Posted 17 April 2013 - 11:21 AM

Pruning is simply removing leaves to let light into the middle of the plant. Ever noticed leaves trying to grow from a node?

What its wanting to do is grow. Only one problem, its not getting the light it needs to do so. This is where pruning comes in. By sinply removing the leaf or leaves that are shading that node, you've now opened it up to the light.

Easy right? You will eventually start to see a branch at that node. You can do this to as many nodes you want. Just make sure to leave a bit of foliage at the bottom for photosynthesis. Your plant will eventually look like this.

Topping can be a stressful thing to do for the grower simply because you've nurtured that seed to the beautiful plant it is now. But in the long run, the results far outweigh your worries. Topping is simply cutting the plant at the desired point above any set of nodes.

Snip if off there and your plant will begin to "Y" and result in two main branches at the top. That send signals throughout the plant to GROW beneath the cut. They have a mind of their own believe it or not. I like to do this in the seedling stage if I'm not going to prune. That's an awesome way to create more nodes for buds. More nodes = more flowers, which in the end results in more pods!

Below are two plants one was pruned and one was topped just so you guys can see exactly what happens in the long run.

Topped plant:

Pruned plant:

Hope this helps anyone with questions about this subject. Please feel free to add your input and ask any question and I'll be glad to answer the best I can. Thanks!

This will be a simple guide to topping and pruning your plants. For me its a MUST to do one or the other and a lot of times both to my plants. Its an easy way to get your plants to bush out and produce more pods. Some people don't like to do this, and some people are either scared or nervous to start chopping their plants. It gives a huge advantage to the plant IMO. Heres is how I do it and I'll explain with pictures and hopefully people won't be scared to do this. Here we go.