Hello!! I have two beautiful AK-47 ladies in my grow setup and I need to switch them over to flowering now. They've been growing nicely and they look healthy as ever. One of the two plants grew faster than the other for reasons I do not comprehend as they were both in the same nute juice (I have a bubbleponics system) and same lighting conditions (I have an LED Panel). I would like to cut the tallest one to make them even in size and then switch to flowering because they will get uneven light and bud production is my priority =P. Please advise =) Anything like a red line in MS Paint should do, maybe a callout or something oval shaped. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Do not cut the main stem so close to flowering. You can cut leaves/small branches for them to receive for light, but do not "top" or prune" the new growth or from the main stem. Anytime you "top" new growth or cut to the main stem the plant hormones will focus its energy elsewhere. Hell, you could even tie the colas and protruding branches down. This would essentially be LST, but not to the near extent; just bending the branches/colas to fit wherever (use string, wire, or w/e attatched to a screw or something stationary on your wall). That being said... Yes, pruning and topping are great to do a few weeks past the seedling stage, because they will have a few weeks to recover and grow according to what you performed. If you really had to top or even use LST, you would have to wait at least 2 weeks to flower. Your plants will grow outward if you cut from the top, or continue growth upward if you prune in certain ways near the bottom of the plant. Bottom line, your plants will continue to grow throughout this time--so if their height is a problem now you should probably go ahead and flower. You could tie down certain buds if you had to(mentioned above) rather than cut them.
I say its good to prune during veg and let your plant fully recover before flower. That's what I do at least.