Optimize the height of your cannabis plants, and why
One of the problems faced by indoor growers is the prognosis for the height of their plants ... If you have chosen a sativa (or even a sativa hybrid), you may be considering that the plant will reach 1,80 feet to 2,40 feet, XNUMXm high (if growing conditions allow). But, they may be too tall for your indoor setup… The size of cannabis provides better height control, and improves production when grown with many strain varieties.
Limit height: supercropping
Growers of autoflowering (autoflowering) strains will not need this advice. Their growth schedule is too tight, and most varieties won't reach more than four feet tall… For others, the particularly tricky part is that the plants will often let you believe they will remain manageable in height. And even in the 1,20th week of vegetative growth, your plants can stagnate, only reaching a very low height… Obviously, larger pruning is largely possible under higher wattage lamps. But, don't get me wrong, when the start of flowering begins, your plants will start reaching for the sky !!
In one night your plant will take a few centimeters, it will continue to stretch like this until the buds bloom and form. But by then, it will be too late to prune without seriously sacrificing the yield of your next crop. The key is to plan everything in advance. Adjust the height of your plants while they still have 1 to 2 weeks to develop in the vegetative phase. This will give the plants time to recover from minor pruning trauma. And will make sure to extend the buds from the lower nodes of the plant towards the light. During flowering, these new “stems” become flowery works of art, and later, chalices to the glory of the cultivation of marijuana ...
The size of so-called "apical" cannabis
First, look for the terminal bud (main head), pop it out cleanly. Do not confuse the term "bud," which in plant anatomy refers to an actively growing leaf appendage with the slang term "bud" for the ripe flower pods (calyxes) of the marijuana plant. So ... You got to carefully stretch that terminal bud out, bring it out. So as not to damage the lower leaves or the stem. The idea is to "redirect" the energies of the plants by "stimulating" the two lower buds upwards and outwards. This maintains most of the plant, while controlling its height.
Don't be afraid to gently pull on the leaves at the top of the plant. Indeed, they do not break so easily, cannabis plants are resistant. When you have found the terminal bud, you must cut it, and as cleanly as possible. Use a small set of pre-disinfected shears (cutter, nail clipper, shears on sale in grow shops). Better to cut twice than to cut brutally, and especially so as not to damage the rod. So take a close look and be careful! For large crops (and large plants), you will have to strip the top of your plant, with garden shears ...
Regarding the canopy of Sativa plants, it should be noted that a second top trim (see two main buds) is needed to keep them within vertical limits. Example for Zamal, which would tend to actively spread on all sides. A real (uncontrollable) surprise awaits you if you do not multiply its secondary branches, while controlling their size ...
Multiply the secondary branches (FIM size)
This technique (similar to apical pruning) aims to multiply the secondary branches while controlling their length, mainly the lateral ones. It is done on the buds of the tips of the longest branches (about 2/3 of the plant). Obviously, proceed gently as before, and after a few days new branches (closer to the trunk) and new buds will form.
The more branches the plant has, the more buds it can produce. After the main tip and secondaries are pruned, the auxins of the plant distribute themselves into the remaining and new branches. Namely that the apical pruning and the FIM pruning is specific to obtaining a mother plant.
The pinching
The purpose of pinching is to direct the vigor of your plant a little, in order to obtain beautiful buds, but without pruning it. This is to limit the loss of energy that occurs when the foot emits lateral rods. Or, specifically, when your plant grows excessively tall. The pinching of cannabis is similar to that of a tomato plant, the removal of "greedy".
Pinching is a great technique to have a nice, even canopy. In fact, by regularly pinching your plants, during growth and at the start of flowering, you will obtain plants of uniform height. This will facilitate cultivation and increase final production. Pinch with the tips of the nails (clean !!) as soon as buds appear in the axils of the main stem and this, throughout the cultivation period. Leave on the stem only the main leaves and developing buds. Also, pinch the side rods that originate in the axil of the rod. Only the main stem should be kept and this throughout the growth.
Do not exhaust your plant with the task (the pinching fatigue), do not be violent. And above all, never water the foliage after this operation! History to avoid a large number of diseases ...
