When to top my plants

[GrowYourOwn]

Just wondering when the best time top my outdoor plants. They have just reached their first set of 5 blade leaves, is it too early to top now? I want to use this method to keep the plants short enough to not poke over the fence

[itchybromusic]

anytime after the fourth node i reckon when branching is still parallel just bend the little growing tip & it will snap off 

after that you need to move down a branch where the 2 side branches ( on that branch ) have grown to a level height with each other

so you get 2 heads from one each time , if you do it to early & don't wait for the lower branches to catch up to each other

the leading node will become a top on it's own & not get 2 heads each time you top, hope that makes sense  

[Ozzy420]

I like to wait till after the 5th node to tip for indoors

 

Out doors i would wait a lil longer so i would get a lot more side growth to increase yield.

 

Say after the 10th node, in saying that will depend on how fast the plant grows as well you may have to tip before the 10th node if she a lanky one to keep hidden if that is the goal

[GrowYourOwn]

Sweet thanks Ozzy they are bag seeds but by the looks of it they look like a good mix of sativa and indica. Hopefully they dont get too stretchy!

[GrowYourOwn]

anytime after the fourth node i reckon when branching is still parallel just bend the little growing tip & it will snap off

after that you need to move down a branch where the 2 side branches ( on that branch ) have grown to a level height with each other

so you get 2 heads from one each time , if you do it to early & don't wait for the lower branches to catch up to each other

the leading node will become a top on it's own & not get 2 heads each time you top, hope that makes sense

 

I get ya. Had to read it a couple times tho haha. So your saying top the plant early, wait for the side branches to catch up the top then keep on topping from then on? Edited September 19, 2015 by GrowYourOwn

[itchybromusic]

Yeah you can top the main stem twice for 4 tops , I do the first at the 5th node & once you get to the 4th node on the branches that come from the first topping , you top again turning 2 tops in to 4 , this on a 100% indica that i know pretty well

up till that point , the nodes that i'm topping should leave 2 parallel branch's each time , can use LST with topping as well , tieing branch's down , rather than Xmas tree looking plant think wine glass looking plant

[Train Wreck]

You could let it grow a little longer, a few extra nodes and then remove the top with the extra nodes and clone it.

Then revert back to Itchybromusic's advice.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Train Wreck

[torrietree]

Growyourown sounds like your plants are cranking along mate, did you start a diary? I can't remember if I subbed it. Sounds like your a bit in front of me buddy good luck

[iTiC]

An FIM will slow the top down allow the side branches to catch up while still feading several other central colas. When they all get tall enough the height of the canopy can be controled by tying down the side branches and super cropping the top colas. Each branch need to be tied off so that when it recovers it makes a 90 degree angle to the main stem

[GrowYourOwn]

Growyourown sounds like your plants are cranking along mate, did you start a diary? I can't remember if I subbed it. Sounds like your a bit in front of me buddy good luck

Thanks mate. Nah no grow diary this year coz im still learning alot. I started the beans off a bit early inside this year then stuck them outside once it started warming up. Wanted to see if i could get a bit of a head start