What is topping?
Topping is a pruning technique that involves cutting off the tip of the plant's main stem, just above a node, so that it grows with two main tops instead of one. It's done during the growth stage, before flowering.
Naturally, the cannabis plant concentrates its energy in the highest tip, which ends up producing the biggest bud. The lower branches grow less.
When you cut off that tip, the plant splits its energy between the two shoots that were just below it, at the last node (the point on the stem where leaves and branches grow from). Those two shoots grow vigorously and become two main stems. The plant ends up shorter and wider, shaped more like a candelabra than a Christmas tree.
It's the same thing you do when you pinch back basil to make it bushier.
What is it for?
- More main tops: instead of one big central bud, you'll have several large buds.
- Height control: the plant grows wider, which is useful indoors.
- A more even canopy: the light is spread more evenly between the tops.
Roughly speaking, it's done once the plant has several nodes and is healthy, with clean scissors, and then the plant is left to recover for a few days. If you repeat it on the new stems, the number of tops multiplies.
Can you top autoflowers?
It isn't usually recommended. After the cut, the plant needs a few days to recover and its growth slows down. A photoperiod plant can afford that, because you decide how long its growth stage lasts. An autoflower, on the other hand, has a short life and starts flowering on its own: the lost time cannot be made up and it may end up yielding less. For autos, LST, which doesn't involve cutting anything, is a better option.
Related terms
Before you grow, check the laws in your country: growing cannabis is not allowed everywhere.
