With their very limited Veg time the best seems to be a modified version of Smokie's Catch and Release. Tie the top down for a few days or a week and give the lower branches time to catch up. Then untie it a few days. Repeat as needed. This way your not removing any material but still get a multi-headed plant with several equally sized Colas. BNW
You can as they become the dominate top. The next tallest portion of the plant will then start getting the most Auxins and become the next most dominate. BNW
Experiment. It really is the best way to find the limits of what your trying. I've not messed with Autos as I don't see a use for them in my situation. I've long ironed out how I grow and I'm not interested in messing with it. I do see a lot of new growers running them and a few older growers. Once you get them figured out I see some good results. All to often we see tiny 4 inch tall plants in full flower. Once the plant enters flower you're done as far as much branch training will go. It's true in Photoperiods and I'm sure it's the same with Autos. Honestly if you gave me an auto seed I'd run it exactly like I do all the Photos. Small Cup / Huge plant. Many of the Solo Cup runs get impressive plants and some were autos if I remember. As long as the root ball stays intact transplanting does zero harm or in anyway stalls the plant. This one got a bit bigger then most but it's a good example. Big plants in small pots cycle water fast and need a daily drink at this size is the only real drawback. They grow fast and can be juiced frequently. You can see where it grew into the T5HO lights overnight. Veg in a small pot and transplant when it starts to flower.. My 2 cents but what do I know... <-- just some guy on the internet. 24-0 is what I veg under. BNW
This works for me. When I get a mature 5th node, I remove everything under the 4th node and begin training. Throughout the grow, every time I water, I tie down and separate nodes around the pot to maximize light exposure to fan leaves. I train to achieve the circular structure in pictures below. Organic soil auto grower.