When to Trim!

Great question!! This is a problem for many growers that like to do SOG or just to keep a solid main cola without getting the popcorn buds you are talking about. This is definitely a problem with many strains as they naturally like to take on a "christmas tree" shape and aren't naturally single cola plants.

Now when doing a run of SOG I like to trim off the lower 4-6" of every plant during the second week of flowering. This will cause the plant to focus its energy towards the top cola and the surrounding secondaries. Now remember you do not want to chop off too much of the plant as this will cause unnecessary stress and can stunt growth.

Now if you are doing a smaller run you can trim one or two branches every week at the end of the week until the second week of flowering. This will give you a single cola with very few secondaries. This is a true Sea Of Green and can maximize yields in a smaller area.

This method works best with clones and can be a bit tricky with seed plants, as the clone is naturally a single stalk without too much branching. Just watch your plants and don't trim more than 20% of the plant at a time. This can be viewed as an attack by the plant and can definitely stress it out. If you need any help just let me know and I'll be glad to help. Happy Growing ~23

 

^^^ 420th post!!!!!! Hahaha sorry I'm a little baked right now. But yes actually that makes perfect sense, and that is what I do on my secondaries, which are the shoots just below the main cola. Technically, you are doing a mini trim job on all the branches. When the miniature buds are removed, the plant is forced into focusing its energy into the terminal buds, which are the buds at the ends of the branches. However don't trim the fan leaves, just the shoots and spots where budset is beginning to occur because the leaves will feed your main buds you are going for.

I just did a similar trim job to my Afghani#1 mother I just put into flowering, chopping all lower growth and only leaving 2 or 3 shoots coming off the end of each branch. Now it would be a different with a full plant considering it hasn't been chopped to bits by taking clones from it, but is still the same idea.


A good tip to remember too is to clean your scissors or razor with rubbing alcohol between each cut, as plants can get infected through open wounds just as people can.

Happy Growing ~23

 

Any time my friend. And although you are correct about the trimming technique decreasing yields, this is only after a certain point. Before you get to that certain point you are removing shaded areas and areas less likely to fully mature, forcing the plant to focus growth, which in turn will give you a better yield. Once you hit that certain point however, you begin to take away from branches that would INCREASE yield, and begin to stress the plant.

Another reason some growers choose single stem Sea Of Green is because the resulting buds are much easier to manicure, meaning you are getting medicine to patients faster without having to give haircuts to a pound of popcorn.

Just always remember to watch your ladies and make sure you don't chop them to bits. There is only a few fan leaves and stems between a huge nugget weighing down the whole plant and having to wait 3 extra weeks for your ladies to get back on track after being chopped up. Happy Growing ~23

 

Nice!! Good luck with your babies and may they provide you with the dankest of medicine!! I'm looking forward to hearing about the trim job. Just remember to KEEP THE FAN LEAVES!! Without them your buds will be smaller and will take longer to mature. Good luck again and Happy Growing! ~23