Topping at 21 days?

[paulg]

I’ve read that topping after 21 days is not recommended. Is this a myth? I ask because I’m approaching the 21 day mark, but I don’t have a clean cut for four nodes. Would it be better to let her grow some more or clip it at the third node? Thx.

 

[JaxsoNL5]

I feel that’s more due to autos on average showing sex around 25-27 days. You’d want a recovery of around a week after topping, so I think the recommendation is don’t after 21 days. If you know your cultivar and it starts flowering later I think you could time it and push that 21 mark slightly…but I don’t know try it and journal it, then future paulg’s will know the truth!

 

[JP1]

Don't sweat the exact number of days. Just do it when it's ready and it'll be fine. Couple days or even a week means nothing really. The plants don't count days...

 

[Capt.Quirk]

Regardless of the number of days, I will wait for a mature fifth node before starting training, whether topping or lst. Pictured below is an auto topped above the fifth node and an auto beginning lst by breaking apical dominance at the fifth node. Both have had all popcorn producing growth under node 4 removed.

 

[paulg]

Thanks everyone!. It seems 21 days is more of a guideline than a rule.

 

[parsing_trees]

I feel that’s more due to autos on average showing sex around 25-27 days. You’d want a recovery of around a week after topping, so I think the recommendation is don’t after 21 days. If you know your cultivar and it starts flowering later I think you could time it and push that 21 mark slightly…but I don’t know try it and journal it, then future paulg’s will know the truth!

Where are you getting a recovery time of a week from? I top almost all my autos (once), but I also have an hourly camera set up for time lapse, and with most plants I see a recovery time of barely two or three hours before they resume growth. Not a week, just a few hours.

Edit: Or do you mean something more like that it's best to top while the plants still have at least a week or so of veg growth remaining, so the side branches have time to benefit from topping and develop into new top growth sites before transitioning into flowering? That makes sense to me, but I wouldn't describe it as "recovery time".

I usually top around day 15-18, FWIW, once I have a clear shot above the fourth node. I haven't experimented with earlier/later cutting above a different node, but that's worked for me so I've stuck with it.

 

[Olderfart]

Where are you getting a recovery time of a week from? I top almost all my autos (once), but I also have an hourly camera set up for time lapse, and with most plants I see a recovery time of barely two or three hours before they resume growth. Not a week, just a few hours.

Edit: Or do you mean something more like that it's best to top while the plants still have at least a week or so of veg growth remaining, so the side branches have time to benefit from topping and develop into new top growth sites before transitioning into flowering? That makes sense to me, but I wouldn't describe it as "recovery time".

I usually top around day 15-18, FWIW, once I have a clear shot above the fourth node. I haven't experimented with earlier/later cutting above a different node, but that's worked for me so I've stuck with it.

I top almost all of mine, all above the 4th node as soon as the internode is wide enough to cut. I do not remove much material because I top as soon as there is enough stem length to do the job safely. I have cut with snippers, and snipped with finger nails, and never seen a problem with infection. If you worry about that, just clean your snippers in some 99% ISO.

 

[parsing_trees]

If you worry about that, just clean your snippers in some 99% ISO.

I do that too (not 99% but whatever I have on hand), just in case. Even though it doubles the time I spend on training

 

[JaxsoNL5]

Where are you getting a recovery time of a week from? I top almost all my autos (once), but I also have an hourly camera set up for time lapse, and with most plants I see a recovery time of barely two or three hours before they resume growth. Not a week, just a few hours.

Edit: Or do you mean something more like that it's best to top while the plants still have at least a week or so of veg growth remaining, so the side branches have time to benefit from topping and develop into new top growth sites before transitioning into flowering? That makes sense to me, but I wouldn't describe it as "recovery time".

I usually top around day 15-18, FWIW, once I have a clear shot above the fourth node. I haven't experimented with earlier/later cutting above a different node, but that's worked for me so I've stuck with it.

Meant exactly what you describe in the second paragraph. The plant doesn’t stop growth and photosynthesis just because it’s cut and damaged, but changes do occur biochemically that affect it’s ability to tolerate stresses (such as flipping light to stimulate release of hormones to initiate flowering). Different hormones are released to aid in tissue repair and redirecting the apical dominance amongst the new shoots...just my scientific opinion you’d want to give ample time for those processes to finish off fully and the plant to return into its normal vegetative state prior to flipping light schedule. No direct proof to back it up, just my science-backed BRO science opine LOL though it is fully known that the ratios of phytohormones in plants affect growth rate, stress response and so on…biggest life lesson I keep getting is don’t mess with a female’s hormones

 

[420autoflower]

I never top my plants but I do bend my main tops over around day 15, and in less than 2 weeks I have plants with 10 or more future cola sites that make it to the top of the canopy. IMHO… there is really no need to cut the head off your plants and add extra stress just to get more top sites.

Day 15

Day 21 (6 days after main top was bent over)

Day 28 (13 days after bending main top over)