growing too big

[grass hopper]

some of my plants are over 4 ft. tall already.at this rate they will finish @16-20ft. last year i had 2- 13footers.the problem is they become so vulnerable to high winds and rain.so much damage to major forks and branches.i had tape,screws,wire,rope,manystakes and still had more damage.would very much like to have shorter thicker more tops.i've pinched 3 times and if like last year, will have many tops only to have endless repair.i saw acouple of pics last year of a plant 4 ft. tall and 6 or 8 ft. around how can i do this??? or any other thoughts??? again thank you.

 

[kaotik]

i grow the shrubby, more wide than tall OD plants (or try to ) by lots of topping, LST, and super cropping. just keep bringing them tops down.

may be tough to gain much headway now you're already at 4ft though. easiest to start when they're smaller.

 

[dman1234]

yeah i would take the top off them 3-4 times minimum if i had 4 footers in the last week of may. jmo

 

[ozzydiodude]

bondage it the way to go tie them over as much as you can and keep tying them up

 

[ston-loc]

In the same boat. Tied down some early, but slacked off. Now they're all like 3-3 1/2' already. Been giving a silica additive once a week to strengthen them up, and now they are too strong to bend over! Doh! Not sure what I'm going to do...

 

[moaky]

It's kinda late to start tieing down your plants. And if topping isn't gonna do it we used welded wire mesh (used for concrete slabs)around the plant and tie the plant back up to it if the branches make it a more than three feet past cage.

 

[Roddy]

bondage it the way to go tie them over as much as you can and keep tying them up

Good answer....works great for me! I had my first gal get way too big, she was trying to touch the "sun" and her poor leaves were getting scorched. I tied her down so she was basically bent in half, then kept tying her down when I needed...this was during BUD, mind you. Outcome was a nice 10oz of the best smoke I've produced yet.... beginner's luck had a lot to do with it, but the tying down was key!

 

[Roddy]

In the same boat. Tied down some early, but slacked off. Now they're all like 3-3 1/2' already. Been giving a silica additive once a week to strengthen them up, and now they are too strong to bend over! Doh! Not sure what I'm going to do...

Tie her down slightly and continue pulling her down slowly by the hour or day as you can. It'll bend, just don't be too forceful! Another way is to tie a weight to a string and let it hang from her, she'll bend. Too heavy would mean breaking, so be careful.