pruning to increase yield

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by babyripper666, Oct 23, 2008.

  1. Are you referring to the veg or flowering cycle?

    For the veg cycle, I have noticed a drastic increase in yield by pruning to allow more light to the developing bud sites. LST can be rather handy too.

    I personally wouldn't prune during the flower cycle. Your plants need all the energy they can get.
     
  2. dude....

    "For the veg cycle, I have noticed a drastic increase in yield by pruning to allow more light to the developing bud sites. LST can be rather handy too."

    WHAT?! haha...

    really?

    how can it be in veg if theres developing bud sites.... you can't know where the buds will exactly come from... so how do you prune during veg??

    if theres already bud sites, then dude, thats flowering in my mind... atleast not in veg....

    so what exactly do you mean??? because im confused here...

    im in flowering, and im doing my best to push some leaves out of the way of the budsites, but it would be cool to prune some off... so i could use an answer on this question too..???

    any help is appreciated, thanks.
     
  3. i think he was talking about the fan leaves.
     
  4. you have twisted what he has said.... let me start off with during veg you can top a plant to make more branches and growing tops..... personally i try to be done topping atleast a week be4 flowering.... it gives the plant time to recover be4 she goes into flowering cause ive noticed that if you top your plant right be4 she goes into flowering she will grow 2 smaller buds instead of one big one... and always use a razor blade to cut the tops of your plants.. dont rip the tops out somtimes only one top will grow........


    but what there talkign about is trimmign the plant to let light into the lower branches.... i would just LST them... you can LST a plant at any age it just takes alot longer to get her bent over when shes old and has a fat stock..... theres no point in removing those solar panels
     
  5. the only pruning I do is when I take cuttings.
     
  6. When I said bud sites, I mean the new tops on the side branches. This is where buds will grow when you flower. So I guess I could have said future bud sites or something like that.

    And, I don't know about your plants, but I know where each and every bud will grow long before flowering. They will occur on the afformentioned "future bud sites".

    Sorry for the confusion.

    As for your flowering issue.

    Tucking is certainly the best method to use for as long as you can. Tucking consists of literally tucking the offending leaves behind other parts of the plant to allow more direct light to your developing buds. But, if you must trim, try to just trim the areas of the fan leaves that block your bud sites. Try to leave at least 1/4 of the fan leaf and you should be OK.

    Good luck.
     
  7. #8 mad4reef, Oct 24, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 24, 2008


    Nope, I wasn't, but thanks for trying to help. I was most definately talking about future bud sites.

    To the original poster. Please look into the LST technique. This along with some well placed pruning can really make your plant nice and bushy. It will keep everything low to, which for some indoor growers is a major benefit.

    Personally, I do a ton of pruning during the veg cycle. I am almost downright indiscriminant and cruel. It is a technique I picked up years ago from another member of this board and I have been doing it ever since. I do extensive LST and then trim nearly all of the mature fan leaves to allow maximum exposure to the entire plant. Now I am not suggesting you try it. Because I know there are a lot of users on this board that hate the technique. It just works for me, so that is what I do.

    Growing really comes down to personal preference, experimentation and patience. When you have enough grows under your belt and try many different techniques then you will know what works best for you.
     

  8. I know this is an old post, and I don't have a lot of experience, but I like what MAD said here, It's all about getting a bunch of grows under your belt and doing what works best for you. We are all using different grow enviros, room sizes, nutes,humidity levels, c02 level, ph levels, and light intensity levels. For the people that say "don't F with mother nature", how about growing your plants out in mother nature~!!!! Creating more passage for light in an unnatural environment in my experience has stunted the growth of my plant during veg (taking 6-8 total weeks in veg) but landed me a much stronger bushier plant, and yes lots of tomatoes.

    Consider me Pro-Pruning!!!!

    Blunt-G
     
  9. know it's an old thread but had to reply as this is my current issue.
    growing in home made top secret cupboard which is only 1.5 m wide by 0.6 m deep. i put in 4 plants at a time and there isn't a single gap left free . the branches grow right up against walls , so the main light they receive is from top and 1 side.
    forgot to mention i cut tops when 5 or 6 nodes and encourage all branches to get at same level, this creates 10 or 12 branches that eventually sit side by side creating a circle. as room is so small the leaves cover everything very quickly during veg and bloom and i have nop other option but to cut of a lot of leaves to allow light to get in.
    very clear difference in bud growth form a bud sitting in light to one sitting in shade. test it.
    i suppose you need to cut less leaves if plant not topped off, but if like mine i can guarantee i cant get away without cutting leaves. there are just so many leaves it's unreal. I would end up with a few big buds and all under would be a waste.
    I cut off a lot and eventually all fan leaves too, afetr all you still have hundreds of smaller leaves that are also working.
    The plants have never even come close to dying or even looking damaged, instead i seem to get cristal packed buds and good yield .

    I think its a different story if you have plenty of room for plants where light gets to them all around.

    As i said i couldn't get anywhere close without cutting of leaves but i do try to keep them as long as poss
    hope this has helped
     

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