First time topping!!! Scared!!

I topped my ladies today for the first time and they had hollow stems is this normal? I'm worried they'll get infected! Will they close the hole themselves or is it gonna stay like that?

Before



After

Yeah, honestly you should have covered the wound with aloe or raw honey. Next time wait a few more nodes before topping.

They were ok to top. But you took off more than I would have. They'll be fine but they're going to take longer to get back to vigorous growth because that's going to shock them. The hollow stem is fine. If you only took the very tip of it. The stem wouldn't have been hollow and there would have been more growth left when you finished. Leaving them as bare as you did will take some time to recover from.

goldberg71b said:

They were ok to top. But you took off more than I would have. They'll be fine but they're going to take longer to get back to vigorous growth because that's going to shock them. The hollow stem is fine. If you only took the very tip of it. The stem wouldn't have been hollow and there would have been more growth left when you finished. Leaving them as bare as you did will take some time to recover from.

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Ok so I'll just try to top sooner when I get the nodes I want?right??

Bumblebeetuna said:

Ok so I'll just try to top sooner when I get the nodes I want?right??

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Here's what I do. I let my plants grow until I can top it just above the first set of leaves that has 5 blades on it. As soon as I can be sure I'm cutting the stem. I usually wait until the next new tiny leaves are about 2 millimeters above were I want to top. This ensures I have room to do it correctly. I've rushed a bit once or twice. And I didn't get the full stem but it was mostly new leaves. When they're that close together sometimes it tough to tell. Because you also don't want to cut it to close to the lower set (5) bladed leaves because you can damage the new shoots that are just beginning to form and can be hard to see.

Here is another tip. I use tiny scissors that are for your finger nails. Sharp small cheap and easy to find.

goldberg71b said:

Here is another tip. I use tiny scissors that are for your finger nails. Sharp small cheap and easy to find.

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Thanks floor tips man appreciate it very much

For the* tips

I just pinch em with my nails. I think scissors and newbies are a disaster waiting to happen..