Bushy vs. hight

i was looking at my girls today,thinking how much they've come along with so little work. How my ideas and worries about not having enough height available havebeen unwarrented. Then I see pictures here of plants which exactly I had that worry for. My 3 plants have a canopy hight of roughly 36" which includes the pots. But even without a scrog, they damn near fill up half my 4x4 tent.
I know people don't like blurple pics but I'm posting it anyways since I'm not asking for a health assessment.
I know they are healthy.


What I would like to know is what people prefer, when it comes to growing, short and bushy or tall and lean. I'd like to see some fact based opinions and why you think what you think.

P.s. The net in the back on the picture has yet to require a need for use...

MadButcher said:

i was looking at my girls today,thinking how much they've come along with so little work. How my ideas and worries about not having enough height available havebeen unwarrented. Then I see pictures here of plants which exactly I had that worry for. My 3 plants have a canopy hight of roughly 36" which includes the pots. But even without a scrog, they damn near fill up half my 4x4 tent.
I know people don't like blurple pics but I'm posting it anyways since I'm not asking for a health assessment.
I know they are healthy.
View attachment 3845692

What I would like to know is what people prefer, when it comes to growing, short and bushy or tall and lean. I'd like to see some fact based opinions and why you think what you think.

P.s. The net in the back on the picture has yet to require a need for use...

Click to expand...

I like to bush them out first to get as many heads as possible then once I have those I let them grow alittle more.

Height should give you 1 fat main cola , I'd rather go bushy and have 10 equal colas instead of fat 1 and a load of popcorn at bottom

Good question OP, topping even once can produce a nice bushy plant, quite easy to fill up a 4 x 4 with four pots, even 3 gal pots. With a 50/50 hyrbid it can be rather easy to maintain an even canopy, esp with same beans all growing the same. With the "bushy method" then, it's about bud sites and lighting. You have some killer budsites exposed and your plants look healthy. In terms of tall plants, there's opportunity for very nice yields, say with mainlining. It takes more time and you need unquestionably good light penetration though. Chinese LEDs quickly reach a point where their inefficiency prevents one from providing enough energy to really bust two feet of buds.

I'd say it's a matter of lighting as much as a matter of preference. But as you mentioned, it can be fairly easy to maintain an even canopy with shorter strains and topping or other "bushy" methods. Certainly a factor. Cheers to successful harvest..

This question is dependent on your grow style, too. Go to the Vertical Growing board here on RIU and check out the vert systems. I prefer a little bushy canopy with very little beneath it, but sometimes I let them go wild for too long and end up with a bunch of popcorn. That's fine for making concentrates, I don't trim it! I dry it and give it to my buddy who makes hash and rosin. He brings me some of said hash and rosin, and a little money, though I never asked for any of that. Nothing lost there, to me. Someday I will go vertical... someday. Good pruning does wonders for the quantity of quality flowers, imho.

The specific style of pruning, training and height management are dependent on the grow methods and goals of the individual growmeister.