Topping VS FIM... pros and cons?

This grow I am on now is the first time I have topped I fimm mine and super crop normally but accidentally broke one off and it is the best looking best growing plant I have. I have become a fan of topping vs fimming

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I do like the look and recovery better. The one I topped has two solid growths!

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@VelcroThumb Hi, welcome. I am a newbie on my first grow with my 4 plants in just about starting week 5 of veg. I have done both those with my plants. 2 I fimmed and 2 I topped (accidently, like you), I have also employed bending and tieing down tops. Dont remember at the moment what that is called. In my preference I like the topping better. As others have said, it recovers faster but I havent had any trouble with them getting too tall too fast. I simply tied them down to let other potential tops light and room to grow. Its worked gread. I have three bushy plants that are about 15 inches tall right now and the same wide.

I had problems with 2 though that has been taken care of with help from the group. Potassium deficiency.
Basically, I find I employ both and other methods to increase tops. They all work, with different results and its all good far as I am concerned. Good luck on your grow.

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I just jumped into scrog and only topping. After reading this I need to research FIM. I don’t quite understand fim other than it can produce up to four. I think I am unintentionally “super cropping” by bending some stems when I tuck on the scrog. The stems when bent become partially flat sort of looking like if you bit down on a drinking straw.

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I FIM twice generally. Sometimes one of each. @VelcroThumb

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@bob31 Using the Strawberry Kush as an example, since it was actually topped; I see three new growths so my question is this: Where do I top next? Will the new growths basically create new stalks/stems with nodes?

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Correct they will become new buds. If MJ is left to it’s own growing it will keep growing straight up and the FIM and top help to spread out the plant and keep the height down.

I would let the next node come out normal and then top it again and that would probably be enough! @VelcroThumb

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@bob31 so in that picture of the strawberry kush, each one of those three growths will create new nodes. So basically I would let each growth grow a new node like normal (set of fan leaves) and then top the new growth after that on each one; essentially turning those 3 tops into 6?

Let them grow a little more. I think one of those three will try to become the new top or stalk. I would just top that one but you could top all three. Let’s give them a week or so and see how they develope. There are no set rules
Every grow, every plant is different! @VelcroThumb

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The first couple of times I topped I only did about half the plants. In my case, all of the topped plants had more colas, but they were quite a bit smaller than the plants left to grow single cola. Is that pretty standard? Researching, it seems a lot of people experience the same results. The more tops per plant, the smaller they get.

I will agree that having more colas that were smaller did indeed yield more. But it wasn’t twice as much. Around 15-20% was the increase I had topping, but at the cost of one less harvest per year with a longer veg. Since, I have reverted back to growing single cola plants on short veg times. Since everyone here seems to be doing the opposite, I thought maybe I would give it a try again.

I guess my biggest question is, has everyone experienced about the same, and given it the same consideration? Or are most just concerned with yield per plant, and don’t really care about how it works out over the course of say a complete grow or even over a years time?

Edit… wanted to get your opinion here @bob3, you seem to be very knowledgeable on the subject. I thought I responded directly to you, but apparently not.

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@dbrn32 Yep, thats true I do believe that the buds will be smaller, though I fimmed my Gorilla Glue and she is building a pretty massive main cola. I will update my grow journal tomorrow and tag you over. She was Fimmed and then grew another node and then Fimmed again.

The main reason to FIM and top IMO is to keep them from getting too tall. In my case on the GG she was going to be in my tent and was in a 5 gallon pot and then I moved her outside so I didn’t want her getting too tall on me being only in a 5 gallon pot, So it worked out for me!

Now I do want to say that if a plant is fimmed and topped and given more time to grow ( Veg ) that they will build massive colas. My statement above was more related to two side by side plants one topped or fimmed and the other not with say a 60 day veg and a 60 day flower. They should have basically the same yield, though one will have a larger main cola that the other!

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Awesome! Great info! Outta likes for 2 hours!!

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Thanks @bob31!

That was pretty much my experience too for the most part. There’s never a right or wrong method in my opinion. Sometimes you do whatever you have to keep things within your limitations, or just like certain methods better than others. Nothing wrong with any of those scenarios.

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@Covertgrower at which point should I remove the fan limbs? I fem my two white willow yesterday.

plt #1 & plt # 2

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@Swt.2017 I typically encourage only tucking of fan leaves. If you cut them, you’re removing an energy producing leaf. You’ll slow them down. Hope this helps!

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This is my first grow with hydroponics whats tucking? And how do you go about doing it? Im going into my 19th day the pics are after my second resvovor change. Going to start lights on 12 on 12 off on day 21. What you think?

I don’t think you need to do any tucking just yet. Usually you tuck closer to and in flower to get the fan leaves away from the bud sites.

Tucking is just tucking fan leaves under other foliage to get light to the tops. This saves said leaf from getting plucked whilst not shading the good bits. Personally I’d wait atleast till day 30 depending on your available height restrictions. You’ll be rewarded in the end and that will give them some time to sexually mature, 21 days is still very young. :wink: just my preference. They look healthy :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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