Just looking for methods of some of you accomplished grow pros for those super snakey plants.
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depends. If its a stretchy strain, Ill lollipop after stretch so it uses more energy for lowers. If the plant doesnt stretch much, then Ill keep it lollipopped so all the energy goes towards the top and growing during stretch.
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I do a light lollipopping at flip, then a fairly aggressive one around day 25 flower, this is when you can really tell which branches arenāt gonna reach the canopy
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If heat is not a problem add some side lighting and grow the bottom of the plant too. 
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Heat isnt a problem so far and i just added 90 watts of under canopy lite yesterday. Tomorrow uv gets delivered!
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So by that way of thinking, leaving a bunch of snakey branches till later in the cycle can help keep stretch less aggressive?
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Awesome. I run my lights vertically like a phototron I think it helps to ease stretching but also my lower nodes produce usable buds. Iāve basically same wattage on sides as I do top. Iām limited on space so try and make most out of it.
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When I see pictures of a full tent but bottom 2/3 is just bare sticks I question that. Sure the colas are nice but seems like waisted space and time. Provided you get usable material from the bottom youāre waiting the same amount of time. Heat and electricity use are the only two negatives I see.
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Sometimes when Iām trimming Iāll look at the lowers and think āis this even worth my time?ā
But in general I wait until main stretch is done. Itās easy to spot the losers.
Also I sometimes trim off outside branches to make them skinnier for space limitations.
Snip snip
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I generally donāt do any training. Iāve let them go first week just with side lights. They seem to grow a bit sideways. I generally remove leaves when they nearing end of usefulness. By week 3 I can see in the bottom a bit to remove the small suckers but Iām definitely growing 2/3 of the plant at least. I have an ak47 about 5 1/2 weeks Iāll put a picture up later today @Foreigner
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It really depends what Iām doing/what my goals are.
Under normal circumstances I might not cut off outside branches but Iām fighting for space.
Some plants just want to be top heavy.
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I start trimming lower branches and dense growth from close spaced nodes in veg. I focus on removing growth below 18" on the plant. I work in stages from the bottom up. I remove undergrowth completely from the stem. Once I can see the āfoundationā I work on thinning the canopy. Wire-thin budlet stems that grow towards the center of the plant are removed. Smaller diameter branches that cross the center of the main stems are removed. I snip a little at a time and rotate the plant in an attempt to open up the center.
Trimming is also training. The axillary buds in the photo below are āturn signalsā. I want to trim above a node with an axillary bud pointing away from the center of the plant. Clip above an axillary bud that points in the direction you want it to grow.
I did some thinning in flower and veg yesterday. Photos to follow in a bit.
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Thatās what Iāve found. Also pinching and crushing the stem during stretch will limit stretch too.
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I prefer to cut them in advance. I will look at the plant when she is about to go in to flower, and imagine what she will look like in a few weeks. What branches am I going to be chopping off? I cut them at that point, before the plant has invested energy in to them.
I read somewhere āThe way to not grow small buds is this: Donāt grow small buds.ā Thought it was snarky at first, but its true. Cut the small buds before they even start to grow and your plant can put more energy in to the parts that matter.
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All depends on if I need edible quality material or not.
The lowers can give us so much, as far as using it for making, capsules, or green butter, or tinctures. Of course, Iāve smoked them in a pinch.
Iāve been blessed, with growing plenty of beautiful buds, so much so, my chest freezer, has a LOT in it right now.
I will use them, if necessary, but lowers, rock for consumption, IMHO!!
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In most cases, Ill gut the plants down to 1 node per branch right before flip. Thatāll eliminate any of the wasted energy towards lowers. Lotta rookie growers freak out when they see it, but itās standard practice in the commerical world. I also pull all the fan leaves 1/3 and 2/3rds thru flower.
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I do the fan leaf thing more or less but the 1 node thing is a bit extreme for my taste. It is a trip how many more nodes stack on top thru stretch tho. I sort of chase the new growth toward the top as i lollipop little by little. Was just wondering about the wisdom of removing it before it even robs any early vital energy. Seems to have merit as well.
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I recommend doing a side by side! Its a super fun experiment. I used to be very skeptical myself. But I did a test with a few hundred plants in my old greenie setup, and the yields were a good 30% higher. And the amount of smalles and bs went way down. You can also get away with a lot less veg time, since theyll jump a lot post 12/12 that way.
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Heading into week 2 now. Definitely will devote a clone or two to the experiment. Since all these are new to me its nice to see what they do morpologically with minimal pruning.
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Do the pruning during stretch, so you have less trimming to do at harvest time.
I also have enough buds and not enough time, that I donāt want trim for edibles. I donāt have the time to make it or process it so I want 0% larf at the end
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