C: Your buds are more along the result which can be expected if one tops many times; and if your strain weren't BigBud, then those tops would really be along the lines of what one can expect with multiple toppings.
SB: Nope. I've grown many, many strains and topped each multiple times. Each time I've done so, I've had buds that are just like what I showed in the pic of the Big Bud. If a plant is given the proper nutrients and light, their is nothing that will cause buds any smaller than what I've shown. Without proper nutes and light, popcorn buds will be the result of any grow, topped or not.
C: Your picture is not typical for most strains. The technique you used is one that is highly dependant on strain and on timing/placement of the toppings. I believe it is good to give beginner growers a realistic idea of what results they can expect from their grows.
SB: The results that Hick and I got from multiple toppings *is* the realistic result of proper growing. Hick has several decades of outside growing to support his results and I have more than 40 years of growing both outside and inside. I've had hundreds of crops.
C: and it is true that if one performs many toppings of most strains, then one will end up with popcorn buds.
SB: No, I'm sorry, but that's simply not true. It depends on nutrients, lights, and proper plant care to maximize bud growth.
C: instead of a sarcastic reply, it would be more positive if you created text which details how to achieve a decent grow.
SB: The replies from Hick and I were "toungue in cheek" because we've discovered that what you're saying isn't the way it really is. No insult was intended by either of us.
C: and btw, your plant would have produced a significant amount more if you had not topped.
SB: Again, that's not true. It's been found that if all variables are equal with the exception of topping, then the resulting harvest from both topped and untopped plants is nearly identical. The HUGE kolas on an untopped plant will be larger than on the topped plants, but the topped plants will have more buds of lesser size and result in a total mass of equal weight. This type of comparison isn't true in inside grows because of height restrictions.[/quote]