Topping and why it works

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Ok I know that topping works for sure on my plants as I've done this not only to my MJ plants but basil and Tomatoes as well. I cut the new set off and two new sets grow out. Does anyone know <u>why</u> it grows two new set of leaves?? and what causes this to actually happen to the plant???
Is it something to do with plant chemistry???

Thanks.

 

[Madshotz]

i have no idea why eather buy its the greates thing lol

 

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

i believe when you Pinch to top, it closes off transport tubes inside the plant, and it ends off shooting out in new directions.
and when you do the FIM method, i think since you cut the tubes so short, that each tube grows out, and you end up with like 6 new colas

I may be off, but this is my understanding

 

[Madshotz]

you have alot of wizdom hooka

 

[85cannabliss]

if you top by pinching out the new est growth(FIM), then its only the next 2 side branches below the FIM. thats what gives you 2 colas. if you do a bonsai mom on the other hand, where you repeatedly prune the plant, then the plant will start to grow secondary branches, that dont ussualy grow when things go so smoothly, but after alot of pruning they do begin to grow.
a little like these POLLARDED WILOWS (pic below).

 

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

wait, so are you saying that using FIM, and using nail clippers to cut, that it will not grow up to 8 new colas?

 

[j99jm]

No it won't. If you snip the top main growth tip, you'll send growth hormones to the next closest growth tips (the two side shoots that would normally have slow growth). The closest growth tips to the light will grow the most, since it's always stretching towards light. since there are two growing out of the main stem as usual per nodes, these will act like the main growth tip(s) and stretch for the light. This is why you get 2.

You'll understand a bit more once you've tried it and watch the growth first-hand.

 

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

oh i have man, many many times. and ya the closest grow tips shoot up, but i have had the part that i clip at 3/4 the way down, on the leaf bud; sprout 6 new heads.
and you can get up to 8 if your lucky.
and the nodes below where you cut, would of been colas any way if you were doing LST

 

[NeonBlack]

I realize that this thread is a bit old but was searching out something completely different and thought someone might still be interested in the answer... The growth pattern (christmas tree shape) exhibited by a plant that has not been topped is explained by the concept of apical dominance. To cut things short, your apical meristem/main growing tip is producing auxin, which is being transported downwards. The closer the node to the growing tip, the higher the concentration of auxin, and the growth of lateral buds is inhibited. So then, the further away from the tip you get, the lower the concentration of auxin. This leads to growth of branches furthest from the growing tip first, leading to a plant shaped like a triangle. When you snip off the growing tip, you remove the auxin inhibition of the node/nodes closest to the tip, so two new shoots grow right up. The way that FIM works is pretty much the same as far as I can tell, only by not pinching off the whole tip you are leaving primordial tissue that is in the beginning stages of forming future nodes, so you then get branches growing from those pre-nodes after you pinch or cut. Check out the following web page for a pretty good description and illustration of apical dominance.
http://plantphys.info/apical/apical.html

 

[That crazy vancouver guy]

I already knew the end result of doing such... but now I know WHY...(scientifically)

thanx

 

[stunzeed]

I alway pinch rather than cut. Next I find that it does grow more tops but it takes from the size of the main cola. Kinda evens itself out IMO. Also some plants like the Chronic go ape you know what when you pinch or top them. I think you would have to do a side by side grow and let the scale be the judge.

Stunzeed..