How to keep branches shorter

[datfatboi]

how can i stop certain branches from growing in veg? i need to keep branches rather low, even with LST they become too long to the side and are more likely to break, while there are still many small branches that could develop. if i keep cutting the new growth of certain branches to allow smaller ones to catch up, could that work?


also a little question about flushing when experiencing a nutrient lockout, can it be done without a ppm device? , if so how? i think @Emilya should have an answer for that

 

[Stunger]

how can i stop certain branches from growing in veg? i need to keep branches rather low, even with LST they become too long to the side and are more likely to break, while there are still many small branches that could develop. if i keep cutting the new growth of certain branches to allow smaller ones to catch up, could that work?


also a little question about flushing when experiencing a nutrient lockout, can it be done without a ppm device? , if so how? i think @Emilya should have an answer for that

In my outdoor grows I am restricted in height for stealth reasons, so I have to train my plants to not exceed 2 feet tall. In my most recent grow I quinlined and supercropped 1 plant and LST'd 2 others to train them to keep them low.

Like you, I don't really want super long horizontal branches that contribute to a canopy that is too wide, last year my plants were getting over 4 feet across and it was making it challenging to work on them. This year I kicked them off later but they still got quite large. One suggestion could be to super crop the 'offending' branches to restrain their outward growth a little.

 

[Emilya Green]

how can i stop certain branches from growing in veg? i need to keep branches rather low, even with LST they become too long to the side and are more likely to break, while there are still many small branches that could develop. if i keep cutting the new growth of certain branches to allow smaller ones to catch up, could that work?


also a little question about flushing when experiencing a nutrient lockout, can it be done without a ppm device? , if so how? i think @Emilya should have an answer for that

the eventual height and shape of the plant is totally under your control, whether you LST, supercrop, train them to be short right from the start, or you can do as I am going to do in this comparative grow. I am going to set an arbitrary height at some point and start chopping nodes as they reach this height, trying to take dominance. I call it the whack-a-mole method of training and the eventual goal is to create a short but very wide plant, with 30 - 50 growth tips going into bloom. I think maybe this is what you were describing above.

I have never used a ppm device to flush. I simply take the plants one by one to a drain (over the toilet works well) and I add 3x the container size of water to the soil, letting the majority of it drain away. It will be obvious how yellow and cruddy the water running out looks at first, and how clear it comes out at the end. Don't worry about ppm or pH or anything... just cleanse that soil with good old clear water. You should see a growth spurt afterwards.

 

[datfatboi]

the eventual height and shape of the plant is totally under your control, whether you LST, supercrop, train them to be short right from the start, or you can do as I am going to do in this comparative grow. I am going to set an arbitrary height at some point and start chopping nodes as they reach this height, trying to take dominance. I call it the whack-a-mole method of training and the eventual goal is to create a short but very wide plant, with 30 - 50 growth tips going into bloom. I think maybe this is what you were describing above.

I have never used a ppm device to flush. I simply take the plants one by one to a drain (over the toilet works well) and I add 3x the container size of water to the soil, letting the majority of it drain away. It will be obvious how yellow and cruddy the water running out looks at first, and how clear it comes out at the end. Don't worry about ppm or pH or anything... just cleanse that soil with good old clear water. You should see a growth spurt afterwards.

so just keep chopping nodes, and that isn't gonna stunt it correct? (yes you nailed it, that's exactly what i'm going for, wide, short, with lots of tips!) i just wanna make sure i'm not gonna stress/stunt my plants by doing so. have you been using this technique for a while? didn't find much info about this online


about up-potting, so i've been following your watering guide for my fems, i'm not sure one of my girls is ready to be up-potted or not, the roots have reached the bottom, but they're not very dense, growth stopped but i'm pretty sure it's because i had to re-veg it and also i flushed it because i think i might've had nutrient lock-out.

what's the best indication for when it's time to up-pot? thank you!

 

[Emilya Green]

so just keep chopping nodes, and that isn't gonna stunt it correct? (yes you nailed it, that's exactly what i'm going for, wide, short, with lots of tips!) i just wanna make sure i'm not gonna stress/stunt my plants by doing so. have you been using this technique for a while? didn't find much info about this online


about up-potting, so i've been following your watering guide for my fems, i'm not sure one of my girls is ready to be up-potted or not, the roots have reached the bottom, but they're not very dense, growth stopped but i'm pretty sure it's because i had to re-veg it and also i flushed it because i think i might've had nutrient lock-out.

what's the best indication for when it's time to up-pot? thank you!

I havent done it in a few years, but this method used to be all the rage around these forums and everyone was showing off 40+ bud bushes. It is almost impossible to stress out a weed in veg... it is only in bloom when they start freaking out... in veg they just keep adapting to whatever we do to them.

The only reason to uppot is when you have formed a rootball in the present container and you can tell when that happens when the soil's natural buffer of 3 days or so goes down to 1 day. If you are needing to water every day, it is time to uppot.

 

[datfatboi]

I havent done it in a few years, but this method used to be all the rage around these forums and everyone was showing off 40+ bud bushes. It is almost impossible to stress out a weed in veg... it is only in bloom when they start freaking out... in veg they just keep adapting to whatever we do to them.

The only reason to uppot is when you have formed a rootball in the present container and you can tell when that happens when the soil's natural buffer of 3 days or so goes down to 1 day. If you are needing to water every day, it is time to uppot.

oh i see, so when should i stop cutting new growth, when i start seeing pre-flowers or?

 

[Emilya Green]

oh i see, so when should i stop cutting new growth, when i start seeing pre-flowers or?

preflowers have nothing to do with anything... keep shaping and pruning until you decide that veg is over. Sometimes it takes 2-3 months to form the bush you are looking for with 50 nodes on it.

 

[datfatboi]

preflowers have nothing to do with anything... keep shaping and pruning until you decide that veg is over. Sometimes it takes 2-3 months to form the bush you are looking for with 50 nodes on it.

let me try to better explain my question - let's say i decide to switch to flower. the plant will still keep growing in height for a while in early flower, am i still allowed to cut branches at this point or not? when do you "draw the line"?

 

[Emilya Green]

let me try to better explain my question - let's say i decide to switch to flower. the plant will still keep growing in height for a while in early flower, am i still allowed to cut branches at this point or not? when do you "draw the line"?

I draw the line at the beginning of bloom. From the time you flip, the plant is busy with converting over and changing its prime directive. The two weeks of stretch are also preparing the branches to hold the buds, stretching the branches already in place. You should have all of your cuts done and feel comfortable with how many nodes you have before making the flip. Then, nothing changes except the plant gets a bit taller, and it is still a bush with 30+ nodes. Save the chopping for the veg period and don't bother the lady while she is getting ready to fruit so massively.

 

[bobrown14]

what are we flushing again??



Super-crop is your friend for height issues.

Pick the height you like and that's where you bend the apical meristem.
The side branches dont usually grow past that first bend. Sometimes they do and that will be from genetics. Usually 90% of the time the main stem (apical meristem) will dictate the height of your plant.

I've had to super crop several side branches and the main stem. But that's an exception and a very large plant.