When to Trim/Train/Cutback Flowering Plants

[stevetosh]

When is the best time to "Trim" flowering Plants, i have heard 2/3 week can anyone help.

 

[UKgirl420]

i dont trim my plants when in flower(i learnt my lesson :doh: its best to do it in veg imo eace:

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Plants should be trimmed/trained/cut back in veg, not in flowering. You want your flowering girls to live as stress free life as possible .

 

[dman1234]

never during flower, or you may grow balls, aka hermie.

 

[wargasm123]

what about the big fan leaves? is it ok to snip a few of them to let the light get to the branches trying to escape their shade?

 

[PencilHead]

Un-un. That's your solar panels--they produce the juice to run the factory. I'd clip those boney little nothing-bud limbs before I'd clip fans. JMO.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Once you're into flowering the best thing to do is some bending and training. Any trimming will only slow them down and may delay and reduce the harvest. Bend them a little and tie them down and each day you can bend them a little more and tie it down again... repeat as necessary...

Happy Flowering!

 

[stevetosh]

Once you're into flowering the best thing to do is some bending and training. Any trimming will only slow them down and may delay and reduce the harvest. Bend them a little and tie them down and each day you can bend them a little more and tie it down again... repeat as necessary...

Happy Flowering!

Ok I am with you, when you say bend how much do you bend, in the past I have bent till your hear the "snap" do you think this is to much?

 

[stevetosh]

what about the big fan leaves? is it ok to snip a few of them to let the light get to the branches trying to escape their shade?

No I agree solar panels!

 

[stevetosh]

Un-un. That's your solar panels--they produce the juice to run the factory. I'd clip those boney little nothing-bud limbs before I'd clip fans. JMO.

Understood

 

[DirtySouth]

What about the lower bud sites?Do you just let them take away from the main bud,ie.I feel the upper buds receive the most "energy" if the popcorn is pinched asap.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Ok I am with you, when you say bend how much do you bend, in the past I have bent till your hear the "snap" do you think this is to much?

I tend to bend a bit at a time, if you're bending the top maybe bend til it's 4-6" off center and tie it down... holes drilled in the upper lip of you pot are handy to anchor it to. Each day you can bend a bit more and re-tie the increased bent position.

There are more radical methods such as "Supercropping" that encourages pinching the mainstems until you hear feel a slight crunch to the stem. Whether or not to be done 2-3 weeks of flower is up for much debate. If you want to know more do a search on the forum for 'supercropping' or google for 'supercropping marijuana' for even more info...

Peace!

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

It is the general school of thought that ALL training should be done during veg. I do not even bend my girls during flowering (low stress is still stress) unless I have miscalculated and they are in danger of growing into the light.

 

[stevetosh]

I tend to bend a bit at a time, if you're bending the top maybe bend til it's 4-6" off center and tie it down... holes drilled in the upper lip of you pot are handy to anchor it to. Each day you can bend a bit more and re-tie the increased bent position.

There are more radical methods such as "Supercropping" that encourages pinching the mainstems until you hear feel a slight crunch to the stem. Whether or not to be done 2-3 weeks of flower is up for much debate. If you want to know more do a search on the forum for 'supercropping' or google for 'supercropping marijuana' for even more info...

Peace!

Thank you for your kind words, great advice, someone said they don’t bend or trim only if they miscalculated, however lots of us I think don’t have a perfect room height, attics!
So I need to keep that under control, once again thanks to all for your help.

 

[PencilHead]

What about the lower bud sites?Do you just let them take away from the main bud,ie.I feel the upper buds receive the most "energy" if the popcorn is pinched asap.

I'm running a clone grow, vegging now, and I've pinched everything up to the last couple of top sprouts. I've been totally merciless--we'll see how the experiment goes. I'm looking for nothing but a couple of master colas off each plant--everything else goes as it pops out.

Talking with my buddy WinstonWolf about how easily one goes from ardent lover to demanding pimp in this sport.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

It is the general school of thought that ALL training should be done during veg. I do not even bend my girls during flowering (low stress is still stress) unless I have miscalculated and they are in danger of growing into the light.

That plant isn't too tall... it's vertically challenged! I totally agree with THG that in a perfect world we're probably all in that school of thought but... you do whatcha gotta do. When you know things are only going to get worse and you can see your plant is on a collision course with the lights the sooner the better to do something about it... Screen it, bend it, tie it... any which way you can to expose more bud to the light without getting fried by the light... It's always a balancing act. Even experienced growers are thrown a curve ball with a new strain from time to time and have use ingenious ways to deal with vertical challenges... If you're in week 2-3 most of your stretch is probably over...

The only other option I can think of is checking into Humboldt County's Own Bushmaster product... a growth inhibitor used early in flowering that according to forum posts will stop vertical development in it's tracks and switch the plant to total flower production... I've never used this stuff but I got a plant I'm going to experiment with for my next grow with a strain called 'Avalanche' that has a rep for becoming a monster in the grow room...

Peace!

 

[dirtyolsouth]

I'm running a clone grow, vegging now, and I've pinched everything up to the last couple of top sprouts. I've been totally merciless--we'll see how the experiment goes. I'm looking for nothing but a couple of master colas off each plant--everything else goes as it pops out.

Are you keeping your leaves? I lollipop many strains for 4-6 main tops and remove all the lower shoots but I always keep the leaves for energy... This method works great as and come time for harvest it's such a breeze with no small popcorn budded time consuming manicuring to do...

Here's pics of some good times from past grows from days and strains gone by (sniff, sniff...) I think this was kush....

Peace!