Hello my auto flower friends
Time for an update on the top vs untop plants
I don't know if it is a fair test for the two as they are different stains( side by side same strain test coming to a thread near you soon
) ) But at least from a plant structure standpoint it shows the difference. the two test subjects are:
Pineapple kush auto aka... Patty....35 days from seed.....seeds from...ummm...not a sponsor, so I don't know if i am suppose to post Their name. Snid, let me know on this. I would have used a sponsor but I ordered my seeds before I found this site.
She was topped above the 4th node around day 14 and has had alot of lst done..she has been as tall as 15" but currently sits with the canopy tied down to around 11" tall...Even in my rookie grow, my training seems to have served her well. Nice flat canopy. All thanks to the peeps on this site.
Caramelicious auto...aka...Carrie...35 days from seed
Man, she could use a hair cut..lol....so I gave her one
Untopped as you can see but lst done on the lower 6 nodes, She will get more lst on the upper nodes later today . She is currently on node 14.. She currently sits at 15" tall. She didn't get as much love as patty did but she still looks good. I think I will cost myself some bud by not spending as much time doing lst and making sure lower bud sites were getting enough lite.
Side by side
A couple of things to note....I have found when topping and training auto's you have to stay on top of it. They grow so fast and the stems get thick very quick. If your into defol then autos are for you...Fans leaves grow so big so fast that they all but cover the lower bud sites, either defol or tuck or something to get them out of the way.
Side by side it is easy to see the difference. Patty is a table top with a canopy about 18'x18" Has really good secondary bud growth due to all the time spent lst with her. I don't think I could be much happier with her. Carrie is a little different....untopped, she is shooting for the stars. With the lst that I have done on her she has that classic christmas tree look. A fat wedge, not only is she 15" tall but she is about 16" across at the bottom.
However, with an untopped plant, I believe lst is even more important because there is a top and It completely shades the inner parts of the plant and carrie has almost no inner bud growth.
One last note.......with Patty's flat canopy 70% of her bud sites are 3-5" away from the light, Carrie on the other hand has a nice cola forming but 50% of her bud sites are 14" or so from the light....That may not have an effect if a 1000 watt light was in use but, in general, buds growing closer to the light source grow bigger.
Sorry this was such a long post guys