Hi, I recently decided to try topping my roughly 4 month old cannabis plant ~ And I think i messed up the instructions i read online. The area I cut on my plant has no 'growth nodes' ~ that is, no small leaves or branches in the armpit/joining section. The photo attached shows where I cut, leaving about an inch of stem behind (I believe the smaller points are pistils). I have had to post on multiple forums online, as no one seems to be able to help, only actually making me more confused. I want to know if I screwed up this process (because there is no 'growth nodes' where I cut) ~ and if so, how to fix it? What can I expect to happen?, will nodes appear anyway, or do i need to figure something else out? I am very new to growing this type of plant and have no idea what to expect. Thanks in advance.
You can see where I topped these at 5 nodes. As soon as the new tops were well enough defined I topped them again as well as topping the lower branches when they reached tall enough. I should wind up with 16 mostly equal height tops per plant. BNW
Damn! ~ So once the expected growth shows up, you would cut each individual branch again once its ready? Also just a question about 'lower branches'; will these also do the same thing when cut? And would that logic apply for most larger branches/stems? Appreciate the help immensely ~ calmed me down haha
Relax hon! You haven't screwed up, you are just being impatient, like most beginners. Just give it some time. The new shoots will appear, right where they should. In cannabis plants (and many others), the top shoot produces a hormone that slows/ prevents the lower shoots from growing. When you remove the top shoot, the hormone is no longer being produced and the bottom shoots start growing. And that is what will happen with your plant. So just water and care for your plant as usual, and all will be fine! edit- there is a "diminishing of returns" if you top the branches too much. If you don't top you get one very large bud at the top and a bunch of smaller buds on the side branches. If you top just once, the higher side branches will develop some good-sized buds - not quite as big as the one you would get without topping, but still "respectable". As you continue to top the branches, the number of buds increases, but they will be smaller and smaller. Granny
Awesome info thanks heaps! I think I got a bit confused in regards to 'growth nodes' ~ read a few too many articles trying to work it out haha. I was just worried I cut the head off the plant in a place I shouldn't and was trying to fix it before negative results showed up ~ I really should've started searching on here rather than google haha I will bear the exponentially shrinking returns (in regards to topping) in mind, and will probably stick to doing it one or two times when appropriate. Thank you both for putting my mind at ease Much love <3
So what is the limit to the number of times you would recommend topping the branches? I'm probably two weeks out from topping and am not sure.
I don't know the limit. I only top once, but since I grow only for myself I don't need a huge amount of cannabis.
I mainline most of my plants to 8 tops. I top after the plant reaches 5 nodes. This is to be sure I have enough root mass to support a quick recovery from my future toppings. I top my first time back down to just under the fourth node. The extra stem length adds to the strength of that stem division. I then top the same way two more times. By topping just under the fourth node your branching will naturally lay sideways versus up and down. I find it easier to train this way. I find any more than 8 tops will give me as Granny puts it a "diminishing of returns". More small bud to trim versus less but larger bud.