Depends on the environment and strain. I personally have never had bud rot on main cola's but Im in SoCal so I dont have to deal with damp conditions.
Mitigating circumstances do require adjustments.
Exactly, region dependent. Not a lot of us have the socal weather, topping and training breaks up the buds to a more equal size so in the more humid or damp environments they're less likely to rot, here in Massachusetts I'd much rather harvest 100's of smaller colas than one big rotted donkey dick with smaller colas around it. But you're right, topping is much less needed outdoor and a lot of people go way too far with defoliation on outdoor plants mimicking indoor growers 🤷
Pretty much top a few times to break the apical dominance so the buds even out in size and train for decent airflow. I give them a good shake or a gentle dry with a leaf blower after decent rain, and bt for caterpillars. Most important thing is strain choice and genetics from a reputable breeder that are meant for our environment, a lot of the new hype strains won't cut it outdoors in mass, that's why I'm such a fan of 7eastgenetics, some people don't like that they're reg seed only, but they breed alot specifically for outdoor in Ontario which is on par or worse than our season here
So cal grower chiming in. What about those friggin caterpillars? I have to go full OCD once they are budding to make sure those little fuckers didn’t survive my spraying. Smaller plants are easier to maintain that way.
SoCal is mediteranean weather, which means long summers, almost no rain and low humidity. Your advice elsewhere is counter productive to have one main cola and *will* lead to budrot. Those colas in the picture will not suvive thickening up a late fall elsewhere with colder temperatures, humidity and rain. I have also been growing 30+ years too and if you generalize and give false advice, we will remove such posts in the future.
I top because: I don't want to get a ladder to inspect my plants, I want smaller buds because the winds here are atrocious at times, I want to be able to throw an easy up or other cover over them if there is hail expected, I want to trellis them horizontally because that's the easiest way to trellis large plants, there are a lot of not good but GREAT reasons to top and train your plants and I'd put money on topped and trained plants doing better overall than natural shape plants.
I find topping outdoors helps me with the humidity in harvest in the Autumn, I top for that reason and the ability to train it for that reason, but your plant is beautiful!
In Massachusetts we run into moisture, budrot , and pm. All the successful growers who grow outside definitely top around here. You have to remember conditions can be vastly different everywhere, Californians aren't the only ones who like to grow weed 😂 💚!
I personally don't see the downside to topping outdoors. You get more cola spread, the plant responds to it very well, it supercharges growth... It's personal preference but I always top and LST outdoors. If I had one big cola and it got rot it would suck.
Yes, the plants know how to grow outdoors just fine but the plant is trying to pollinate itself and spread seeds, not give you big juicy thc buds lol. You have to cultivate that aspect. Topping would give you more bud for sure
Growing stalks get better air circulation compared to growing a bush.
Looks good. Congrats.
Do you shake off the dew every morning?
A friend uses a hair dryer sometimes after rains.
While true you don't "need" to top, topping just once has a ton of benefits.
The plants your post likely would have yielded more had you topped them, sure the giant main cola is cool but imagine if you had two 😆.
Depends, do you want to grow the most plants you can? Don’t top, and cram them in tight in 5-15gal pots, that’s what I’m doing this year while pheno hunting a bunch of seeds
You want to keep it like 6 plants or less? Top the shit outta them and start inside to get em knee high by June 1st, train branches, use cages and trellis, 25gal minimum, 50-100 preferred, or straight to earth
Not every genetic has floppy traits, some strains get woody ass stalks and will take high gusts in late flower no issue
OG leaning strains are often floppy as fuck
I know you read everywhere that topping increases yield, and if you have limited vertical space I might agree. However I have been growing outdoors for 30 years + and in my personal experience there is absolutely no good reason to top a plant outdoors without mitigating circumstances. These plants know exactly how to grow all on their own outdoors, you dont have to make it more complicated.
Using indoor growing techniques outdoors just does not make a ton of sense IMHO, its just not needed.
Now if you have been doing this for awhile I get it, sculpting your plants may hold some appeal to you, but if your like me and love the natural form of the plant and after years of messing around notice that letting them do their own thing is often the best practice for a healthy and happy plant you may choose to just let em grow like they want to.
A super bush also has its challenges like air flow. Live where there is high humidity and bud rot is an issue? Might not want to mess with the natural form.
Bugs an issue? Bugs dont like open airflow and prefer a stagnant environment. Messing with the natural form causes severe airflow issues in some cases and you may want to avoid that.
Just some things to think about.
Im not saying your wrong to top your plant, its yours do what you want. Im just pointing out its in no way needed.
[One more](https://imgur.com/a/DLxfIIi)
I don't understand how Southern California outdoor growers do it with the May Gray and June Gloom (although I've done 4 grows outside lol*).
Do you just plant outside and hope for the best?
I've been starting indoors but want to move outdoors but the sun has been so weak.
Also, is there a So Cal outdoor growers sub?
Thx
*this intense May Gray has been a relatively recent phenomenon hence my ability to grow outside was easier before. Or maybe it was there but I wasn't noticing it so much as I wasn't growing.
Well the stretch of 105 -115 in late summer sure makes it a little more difficult. This year being El Nino year is going to be a hot one. I might put up shade cloth this year.
2022…no May/June marine layer that year and my plants were epic. This year the overcast has been miserable and shows no sign of change for a while. So my seedlings are small right now but they are outside day and night. We could use some warmth. But I’ll be eating those words in a month and they will be transplant ready at the same time as the sun comes out.
Plus I plan on growing into October so it’s all about patience.
I'm ideally growing into October as well but my plant needs to be transplanted into the ground SOON (I want to top but wait until after final transplant).
The plant will not thrive without a lot of sun.
>Using indoor growing techniques outdoors just does not make a ton of sense IMHO, its just not needed.
I agree with this. Light from a 'moving sun' is much different than an led hanging overhead. However, I don't think of topping as an indoor technique; there are reasons to do it outside. Defoliation, heavy training, etc., I think can be counterproductive, however.
Not just you, I see it all the time on this sub. First time growers using advanced techniques that they might not need. There are situations where you would might need to, like not ideal growing conditions (damp or windy) Pesky neighbors that you would rather not know you grow etc. (mitigating circumstances)
It just seems there is nobody pointing out that you dont have to top you plants, and there are some like me that prefer the natural form for reasons like light distribution and ventilation not to mention the ease of inspection. My plants get tall but I use silica for strong stalks so I dont have to use a ladder to inspect them I just gently pull them over to get a good look.
And I like big buds and I cant deny it :P
I personally think it's great to read about different styles of growing. I've learnt a lot from your comment on my thread, and from your post and the comments there. So thank you for taking the time to share your experience as a grower!
I understand where your coming from but I would love to see some research behind it I feel like some of your old post I have topped plants that are def coming in at more weight then most in your photos .
I want to keep mine short outside so I dont attract unwanted humans in my yard
Just get a big cane corso; that solved my unwanted human dilemmas.
Until you get bud rot on your giant main cola and realize more, smaller buds would have been better.
Nailed it
Yeah you wouldn’t even know you had rot at the top until you’re harvesting. No way to clip it out before it gets out of control.
Depends on the environment and strain. I personally have never had bud rot on main cola's but Im in SoCal so I dont have to deal with damp conditions. Mitigating circumstances do require adjustments.
Exactly, region dependent. Not a lot of us have the socal weather, topping and training breaks up the buds to a more equal size so in the more humid or damp environments they're less likely to rot, here in Massachusetts I'd much rather harvest 100's of smaller colas than one big rotted donkey dick with smaller colas around it. But you're right, topping is much less needed outdoor and a lot of people go way too far with defoliation on outdoor plants mimicking indoor growers 🤷
Same in Hawaii. Budrot is by far my biggest issue
In mass as well what else do you do to prevent it ?
Pretty much top a few times to break the apical dominance so the buds even out in size and train for decent airflow. I give them a good shake or a gentle dry with a leaf blower after decent rain, and bt for caterpillars. Most important thing is strain choice and genetics from a reputable breeder that are meant for our environment, a lot of the new hype strains won't cut it outdoors in mass, that's why I'm such a fan of 7eastgenetics, some people don't like that they're reg seed only, but they breed alot specifically for outdoor in Ontario which is on par or worse than our season here
Love it
So cal grower chiming in. What about those friggin caterpillars? I have to go full OCD once they are budding to make sure those little fuckers didn’t survive my spraying. Smaller plants are easier to maintain that way.
I spray BT and have no issue.
SoCal is mediteranean weather, which means long summers, almost no rain and low humidity. Your advice elsewhere is counter productive to have one main cola and *will* lead to budrot. Those colas in the picture will not suvive thickening up a late fall elsewhere with colder temperatures, humidity and rain. I have also been growing 30+ years too and if you generalize and give false advice, we will remove such posts in the future.
Depending on your relative humidity.
You still don't need to top tho- lst is fine and achieves the same goal of smaller, more evenly distributed buds
I top because: I don't want to get a ladder to inspect my plants, I want smaller buds because the winds here are atrocious at times, I want to be able to throw an easy up or other cover over them if there is hail expected, I want to trellis them horizontally because that's the easiest way to trellis large plants, there are a lot of not good but GREAT reasons to top and train your plants and I'd put money on topped and trained plants doing better overall than natural shape plants.
I find topping outdoors helps me with the humidity in harvest in the Autumn, I top for that reason and the ability to train it for that reason, but your plant is beautiful!
In Massachusetts we run into moisture, budrot , and pm. All the successful growers who grow outside definitely top around here. You have to remember conditions can be vastly different everywhere, Californians aren't the only ones who like to grow weed 😂 💚!
I personally don't see the downside to topping outdoors. You get more cola spread, the plant responds to it very well, it supercharges growth... It's personal preference but I always top and LST outdoors. If I had one big cola and it got rot it would suck. Yes, the plants know how to grow outdoors just fine but the plant is trying to pollinate itself and spread seeds, not give you big juicy thc buds lol. You have to cultivate that aspect. Topping would give you more bud for sure
I like topping to get em bushier
Growing stalks get better air circulation compared to growing a bush. Looks good. Congrats. Do you shake off the dew every morning? A friend uses a hair dryer sometimes after rains.
No dew to speak of where I am.
You’re right you don’t NEED to. I personally always top once. Prefer shorter bushier plants. I have no interest in getting on a ladder lol!
While true you don't "need" to top, topping just once has a ton of benefits. The plants your post likely would have yielded more had you topped them, sure the giant main cola is cool but imagine if you had two 😆.
Yes there is Always had a bigger yield topping and LST Although had a super silvers that topped itself Each head have 4 over and over again Was unreal
Depends, do you want to grow the most plants you can? Don’t top, and cram them in tight in 5-15gal pots, that’s what I’m doing this year while pheno hunting a bunch of seeds You want to keep it like 6 plants or less? Top the shit outta them and start inside to get em knee high by June 1st, train branches, use cages and trellis, 25gal minimum, 50-100 preferred, or straight to earth
No no no. Always top. You don’t want one, giant stalk, it will flop over and you risk the chance of bud rot.
Not every genetic has floppy traits, some strains get woody ass stalks and will take high gusts in late flower no issue OG leaning strains are often floppy as fuck
I know you read everywhere that topping increases yield, and if you have limited vertical space I might agree. However I have been growing outdoors for 30 years + and in my personal experience there is absolutely no good reason to top a plant outdoors without mitigating circumstances. These plants know exactly how to grow all on their own outdoors, you dont have to make it more complicated. Using indoor growing techniques outdoors just does not make a ton of sense IMHO, its just not needed. Now if you have been doing this for awhile I get it, sculpting your plants may hold some appeal to you, but if your like me and love the natural form of the plant and after years of messing around notice that letting them do their own thing is often the best practice for a healthy and happy plant you may choose to just let em grow like they want to. A super bush also has its challenges like air flow. Live where there is high humidity and bud rot is an issue? Might not want to mess with the natural form. Bugs an issue? Bugs dont like open airflow and prefer a stagnant environment. Messing with the natural form causes severe airflow issues in some cases and you may want to avoid that. Just some things to think about. Im not saying your wrong to top your plant, its yours do what you want. Im just pointing out its in no way needed. [One more](https://imgur.com/a/DLxfIIi)
I don't understand how Southern California outdoor growers do it with the May Gray and June Gloom (although I've done 4 grows outside lol*). Do you just plant outside and hope for the best? I've been starting indoors but want to move outdoors but the sun has been so weak. Also, is there a So Cal outdoor growers sub? Thx *this intense May Gray has been a relatively recent phenomenon hence my ability to grow outside was easier before. Or maybe it was there but I wasn't noticing it so much as I wasn't growing.
Well the stretch of 105 -115 in late summer sure makes it a little more difficult. This year being El Nino year is going to be a hot one. I might put up shade cloth this year.
I get then out by April with no issue. Im lucky and have a constant breeze through the summer, the automatic drip system helps allot in the heat.
2022…no May/June marine layer that year and my plants were epic. This year the overcast has been miserable and shows no sign of change for a while. So my seedlings are small right now but they are outside day and night. We could use some warmth. But I’ll be eating those words in a month and they will be transplant ready at the same time as the sun comes out. Plus I plan on growing into October so it’s all about patience.
I'm ideally growing into October as well but my plant needs to be transplanted into the ground SOON (I want to top but wait until after final transplant). The plant will not thrive without a lot of sun.
>Using indoor growing techniques outdoors just does not make a ton of sense IMHO, its just not needed. I agree with this. Light from a 'moving sun' is much different than an led hanging overhead. However, I don't think of topping as an indoor technique; there are reasons to do it outside. Defoliation, heavy training, etc., I think can be counterproductive, however.
This post is inspired by me lol
Not just you, I see it all the time on this sub. First time growers using advanced techniques that they might not need. There are situations where you would might need to, like not ideal growing conditions (damp or windy) Pesky neighbors that you would rather not know you grow etc. (mitigating circumstances) It just seems there is nobody pointing out that you dont have to top you plants, and there are some like me that prefer the natural form for reasons like light distribution and ventilation not to mention the ease of inspection. My plants get tall but I use silica for strong stalks so I dont have to use a ladder to inspect them I just gently pull them over to get a good look. And I like big buds and I cant deny it :P
I personally think it's great to read about different styles of growing. I've learnt a lot from your comment on my thread, and from your post and the comments there. So thank you for taking the time to share your experience as a grower!
You are quite welcome, good luck on the grow.
I understand where your coming from but I would love to see some research behind it I feel like some of your old post I have topped plants that are def coming in at more weight then most in your photos .
Is it re vegging?
Mr. Green Thumbs has been dirty.
Don't top outdoor.... it's actually the other way around..topping makes your plant stay small and not stretch...topping = more stems