You must learn how to top your plants if you’re growing weed properly. This will help them grow faster and healthier. You can even use this technique on other types of plants too.
The best topping is usually after the plant has grown six or seven nodes, the length between each set of leaves. It’s also recommended that you wait until the day before switching from an 18-hour light cycle to a 12-hour one. That way, the plant won’t start flowering right away but instead will continue growing vegetatively for a little while longer, which means more growth overall.
You can do this by cutting off the very tip of the main stem or cola (the big bud-covered branch). This will help increase yields and give you more control over growth patterns. It also helps prevent mold from forming on the leaves closest to the light source.
Topping is one of many ways growers can shape their plants into whatever form they desire. From a Christmas tree shape with multiple colas, all hanging down around the trunk, or just a single massive cola reaching for the sky, every plant can be topped.
The first time should be done at about six weeks old after three leaves have formed. At this point in its life cycle, it’s best not to prune any other branches as they’ll likely die back anyway without support from those nodes above them. Once again, wait until there are six sets of leaves before topping again.
Then wait another two weeks before doing so once more for good measure. By now, your plant should be quite bushy and full enough that further training isn’t really necessary unless you’re going for something specific like a SOG grow where each plant has only one large flower head instead of several smaller ones spread across different branches.
To learn more about topping marijuana plants, visit our blog section.
