I just started to LST my plants for the first time ever. However i need advice. Ive see some people top their plant before LST or during and I seen some not even mention topping the plant. I never topped a plant before but in my stage i have about 4 nodes and they look even after bending the plant. What are the benefits of topping? Wont it grow on all leaves regardless? Should I top?
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Topping will create two identical stems to allow energy to be pushed evenly to the flowers above
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Topping is a very good way to break the apical dominance of cannabis. Doing this creates a more even canopy, which allows buds to form more evenly, doubly so if you do LST and keep the canopy as even as possible.
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Ok i see. I seen some videos were then top and lst and some just topped. I see a video where this guy just topped a plant at the 4th node and everything grew evenly and he compared it to a plant that was lst with no topping. They all seemed the same height. Lst a little taller but less even of course. So is it best to do one or the other? Or both?
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I think it’s best to let the plant grow out a bit…2-3 weeks. See how the lower branching starts on its own. I am finding different plants require more or less training to get to where I want them. I have ten plants of the same strain that are f6. All very similar. All next to no lower branching at 3 weeks. So I topped them. I have a different strain going with great lower branching at 2 weeks. I’ll let this one grow and see. I suspect she will make a nice canopy on her own. Some minor spreading.
This will all depend on the end objective. Have a plan in mind and then train to that effect. My .02
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F6, dang that a bit of history behind those seeds 
@Eagles009 was this your breeding out certain genetic disorders or someone else?
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They are so boring, lol. First time I’ve grown more than 1 or 2 of the same thing…they are like copies of each other 
Hopefully awesome copies
Someone else’s work that I’m doing an f7 with to pass around. Sort of a practice run.
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That’s some dedication, all from regs? Careful if your doing that with feminized
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Yessir regs.
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Clone those tops! @RandyMarsh
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Good idea. I was thinking about just topping but i have mostly tall strains that will grow into trees and i do not want any of them over 3 feet. I never topped a plant before so i dont know if topping early will make sure a tall strain in a 5 gallon pot stays short. I know i can bend anything along the way but ive seen so many different methods im confused lol. I started to just lst yesterday but i feel i shouldve topped first to see how they grow. I might be untying them soon in this scenerio
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I see a lot of people bending their plants over so early. Unless you are seriously restricted on height I don’t get it. 3 ft from top of pot is plenty to work with. I either top or don’t. Then supercrop when it makes sense. 2 or 3 times in veg. Again whatever makes sense based on how the plant is growing. Whenever the “tops” get too high I knock em down and reform the canopy, which is now wider and thicker and lower.
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As a newbie with only 2 strains harvested with limited grow area for now i feel i wouldnt know what to do with the clones lol. Perhaps i could keep them in a small solo cup since they are fems and transplant them when the others are harvested…
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Or just practice the act of. Be good to have practice for when you need it. What I’ve been half-assing
Edit checked on a week old. Still green. No root.
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Thats true worse case i can also top to my liking. Considering that i already bending these, would you untie the plants and wait a couple more nodes grow then top? Or would you just let it be and top when necessary? In the long run, i just want an even canopy that keeps a tall strain less than 3 feet ( including pot) so maybe 2 feet
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It would help to see the plant. But you said it’s at 4 nodes. I wouldn’t be doing anything to it. That’s a baby.
The plant can only get as tall as you let it. I am flowering a bruce banner right now that wanted to stretch so hard I had to supercrop that sucker twice in preflower stretch alone to keep it in line with the rest of the tent. She’s still taller, but not obnoxiously so. Other two plants were left alone during stretch. There’s no playbook that fits every plant. Read and react. Or dictate if you have a very clear plan in mind…like a scrog net.
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Ill take a picture and add it here soon. Reason why im not scrogging is because theres one strain in my grow area that is supposed to be more compact and if i dont end up keeping all plants level, ill use a bucket or something to keep all plants from the same distance from the light.
Since they are only at 4 nodes im thinking if i untie them, they should be back to where they were and maybe its best to top them and tie branches when needed.
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Heres how tall they are now. I just untied them and the stem is already manipulated haha. Thinking of letting it grow another node or 2 then top at the 4th node and tie when needed.
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I have four purple haze. Today is day 26 and they all have six nodes. Time for a hair cut
This is one of them.
Topped above 3rd node
They are in coco and being fed Jack’s 321. They / I have struggled with them since the beginning to give them enough calcium and magnesium. Definite mag deficiency. Giving them calmagic and increased Epsom salt 25%.
They will be going in a 3x3 and trained using Nebula’s Manifold.
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