Top an auto, yes or no?

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BubbaGrump

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I accidentally topped one of my autos on the last grow. When it came time to harvest, I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Instead of ONE cola, and a bunch of side shoots, I got EIGHT colas. I plan to make that mistake again.
 

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The standard answer is "No" You should let it grow naturally with MINIMUM stress throughout its life, no topping or training
but
if you were happy with the outcome before, do your thing!
 
If you want a bushy plant on an auto, top very young, like a pinch after 5 or 6 nodes, then leave it alone. They do best with minimal fuss.
Test your approach by running some pinched and some natural. The number of colas may not equate to higher overall weight. Dry each one separately and compare.
That being said, If you have humid conditions in flower or a hard time drying without mold, smaller colas are beneficial. Less weight may still be better than a bunch of moldy rubbish at the end!
 
The problem with topping autos is that you dont have any idea when it will start flowering. You also have the very real risk that any sort of stress will induce flowering too early ending up with a tiny immature plant. I would reccomend lst over toppling in an auto.
 
I didn’t pinch my last set of autos and they, in return grew very little...I think I’m about done with autos for a while...
 
Very unpredictable way of growing. The interwebs have many many pictures of huge frosty auto plants, just hasnt been my luck.
 
It seems to me that autos are for the most part a waste of time and $. Maybe ok if you were putting them outside hoping for a quicker harvest before the photo plants were ready but wasting time and $ growing indoors for subpar harvests and thc content doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
 
I agree with fellowsped that autos are only useful to a small subsection of growers, and I personally regard them as somewhat gimmicky. The control you have over a photoperiod sensitive plant is in your favor as an indoor grower, where you can control lighting precisely, and thus the timing of your crop and the form you want for your plants to take when they enter the flower cycle.
 
I always end up growing out my auto freebie seeds outdoors or giving them away.
 
I really think any move that dilutes genetics to make something "easier" to grow is a mistake. And while I have seen some pictures of great autos, I have never seen any in real life. I grew a few freebies over the years, but never had any of them amount to much, either.
 
The title of your thread has a question mark....looks like youre asking for advice. F off
 
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