to replace the hormones ppl dip the clones into ( to make it organic ) ?

thanks peeps

btw heres some infos :

started from the seed in promix for germination ( now she is +-5 weeks old)
transplanted it once in 70%soil + 30%perlite ( fafard soil )
i dont know the strain
grow tent (4' x 4' x 6' )
900 watts led ( mars2 900 ) on 18/6 ( i try to keep it at a short distance from my plant )
earth juice (grow + catalist ) - (need me some seaweed for foliar ... any suggestion ?? , has to be organic )
i use primary tap water and mix spring water with the nutes - i feed or water every other day.
i dont really chek ph (spring water is at 7.8 and tap at ( 6.5-7)
problems in the past -I had a small case or fungus gnat ( because i was watering too often not letting the soil dry enough - also i over fed my plant 3 weeks ago with fish stuff )

sorry for the side ways fotos

 

[Donny Danko]

Hhh

 

[cannilingus]

quite a sunflower you have there. lol. at this point, id leave it alone. way late, for any real work on it. next time, start taking the centers out, when plant is only six or so internodes high. repeat this, three times, after they each grow two new places. dont pinch in flower. all that needs to be completed, a week before flipping to 12 12. but, this is just my take. there are so many ways. i have found, that by going this, i get way more bud sites. i think i have found my cure for low yields, after several years. lol. good luck.

 

[TanR]

Hi Bigwata,

Welcome to 420 Magazine and the amazing collection of folks that gather here.

I have to confess that I've not ever seen a plant grow exactly like yours is. My first reaction was to suspect that the thing is starved for light, but the spacing of the nodes is tight enough I don't believe that to be the case. How tall is this plant?

Anyway, I wouldn't want to cut more than a third of the plant off when topping for fear of shocking it a lot. You do not have to make the cut a v shaped node, although it would be better if one was available higher up on the plant and you could. As for rooting hormones, if something from big box retailer (Wallyworld, Lowes, HD, etc...) isn't an option I've had great success just putting the cutting in straight tap water. I've read of folks that make a "tea" that promotes rooting from crushed willow branches, but have no first hand experience with that.

Be well and happy growing!

Oh, and PS. I'd keep a really close eye on this plant to ensure it truely is a female. At 5 weeks old, it's way to early to tell definitively and I've read that males tend to grow faster than females. Your plants "straight up" growth leads me wonder if it might be a boy trying to "get the jump" on the competition.

 

[bigwata]

quite a sunflower you have there. lol. at this point, id leave it alone. way late, for any real work on it. next time, start taking the centers out, when plant is only six or so internodes high. repeat this, three times, after they each grow two new places. dont pinch in flower. all that needs to be completed, a week before flipping to 12 12. but, this is just my take. there are so many ways. i have found, that by going this, i get way more bud sites. i think i have found my cure for low yields, after several years. lol. good luck.

thanks for the advices ! i will most certainly do it differently next time and hopefully find my own cure too ! ... And for this one i decided to top the sunflower ( lol good one ) anyway and see where it takes me .

later

 

[bigwata]

I have to confess that I've not ever seen a plant grow exactly like yours is. My first reaction was to suspect that the thing is starved for light, but the spacing of the nodes is tight enough I don't believe that to be the case. How tall is this plant?

yeah she /he is a special plant Its about about 3 feet tall on the pictures , and i hope the light is not a problem which was a big investment .

 

[bigwata]

Anyway, I wouldn't want to cut more than a third of the plant off when topping for fear of shocking it a lot. You do not have to make the cut a v shaped node, although it would be better if one was available higher up on the plant and you could. As for rooting hormones, if something from big box retailer (Wallyworld, Lowes, HD, etc...) isn't an option I've had great success just putting the cutting in straight tap water. I've read of folks that make a "tea" that promotes rooting from crushed willow branches, but have no first hand experience with that.

thanks for the infos !
i decided to go with a-thrive ( Technaflora )
i just let it sit in the water for 15mins and then soaked the coco puck in it and also foliar sprayed it inside the dome .
quick question : can i leave the dome inside my veg tent in the corner so it dont get direct /too much light or should I really make a nursing room with a smaller light ?

Appreciate the help !

 

[bigwata]

Oh, and PS. I'd keep a really close eye on this plant to ensure it truely is a female. At 5 weeks old, it's way to early to tell definitively and I've read that males tend to grow faster than females. Your plants "straight up" growth leads me wonder if it might be a boy trying to "get the jump" on the competition.

I kinda think its a female because of the white hairs i see at the nods and i tell myself the height might be due to its sativa influence but hey im the noobie here . Anyway like you said ill keep a close eye on "her"

thanks again for the help !

later

 

[MassMedMan]

thanks for the infos !
i decided to go with a-thrive ( Technaflora )
i just let it sit in the water for 15mins and then soaked the coco puck in it and also foliar sprayed it inside the dome .
quick question : can i leave the dome inside my veg tent in the corner so it dont get direct /too much light or should I really make a nursing room with a smaller light ?

Appreciate the help !

They don't need direct light, in the corner is fine. Good luck

 

[Hashassinz]

Your plant told me it needs a bigger pot. You put a queen in a shoe box. She not gonna be happy like that imo.