Can You Top Autoflowers?
Topping cannabis plants maximizes yields, but can you top autoflowers?
It’s a question many growers ask regardless of their experience growing cannabis plants because autoflowers grow a bit differently. And if you’re a beginner to growing autoflowering plants, you probably don’t even understand what topping is, which compels us to answer the question…
What is meant by topping cannabis plants?
Over the years, growers have come up with several methods to extract more yields from cannabis plants. From bending the stems to breaking them (yes, really!) in order to help the plants grow healthier, innovative growers have shown how to grow some kickass cannabis.
Cannabis plants, especially autoflowers tend to grow in such a way that the main stem overpowers the rest of the plant. The main cola packs all the buds while the remaining parts show little yields. Since the main stem gets most of the sunlight, it naturally grows bigger and taller and the plant focuses all of its energy on one stem.
However, what if you could create several colas? It would most certainly ensure that the yields are bigger, right? Most training techniques were invented due to necessity, and topping, like other methods, was used to increase yields.
Topping is an approach used to train cannabis plants. It involves cutting off the tip of the main stem to force it to develop several colas rather than one main cola. Once the plant develops a few nodes, the very tip is cut off so that the main stem has two colas. Topping can be used with other methods such as FIMming and LST, but the plant benefits even if you just top it and leave it alone.
When you “Top” the main cola, the dominance of that particular cola diminishes, and since the new colas are present beneath the main cola already, they begin to grow once they are exposed to more light. As the plant produces more colas, they can be cut again to repeat the cycle. Remember that it must be done only during the vegetative stage.
The very thought of increasing colas get you excited, and growers have topped their plants to get monster yields over the years, but will it work with autoflowers too? When the top of the main stem is snipped away, it shocks the plant a bit, and it needs some time to recover.
With photoperiod plants, you have all the time in the world, so it’s doesn’t matter if the plant takes a day or two to stop sulking and grow. However, with autoflowers, it’s a little different because they complete their life cycle in just 10–11 weeks. If the plant goes into shock and gets stunted, you get little to no yields, so what gives?
Is it worth it to top autoflowering plants?
Short answer — it depends.
Long answer — Well, bear with me for a few minutes.
Topping stresses the plant a bit, and since every single day matters for autoflowers, it’s truly a tough decision for several growers. Topping is usually done when the plant is still in the vegetative stage because most plants are finicky in the flowering phase.
Autoflowers begin flowering automatically when they are almost 3–4 weeks, so topping certainly seems out of the question. With photoperiod plants, one can wait even if they are stressed because you have time, but if something goes wrong with autoflowers, they don’t have time to recover at all.
For instance, if you top an autoflower in the third week and something goes wrong, the plant may take a week to recover. However, considering that it will grow only for the next seven weeks, it won’t have time to grow to its maximum potential and produce great yields.
Autoflowers will make you proud even if you don’t top them. A single cola can give you large yields, which is why many growers try to stay away from topping. Debates on whether you should top or not will continue forever, and it’s also a matter of preference.
With photoperiod plants, growers wait until the plant recovers because the schedule can be manipulated, but it’s not possible to alter the life cycle of autoflowers no matter what you do. As Indica autoflowers display tight internodal spacing, it’s definitely not a good idea to cut the tips off because the plant is genetically small and bushy.
However, Sativa plants — like the Tangie ‘Matic, for example — don’t mind the tops cut off because they grow tall and lanky. Basically, it all depends on how the plants grow. You can top even Indica plants such as the Blackberry because it develops several nodes, but if the plant is meant to grow horizontally rather than vertically, you’re better off leaving the plant alone.
That being said, many growers have proven that you can top autoflowers and still flaunt humungous yields. How is that possible? Well, it’s because of the experience. Don’t be naïve to think that they succeeded in their very first attempts. It takes a few grows under your belt to master the Topping technique, but once you get it, you’ll be glad you took the time to teach yourself.
So, yes, you can top autoflowers and get spectacular colas but you must understand how to do it in the first place.
How to top autoflowers?
The goal is to grow two colas, but care must be taken to not stunt them. Once the plant grows at least 3–4 nodes, you can either cut the top gently using scissors or pinch them off. Make sure that you do it in one swift motion, instead of cutting the top several times.
If you somehow miss cutting the top entirely but manage to cut only a few leaves, it’s alright because you’ve just performed another technique called “FIM”. FIMming — also known as “F**k I missed” — is a method that was discovered when a grower accidentally cut only the top leaves rather than removing it entirely.
Like topping, fimming also helps you grow more colas; however, fimming gives you slightly more colas compared to topping. Fimming doesn’t require you to remove the top completely, so you’re not stressing the plant as much as you would with topping. With less stress, the plant also recovers quickly, so fimming is more ideal.
You can try both fimming and topping on a single plant, but don’t overdo it because the plant can start flowering and things could go awry pretty quickly. It’s more than enough if you perform any of these techniques, but as you gain experience you’ll do it more confidently.
When to top autoflowering cannabis plants?
As mentioned already, there are a few things to consider if you want to Top or FIM autoflowering plants.
· Perform topping or fimming only on healthy autoflowers. And that’s because a plant that’s already struggling will not be able to recover from the stress quickly. With autos, speed matters, and if you’re not confident about the plant, it’s best to be happy with a single cola with good yields rather than multiple colas with negligible yields.
· Most training techniques are meant for experienced growers. As a beginner, it sure is tempting to try everything under the sun, and although it seems easy, try to hold back until you’ve harvested at least one batch of plants.
· Select autos that have a tendency to grow super quick. Topping must be done when the plant has 3–4 nodes, but since autoflowers begin flowering by the third or fourth week, the plant should display 4 nodes by the beginning of week 3.
· Try not to cut too much since stress can severely reduce the yields.
· Do not Top or FIM if the plant has been overwatered or under-watered. The same rule applies if the plant displays any deficiencies. Simply put, try these techniques only with healthy autos.
What other techniques can be tried with topping?
Topping works really well if you control the shape of the plant. The basic idea is to provide more light to the new shoots underneath, and they go on to become bigger colas. But, the results can be enhanced by supplementing one technique with another. And nothing works better with topping than LST.
LST is a short form for Low-Stress Training. This method requires you to the top the tip. Then you bend the colas to the side of the plant as they grow. This procedure helps the plant grow symmetrically. As the side branches are bent, a lot more light penetrates to the bottom of the plant, and even the buds that are more likely to become useless popcorn buds become fatter with the remaining colas.
The light is distributed evenly to the entire plant. Some growers use cable ties to bend the plant, and how you bend the plant is completely up to you; however, care must be taken to not snap the stem lest you want to kill the plant.
Of course, plants survive even when the stem breaks entirely, and there are specific training techniques dedicated to snapping stems, but that doesn’t apply to autoflowers. Autos grow fast if you provide the right conditions, so approach every training method with caution until you’re sure you can pull it off.
