Seedling topping/training too early?

[Smoke204]

Hello fellow growers!

I grow my cannabis in mainline style, average 8-16 main buds per plant, (mostly eight), with a dry yield about 250 grams per plant which is more than enough for my needs. This upcoming grow I'm curious about trying something different because while mainline growing gives great yields it does take a little longer for the growth stage.

What I am curious to know is if it would be damaging to the seedling to immediately start training after the second node starts developing? The growth stage usually goes longer than average due to the topping & training.

 

[Cultivator]

I would wait till you have 3 or 4 nodes but it is possible after 2. You will still veg a while if you are topping though as the plant needs to recover and grow. Better to LST and just bend the life out of the plants in my opinion.

 

[Guruth]

i tried mainlining really fast with young plants some time ago... what i found out is while you do top them earlier, they take extra time recovering since you chop them while they dont have enough root mass... you will end up vegging even longer and the plants will be weaker as they are now. i did an experiment and waited for the plants to grow 8 nodes high before chopping them at 3rd node. what happened was they were ready for the second top in 5 days... now its 7 days since first top and 4 new colas are already developing the second node... if its gonna go like that i will be topping plant for the third time 11-12 days after first chop

 

[Croatsan]

I beg to disagree. Earlier you top - quicker they'll recover. Tested and proven. Besides, don't underestimate the root mass of a two week old plant. It's proportionally large. Larger than you might expect, judging by what's above the soil.

Topping at the third node after the eight node has grown is, IMO, a waste of time and a waste of the plant. You cut away a couple of weeks worth of growth. And for what?

I top at the third node and I'm done with the second topping by the end of week two. It takes them 24hrs to recover. They barely miss a beat.

I'm curious. How do you mainline really fast? It's, usually, a slow and tedious process.

 

[aknoob]

Here is a photo of my week and a half to two week old OG Kush's roots:

I was planning on only using LST for this grow but had to go on a business trip for a couple of days. I had it tied down and the person who was taking care of it broke the stem. Because they wanted to look at it and was not careful. :mad: Didn't tell me or I would have told them how to repair (edit: tape it and remove the restraint ) it for possible healing. The stem snapped in half and only told me after I found it broken. It would have been perfect for a clone. Anyway here is a photo of how it looked before defoliation:

 

[Smoke204]

@ aknoob, that first picture, I think I may try my seedlings like that to get a nice looking root system! I've been using Dixie Cups for mine but I like how the roots look on yours. What do use use?

 

[aknoob]

It is an old plastic toilet paper holder. I don't remember where I got it from but it is pretty good after I drilled some holes in it. A 1 to 2 gallon pot should be about the same.

 

[Smoke204]

I think I'll try something similar. Instead of the roots being in the shape of a Dixie Cup I think it would be much better for the roots system to be spread out more after transplanting from seedling.

 

[jimihendrix58]

While I don't Prune my plants, I used to.

I read years ago of a pruning technique in High Times and used it effectively.

What it is is.

When the seedling develops the 1st true leaves, when large enough, trim off 1 of the leaves.

When the 2nd set develops take the leaf off of the Opposite Side.

Do this until the 5th set alternating each time, then Top the Plant.

I also agree the plant recovers faster when younger.