I have been reading about topping plants. Is the first serrated leaf after the cotyledon considered the first node?
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Yes depending on when to top is at your discretion, I’d top after the fifth node to get a decent size plant topping to soon will result in a shorter but bigger around plant structure .
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well you will run into mixed answers on this across the internet. Some people say yes and some say to start counting nodes from the first 5 fingers. I personally go from the 5 fingers because that is where you start getting young bud sites to start developing. On my current grow counting from the first serrated leaves I went to 8 high but from 5 fingers 6 and thats when I topped
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I agree with @ShiskaberrySavior and would add that some strains respond better to topping . Depends on your end goal too .
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Yes definitely!! There are those strains out there that crap the bed if you top em
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As far as I know, the first serrated leaf after the cotyledon is considered the the first node. Years ago, when I was first learning to grow, every Source said to count down from the 10th node ( including it)about three nodes (8th up) to sex the plants early. I always counted that first serrated Leaf as the first node, and nearly always sexed the plants at the 8th node. Things are changing all the time in the Cannabis industry, and definitions are being redefined as well. But for us old farts, that first serrated Leaf is the first node.
As far as topping plants, I would ask what genetics you are growing, and what you want them to look like when they are finished. My Old Afghani I always topped after the 10th node, after they were sexed. My old sativa I’d top at the fifth node( cut off the 5th). There’s really no wrong way to do it, except done too late into flowering, but too early with a short strain and it ends up really short. Too late with a tall strain and ends up really tall and lanky.
Yes there are. I only had it happen once in 30 years, but one summer while trying a new variety out, I topped it while it was flowering. It was growing like dr. Grinspoon, and I thought something was wrong with it. Afterward, it stopped growing and flowering entirely.
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There is a question I have and hopefully can get some solid information about.
I keep getting differing opinions about topping vegging plants or even grown mothers. Question is how much is too much to take off the top.
I’ve heard from a couple of gardeners that you should not remove over 5" from a plant top. Supposedly it effects the overall strength and performance of the plant.
TbH I have done this for cloning and trimming down mothers for storage many times in my years of growing with zero adverse effects. But I’d like to hear concrete evidence on this subject to know for sure if this is indeed a bad practice.
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This is my first grow and I really don’t have any expectations. @AllOra commented to me a couple weeks ago, to try everything. I like this philosophy. I have 2 of each auto strain in my tent at 16 days, most growing their 5th node. Sometime in the next week I will top 1 of each strain. Some swear not to top autos, some have great things to say about topping autos. This way I will get hands on experience and if they don’t take topping very well, at least I know.
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I hear more people talking about not topping autos than the contrary 
. They have a predicted lifetime and if they get upset because of that topping and need to recover that is time lost for final developing 
.
Anyway, it is always good to experiment (I prefer others to do that 
), good luck and let us know the results, one never knows … 
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I agree with you. By that theory you should have the best luck with Auto’s starting in the final pot and just leaf tucking. But I still want to prove/disprove that theory for myself!! And I for sure will post if it helps or hurts!
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In the worst case you will only lose half of the harvest 
(hope not), that side by side comparison will be interesting, maybe you should open a grow thread with them … 
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Already have one up. Joker’s misadventures. You can see how I already overwatered and killed my first group. Whatever I end up with in yield is more than I started with!!
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Good to know, thanks, will have a look. With all those fancy titles I never know what’s really going on … 
For science, grow two similar phenotypes side by side and top one.
.
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