Does pruning/training a plant to focus on a few larger colas have a big effect on yield? Do you defoliate or ‘lollipop’ your plants to focus energy on the top buds? What number of ‘toppers’ do you generally shoot for?
I tend to top my plants alot in veg and end up with bushy plants with many branches in flower. I’d like to get less smaller larfy bottom buds and have bigger toppers. What are some techniques to maximize this?
Have a coffee and discuss!
I’ve always grown little bushes rather than single cola plants.
My thinking is that the more buds I can get in the prime light zone the better. One big cola takes up lots of vertical space that could otherwise be exploited.
But this is just my own voodoo talking.
I like to top and lollipop not so much for yield , but for better quality buds . Less larf . Depends on the strain too .
Outdoors I never top just bend the plant over in a arch shape and all the side branches shoot up and become colas
I always felt it was about the same yield either way. Just more smaller buds vs fewer bigger. I find it necessary to top and train in order to fill an indoor space.
Ya I train to try and fill the space as well. I think I’m too conservative in the middles though and leave too much small stuff. Leads to smaller buds, less airflow and makes the plants a real pain to work with. T
This next round I’m going to try a couple with 4-5 main branches trimmed up to only a few nodes at the top and see how they compare.
I would grow the standard Christmas tree shape plants . then slowly started lst training ,then went to scrog . I’ve increased my yield greatly , in a small space it’s essential .
Paps
I like Kyle’s version here of pruning /cleaning up super cropping video
Great video my friend I follow a lot of his technique
I need to do a good deal of this before I set the scrog net then clean and defoliated as the grow progresses
Excellent video! Thank you for posting that!
I am doing about 70% of what Kyle is demonstrating but I also manifold initially (really helps to keep Sativas under control). I have been modifying my approach each grow and moving towards minimizing the larf (I refer to them as beta buds).
Now I need to watch some more Kyle and see what else I can learn today.
Cheers
G
Ya I liked it a lot as well especially when twisting the stem all the way up the plant.
I don’t do as much as I should but I play more and more I like the combo of mainline ( fluxing or what ever you want to call it ) and scrog
Last grow the lemon gas grew so tall they hit the lights and every branch had to be supper cropped Several times
Ya I’m concentrating more on mainlining and pruning throughout veg from here in out like the looks of the way they come out plus less larf! We can all do with less larf! Lol
I’m thinking of taking an old mainline plant after flowering and grafting different clone ( reference to lightadict) 1 plant 10 or 12 diff plants on one
But I need a new tent for that one it would keep the plant count down
Wife would kill me if I buy one more tent lol 
That’d be cool to see, it would be perfect for a mother plant too.
Watched the first bit of that video it seems good…he kinda looks like a stoner Chris Cornell haha. I’m in the middle of a trimming sentence and will watch the rest when I’m done.
If you grow smaller colas, you get less chance of botrytis.
As for technique, I like simple topping the best. I’ve tried pretty much everything under the sun, and IME topping has the best recovery time, guaranteed effectiveness and you can use it for a clone.
I also try to prune off lower branches just after stretch if it’s apparent they aren’t going to get adequate light. Spindly, light green stuff has gotta go.
I am definitely in the camp of as many small branches as possible to fill up horizontal space most efficiently, but as @lefthandseeds said, the other motive is preventing budrot. Big colas take nicer pictures though hahaha, but guarantee the first time you have to throw away an 2 ounce cola because it’s full of rot will make a believer out of you.
I agree, make it a race for the top and any “not gonna compete” branches get snipped. I can’t use a net unless I build a raised system or lower my lights. Too hard for me to work on my knees and move pots. Have mine on risers right now. Easy to adjust to lights and I can trim all the underbrush from an office chair and tuck down all the top leafs with a small step stool… gettin old ain’t for sissies…lol
Here is the race right now. All GG4 in day 57 back plant is 5’ with 5 main colas, topped 3 times and lost one early in a fall. She was gonna be my new mother but was the first saved cut from a very sick mother and I have 20 more of better structure to pick from now… the other two are 3’ cropped and topped about 30+ colas each. They seem to be a bit behind the tall girl and the rear one took a fall and locked out for a few days seems to be foxtailing and fluffy. No biggie as I will be pressing some live resin and have another project to come with those whispy crystal covered tails. Pots are one hand lite to the lift now so they will get a fill of heavy P and K tomorrow for finishing and putting on weight. I will keep wet and dry totals as I am doing it to set a benchmark for my journals. Any guesses ?
