Keeping clones even in size (pruning roots)?

I have some clones taking root in an aero cloner and I've noticed that they all develop roots at different rates and times, taking between 2 and 4 weeks to show. Now the ones that have roots at 2 weeks will already have been growing for 2 weeks by the time the last clones show root development which means that the plant canopy will be uneven. The easy answer is: just prune or top the ones that are growing faster or taller right? Well I'd like to lollipop this bunch so I don't want to harm the apical stem. I need it intact. I want less branches on the plants and topping encourages more branching. So my question is: are there any other methods for keeping the plants even in size? I had the idea that perhaps pruning the developing roots might keep the faster ones from growing while the giving the others a chance to catch up. This is just a theory, I'd love some opinions.

LST them. Or top if you want. They don't have to be perfect matching plants. There all beautiful on the inside

Normally that would be a good solution but unfortunately it encourages more branches which is the opposite of what I need in my setup. I need 1 main cola with little to no side branches such that the plants don't crowd one another...lollipop style

My recommendation would be to just let them go and later in veg or flowering just bend or pinch the tall ones to allow the others to catch up. One good pinch can take a week to recover from. Just pinch until you feel the juices give way, then let it go, the plant will repair instead of grow and you wont have to sacrafice.

Thanks Gidget, that's EXACTLY the kind of thing I'm looking for I don't know why that didn't occur to me haha! I am growing in aero now so I don't actually veg my plants, I just go straight into flower after they develop roots, and boy do they grow fast. I made the rookie mistake of vegging once, and they ended up growing past my lights. In flower I've had plants grow 2 inches a day, it's not to be believed. I think pinching is probably the answer because from everything I've read, it makes the stem stronger and fatter with an even larger transport system once it's repaired itself...this sounds perfect for lollipoping where you just want to beef up the main stem. Are these notions of mine correct? I'm learning the art of the pinch!

yah, like giget said, just look into some supercropping, which is basically what they are talking about.. i've used supercropping for this very reason, evening out the canopy, and love it so... works great, and doesn't seem to stress the plants out too much ..

Ah yes, supercropping thanks racerboy, I always confused that with trimming and/or topping for some strange reason. I have to remember that supercropping is the pinching technique. I love the idea of using this method to keep the plants much shorter. I wonder to what degree can you control the height of your plants by doing this? I'd love to end up with squat dense 2 foot plants instead of the 4 foot spindly stretched ones I have now. Since I am not going to be vegging at all, can I still supercrop during flower? And how far into flower can you do this before it becomes counterproductive?

The plant will always try to finish growing. There pinching too much will only ever slow it down, not stop it completely (unless you screw up and kill it some how). The plant will want to finish flowering. I pinched my tallest plant and it definately gave the others time to catch up and surpass it, but it healed up quite nicely.
View attachment 1738032

How about letting the slower ones finish rooting as well before you transplant them ALL together? The faster ones will eventually get rootbound and stop growing and the others will catch up? Does that even make sense? I know it does in my head but then again...

Great pic Gidget! That's incredible! The diameter of the stem is like 2x greater where you pinched it. Could you conceivably pinch all the way up and down the stem to make the entire thing that thick? It seems that the more you do it, and the thicker it becomes, the more nutrients and sugars could be transported up and down. I was thinking that even though the stem is larger in that one spot, aren't you still being limited by the narrower part of the stem which can only handle a portion of the transport capacity that the fatter part has? My mind is now swimming with supercropping ideas You've created a monster!

Redoctober said:

Great pic Gidget! That's incredible! The diameter of the stem is like 2x greater where you pinched it. Could you conceivably pinch all the way up and down the stem to make the entire thing that thick? It seems that the more you do it, and the thicker it becomes, the more nutrients and sugars could be transported up and down. I was thinking that even though the stem is larger in that one spot, aren't you still being limited by the narrower part of the stem which can only handle a portion of the transport capacity that the fatter part has? My mind is now swimming with supercropping ideas You've created a monster!

Click to expand...

In theory it could be done if you did one pinch at a time and let it heal, but that would mean staying in vegetation for like... forever I doubt it would worth the time and effort. If you just start pinching it out of control and dont let it heal properly the plant wont be able to cope with all the stress and eventually die.

In theory it could be done if you did one pinch at a time and let it heal, but that would mean staying in vegetation for like... forever I doubt it would worth the time and effort. If you just start pinching it out of control and dont let it heal properly the plant wont be able to cope with all the stress and eventually die.

Click to expand...

Oh so 1 pinch at a time per stem is all the plant can handle? I was thinking of doing one every few inches. Or is a single pinch sufficient? And should I bend it when I pinch or just break down some of the inner tissue but leave it vertical? If you bend it will it stay that way?