Anyone who knows me knows I did my fair share of research before I started growing, but I am now just seeing what topping is. I haven't heard of it until recently and I get how to do it, just cut the top of your plant off, I just don't get why? How much extra does this actually help compared to just tying down your branches?
Topping splits it into 2 grow sites rather then one. When you see 2 leaves and a middle spot, that is a top. You'll see 2 little spots then a bigger middle area between the 2 leaves. You cut that off just becareful to pull them apart enough that you don't cut off the new grow spots. My buddy who doesn't top gets 3-4 ounces a plant off his 8 week veg/8week flower clones. My guy who does pulls half pound + with the same setup.
Also, I heard you have to top your plant quite a bit? how often and how many times? if anyone knows this that would be greatly appreciated
you dont have to top your plants at all. you can cut off any growth tip, whether its the top of the plant or a side branch and expect it to grow two shoots of equal strength instead of the previous one.
You can top your plant as many times as you want. There is no certain number of times that you have to top them. The first time you top you go from having one top to having two tops. Then you can top the two new tops and turn them into four tops. And so on and so on. I wait until my plants are on their fifth set of leaves before I start topping them. Good Luck to ya.
Alot of this depends on how much space you have to grow. If you have space to flower a 3 - 4 foot plant, topping will make a big difference in yield production. Instead of one primary cola, you create 2 and allow the side branches more time to develop so they also get bigger. You will also need to stake the buds in late flowering. If you are looking to keep your plant 18 - 24 inches during flowering then tying the plant down and using a screen will give you better results.
Honestly, I just did it once and it made the spot I cut split into 2 different stems, and it also made all the other lower nodes explode out making it like a bush. Looks like a bouquet of weed. At least it will when it's done flowering. http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1133802-first-grow.html Not trying to bomb your thread, but here's a link to mine where I have a couple pictures. Basically instead of just 1 top up high, when you cut it, it stunts that area and grows back as two. Since you stunted that area and it needs to recover it makes all the bottom nodes that are usually hidden grow much faster and now they're about even. So instead of not topping and potentially having 1 top cola, the idea is to get a whole bunch of them (or at bare minimum 2 from topping it). Not the best of pictures there, but will give you an idea of what topping will do. I also LST'd to get more light to those nodes after I topped.
This just proves that constantly reading and checking this forum will always benefit you. If I would have been like "I Made weed! Done learning!" I would have so been fucked. After I posted this I hit youtube hard and got fucked hard with facts, so I got it now. I am just glad I am just now planting my clones. so it's not like I am to late by any means.