Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas

jagga said:

thanks for the quick reply UB. the 2nd node are growing at a decent rate so I don't think its a vigour issue . The first node branches are thin when compared to the second node I think I need to be patient . there was a little growth already there on the first petiole axis on all the plants.

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Apical dominance at play. Most times both locations run about the same dominance and vigor as shown on page one. Sometimes the upper colas will be a little bigger than the ones below them. You'll get the feel of it come harvest.

Good luck,
UB

Uncle Ben said:

I think it is, or I wouldn't do it.



It's been said that if you have a plant with just a few male flowers that all the plants will turn out female. That can also be a stress flag after flowering a plant for a long time. They usually produce a few "bananas" or incomplete male flower parts. It's nature's way of giving it up. I'd just buy feminized seeds or deal with it.

Tio

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Hi Ben
Thanks again for sharing with us.
Are you saying that if I want seeds, I can overflower to achieve this?
I have a sativa dominant strain in hot weather and high humidity.
Is there some other way that I can get seeds from a late flowering plant?
I'm sorry to highjack the thread, but I'm still reading thread 135, and I know by the time I'm done it will be a while.
Thanks...

DWC CFL Lady

Babalao15 said:

Hi Ben
Thanks again for sharing with us.
Are you saying that if I want seeds, I can overflower to achieve this?
I have a sativa dominant strain in hot weather and high humidity.
Is there some other way that I can get seeds from a late flowering plant?
I'm sorry to highjack the thread, but I'm still reading thread 135, and I know by the time I'm done it will be a while.
Thanks...

DWC CFL Lady
View attachment 2927670

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Takes 2 to tango. There's no such thing as "overflowering". Collect the pollen from your favorite male and using a paint brush dust the pistils of your favorite ladies. Label the branches, let them go 4-6 weeks, and harvest the seeds from those branches as they mature, like you normally would harvest bud.

Thanks UB
I was just looking and noticed that my plant on the prev picture is actually topped as you suggest. I've been gardening for a while now, not a spring chicken. The extra colas you see are from secondaries!
I did that at about 4 weeks of veg and vegged for another month after that. I have also done some of the things you advised against, defoliating, prunning, aggressive ph adjusting and of course from dirt to dwc after 5/6 weeks of veg. Had to try it...Now that I have (i can say I did) next grow I plan to use more of your approach and will be able to compare results.
Considering your advise I have to say that in spite of me and the cfl lighting this plant has exceeded all my expectations. I guess that's a testament to how resourceful these plants are.
I was just looking to see how close to harvest I may be, but about two weeks ago I followed your advice and added some nitrogen to the flowering nutes recommendation (GH) and I'm looking at a plant that is still adding new flower and leaves all over...
Thanks UB.
I plan to do a dual harvest after collecting the fat colas up top, but for now am letting that bitch fatten up!

3x big bud feminized ceeds from vision seed co.
the buckets have holes in them and are lined with reusable fabric shopping bags. this is on top of a wooded perforated floor that the air intake goes into underneath. on top of that the oscilating fan blows a light breeze at the root area and a little bit underneath the canopy. the exhaust is up top
the major thing i like about doing soil is the color green the plants are.
the ones i did in coco were very very dark green, i might try these in coco just to see how they do compared to soil on a timed run

anyways these had about 8 nodes each got a cold spell and shocked the roots, it was terrible and happened so fast.
so i fixed the heat issue and now they regenerated, and then i took a bunch of clones , buried it down, and topped it down to the 2 nodes (there was 6 or


my question is that there is uneven growth, is there an easy way to even it out or will it naturally favor one side of the plant? I was thinking of training the weak side under the lights until they catch up

Uncle Ben said:

About how long would it take for you to read the first couple of pages?

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Hi UB...
I'm reading thru this thread and I have to say, you are more than patient to keep coming to hear people ask you ie, Is thinning plants a good thing?
Man! I've been in customer service my whole life, but at least I was getting paid!
Folks, read the thread, at least the first few pages, I'm going on page 190 or so because I'm interested in learning(please forgive my virtue...)
I want to become a master gardener, so I read and experiment, I don't take anyone's word for it.
Do the same...
Read and try things that make sense to you. Read about how plants work.
If you fail, you can say that doesn't work.
But at least do your homework!
Peace out!
Not trying to judge anyone, just passing game along...

Uncle Ben said:

You're losing the will! Hah! I've tried with emails to senior mods to forward this message to RIU. For some fucked up reason, RIU locks out the thread starter from editing his own thread. No other forum, cannabis or otherwise, does this.

I would have a FAQ on page one to answer the same ol same ol lame questions if given the editing feature.

IOW, take it up with RIU, not me.

UB

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RIU, would you let this man do his work?
I'm trying to read as fast as I can through a 1000 plus pages, with morons asking questions answered on the first page. Come on, take control of the place...

i'd love the input on above, for those interested in a training technique that takes little time and uses ub's 2 top method, check this out https://www.rollitup.org/subcools-old-school-organics/278203-jack-ripper-jilly-bean-pandoras.html

the method is called crop circle of bud.
hobbes(rip) explains his method in the thread, I am trying this for the first time mainly because i have a height restriction, and see this as a quick, simple , and effective training manuever.
the heart of the technique seems to be knowing when the 2 stalks' length crossed over each other and around the pot added are going to equal the circumference of the pot

main reason why im trying to even out the growth as best I can.

Nizza said:

my question is that there is uneven growth, is there an easy way to even it out or will it naturally favor one side of the plant? I was thinking of training the weak side under the lights until they catch up

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Shade the side it's leaning toward and add more light in the direction you want it to go. To get anal with you, the cells of the shady side's petioles and branches will actually elongate and divide moving the mass of plant tissue towards the light - Phototropism.

Good luck...

Babalao15 said:

RIU, would you let this man do his work?
I'm trying to read as fast as I can through a 1000 plus pages, with morons asking questions answered on the first page. Come on, take control of the place...

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Buy Mel Frank's guide. It will be your shortcut to success. He and I share the same gardening principles plus the book is fun to read and has tons of great graphs. There's too much noise to wade thru at RIU, as if you haven't noticed.

Thanks Ben
I'm going to order from Amazon...

which one?

Marijuana Grower's Insider's Guide by Mel Frank (Jan 22, 1993)

The Indoor Outdoor Highest Quality Marijuana Grower's Guide by Mel Frank and Ed Rosenthal (Feb 1982)


Marijuana grower's Guide, Deluxe Edition by Mel Frank (197

Grower's Insider's Guide by Mel Frank (Jan 22, 1993)

Figured I'd give this a try.

Uncle Ben said:

Grower's Insider's Guide by Mel Frank (Jan 22, 1993)

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Thanks again, less than ten bucks online, delivered, right on!

FYI, lol... this one sells for over $200? WTF!
(The Indoor Outdoor Highest Quality marijuana Grower's Guide by Mel Frank and Ed Rosenthal (Feb 1982) )

Here's a pic of my 4 Cola topped plant.
I just harvested (top half) 165 grams wet and left about 60% of the plant to mature mid and bottom flowers. Feeding some extra nitrogen with bloom nutes, lots of white, new pistils popping everywhere from the last 2/3 weeks of feeding N.
Cool!
Thanks UB.

This is how my plants always finish. Posting it to show the correct structure or profile beginning at the first node. (Yes, I did add quite a bit of soil to the pot, mid growth)





Soil washed off top of rootball revealing super fibrous root system. This is what you should focus on, creating an extensive mass of roots!





See, even praying Mantis like popcorn buds! This illustrates and destroys the popular myth that cannabis has popcorn buds because they don't get enough light. This was an outdoor grown plant.




Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben said:

This is how my plants always finish. Posting it to show the correct structure or profile beginning at the first node. (Yes, I did add quite a bit of soil to the pot, mid growth)

Soil washed off top of plant revealing super fibrous root system. This is what you should focus on, creating an extensive mass of roots!

See, even praying Mantis like popcorn buds! This illustrates and destroys the popular myth that cannabis has popcorn buds because they don't get enough light. This was an outdoor grown plant.

Uncle Ben

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great porn

would love to see your outdoor tomatoes!

Uncle Ben ... Just wanted to thank you for wisdom and sharing info. I finally have my techniques down with topping , super cropping and ferts. My yields are great in a hydro cab w led lighting. Myths of airy buds with led are just that if you do things right and are patient. Add proper curing to it and I now have tasty, strong but smooth meds for family n friends .

Merry Christmas Uncle Ben from Hoagtech. After all these years I've based my topping principles off your original post. OG

Devilspawn said:

Uncle Ben ... Just wanted to thank you for wisdom and sharing info. I finally have my techniques down with topping , super cropping and ferts. My yields are great in a hydro cab w led lighting. Myths of airy buds with led are just that if you do things right and are patient. Add proper curing to it and I now have tasty, strong but smooth meds for family n friends .

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Sounds like a winner! Happy gardening and a prosperous New Year.

hoagtech said:

Merry Christmas Uncle Ben from Hoagtech.

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Thanks bro. Likewise.......