TOPPING AND FIMMING
An old lady friend from a shut down site back in 2006, her name is Mogie, she gave me this info and pics a year ago.
Maybe it will prove to be helpful. I'm posting all I know about Topping and Fimming, hoping it helps someone.
Topping a Plant
1. Locate the very top of your plant and cut through the main stem just below the newest growth. This should be done after the 3rd or 4th leaf set but can be done at any time after the 3rd leaf set.
2. Shows Plant Top cut off and where the 2 new Branches that will form a "Y" in the main stem will grow from.
3. Shows the newly topped plant after 2 days of growth, notice the Y in the Stem Forming.
FIMMING A PLANT!
Fimming is actually no different that topping, what fimming does is virtually the exact same thing only your leaving part of the new growth. This only takes of part of the new growth and actually topping the very very new growth which is very hard to see.
What this ends up doing is making it seem as if your getting 4 new tops right next to each other when its actually only 2 at the very top (like topping) but since it was cut so closely to the next newest set of fan leaves 2 branches which would have formed there anyways seems to make it look like there is 4 new tops.
This is how you go about doing this.
1. Locate the very top of the new growth
2. With a clean sterilized scissors, Fold the fan leafs over and cut approximately 80% of the new growth off the plant.
3. View from the top showing the Cut
4. View of the Cut section after 2 days growth, showing the 4 new growth shoots (branches)
Topping, Pruning, Fimming
In a way, they are the same, "Pruning" and "Topping", just two different commonly words used. Fimming means a lot of indiscriminate Topping. It is also known to some as "Pinching" as well. In this page it will be referred to it as "Topping".
Topping is done to increase yield and make them bushy, bushy, bushy, make more buds, promote "branching", and increase the overall yields of the plants. With higher overall yields, a grower will successfully harvest many more buds, or floral clusters, and from smaller, bushier and more compact plants.
To the indoor grower that does not use this technique, but allows their plants to grow tall, it can be a waste of their artificial lighting, and growing spaces potential. With its own natural growth pattern, and without the benefit of topping, your lady will have one main central cola" bud, at peak flowering. Several other small branches will grow outwards, down its main stalk, with much smaller bud tops.
The natural growth pattern of a plant is to grow upwards at its main stalk. From this main central stalk, it will begin to grow side branches. The side branches come out as tiny shoots with leaves, and usually there are a pair of them on opposite sides of the main central stalk.
When the seed leaves have long died off on the main stalk, the first true seed leaves commonly can or will, wilt, dry up, or die off of the plant as well. (the little round ones) Once healthy new vegative growth begins the rate of growth can be very fast, with excellent lighting supplied.
As the new growth increases the light reaching the lower portions of the plants becomes less. Thus it is common to see first leafs wilting and dying. Growers that see leaves wilting or dying, etc, will opt to pulling them off of the plants. It is cool to remove dying, yellowing unhealthy leaves IF the leaf is 75% dead. IF it is 50% dead, then 50% is still eating and making new growth. I NEVER remove a healthy leaf.
The main central stalk is topped off just above the branches Or new growths that are coming out below it. A pair of very small sharp scissors can be used but a razor blade or razor knife is best.
There are no rules to where you top your plant or how old it needs to be. As long as your plant has shoots protruding further down the main stalk it is able to be topped. When topped the growth of the plant will be concentrated towards the new, younger vegative shoots.
Once you have topped your plant(s) the younger shoots will rapidly begin growing. With the removal of the main central stalk the lower branches grow more. With topping completed we keep the plants on their regular lighting and feeding schedules.
Now each new shoot tip will essentially grow as the main stalk did, however the growth is not concentrated to only one central stalk. So as each new shoot grows outward new shoots will grow from each one of them stalks as well.
Therefore topping can be done again, and again, and as each shoot becomes a growing tip with other shoots forming down its stalk, it is removed. By completing these topping or pruning tactics, a grower can achieve any desired height, or desired bushiness they desire in their plants.
I TOP and FIM, at the end of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th week, and I PRUNE and FIM after the third full week of growth. I am not saying that is the very best way, I'm just saying that is the way I do it and I like the results.
With proper pre-planned Topping and Prunning, I was able to persuade a plant to make 13, (depending on how you count them) to produce 12 or 13 major stalks and it got about 46 inches tall, and produced 7 ounces of dried manicured buds.
An old lady friend from a shut down site back in 2006, her name is Mogie, she gave me this info and pics a year ago.
Maybe it will prove to be helpful. I'm posting all I know about Topping and Fimming, hoping it helps someone.
Topping a Plant
1. Locate the very top of your plant and cut through the main stem just below the newest growth. This should be done after the 3rd or 4th leaf set but can be done at any time after the 3rd leaf set.
2. Shows Plant Top cut off and where the 2 new Branches that will form a "Y" in the main stem will grow from.
3. Shows the newly topped plant after 2 days of growth, notice the Y in the Stem Forming.
FIMMING A PLANT!
Fimming is actually no different that topping, what fimming does is virtually the exact same thing only your leaving part of the new growth. This only takes of part of the new growth and actually topping the very very new growth which is very hard to see.
What this ends up doing is making it seem as if your getting 4 new tops right next to each other when its actually only 2 at the very top (like topping) but since it was cut so closely to the next newest set of fan leaves 2 branches which would have formed there anyways seems to make it look like there is 4 new tops.
This is how you go about doing this.
1. Locate the very top of the new growth
2. With a clean sterilized scissors, Fold the fan leafs over and cut approximately 80% of the new growth off the plant.
3. View from the top showing the Cut
4. View of the Cut section after 2 days growth, showing the 4 new growth shoots (branches)
Topping, Pruning, Fimming
In a way, they are the same, "Pruning" and "Topping", just two different commonly words used. Fimming means a lot of indiscriminate Topping. It is also known to some as "Pinching" as well. In this page it will be referred to it as "Topping".
Topping is done to increase yield and make them bushy, bushy, bushy, make more buds, promote "branching", and increase the overall yields of the plants. With higher overall yields, a grower will successfully harvest many more buds, or floral clusters, and from smaller, bushier and more compact plants.
To the indoor grower that does not use this technique, but allows their plants to grow tall, it can be a waste of their artificial lighting, and growing spaces potential. With its own natural growth pattern, and without the benefit of topping, your lady will have one main central cola" bud, at peak flowering. Several other small branches will grow outwards, down its main stalk, with much smaller bud tops.
The natural growth pattern of a plant is to grow upwards at its main stalk. From this main central stalk, it will begin to grow side branches. The side branches come out as tiny shoots with leaves, and usually there are a pair of them on opposite sides of the main central stalk.
When the seed leaves have long died off on the main stalk, the first true seed leaves commonly can or will, wilt, dry up, or die off of the plant as well. (the little round ones) Once healthy new vegative growth begins the rate of growth can be very fast, with excellent lighting supplied.
As the new growth increases the light reaching the lower portions of the plants becomes less. Thus it is common to see first leafs wilting and dying. Growers that see leaves wilting or dying, etc, will opt to pulling them off of the plants. It is cool to remove dying, yellowing unhealthy leaves IF the leaf is 75% dead. IF it is 50% dead, then 50% is still eating and making new growth. I NEVER remove a healthy leaf.
The main central stalk is topped off just above the branches Or new growths that are coming out below it. A pair of very small sharp scissors can be used but a razor blade or razor knife is best.
There are no rules to where you top your plant or how old it needs to be. As long as your plant has shoots protruding further down the main stalk it is able to be topped. When topped the growth of the plant will be concentrated towards the new, younger vegative shoots.
Once you have topped your plant(s) the younger shoots will rapidly begin growing. With the removal of the main central stalk the lower branches grow more. With topping completed we keep the plants on their regular lighting and feeding schedules.
Now each new shoot tip will essentially grow as the main stalk did, however the growth is not concentrated to only one central stalk. So as each new shoot grows outward new shoots will grow from each one of them stalks as well.
Therefore topping can be done again, and again, and as each shoot becomes a growing tip with other shoots forming down its stalk, it is removed. By completing these topping or pruning tactics, a grower can achieve any desired height, or desired bushiness they desire in their plants.
I TOP and FIM, at the end of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th week, and I PRUNE and FIM after the third full week of growth. I am not saying that is the very best way, I'm just saying that is the way I do it and I like the results.
With proper pre-planned Topping and Prunning, I was able to persuade a plant to make 13, (depending on how you count them) to produce 12 or 13 major stalks and it got about 46 inches tall, and produced 7 ounces of dried manicured buds.
