What is the difference between fimming and topping

Grab part of the stem you would like to remove. Now Pinch the stem off close to the stalk. Now the stem is removed. Really easy! If there are taller branches remove some leaves to bring up the lower ones or some hidden from the light. Also it will start to be a daily chore to keep the canopy even. It becomes a competition between the stems. The main benefits of topping or fiming your marijuana plants is that it will help produce more main colas on the plants. When animal chew on plants in the wild.

You are able to mold the plant to your liking just like a bonsai tree. When the hormone is induced by trimming or cutting of stems it induces shoots apical dominance in the axillary buds. Branches will start to grow towards the light. Also root growth is slowed to put more energy into the growth of the stems. Auxin may also induce cell differentiation and regeneration of vascular tissues.

As per Wikipedia. When fimming or topping cannabis plants this will definitely get you some bigger colas and possibly more if done correctly. Thanks for the info. Sup mate. I got too happy with the blade and now just have the new growth from one of the split colas after 1st top. Basically a half node plant. As the auxins move downward through the plant, they inhibit the growth of lateral tips. However, they don't travel very far within the plant, so as the plant gets taller, the lower branches are not as affected by the auxins so they can start developing flat and broad.

As the cannabis plant gets bigger, the lower branches start to grow wider and broader, but the growth of the top branches is still inhibited by the release of auxins, hence the Christmas tree shape. By cutting off the apex, you remove the production source for the auxins and in so doing, you stop the auxins from travelling downward throughout the plant and preventing that lateral growth.

Breaking the apical dominance can allow your lateral branches to develop so that you can better train your plant using techniques like manifolding and mainlining. If you look down at your plant directly, you will see the top central branch, or apex, which is to be cut. The image below shows what the top looks like before you cut, and the new main branches that are revealed after. Pro Tip: You should never top a plant that is struggling.

If your plants struggle early, and you top it, it can cause irreversible stress to the plant. This is a technique you want to use when your plant is in its third or fourth week of vegetative growth, when it has nodes or sets of branches. Some growers go as early as nodes or sets of branches while others advocate waiting until nodes have developed. Waiting until nodes will allow the cannabis plant to recover faster since it has a bigger photosynthesis area as it has more leaves.

Never top your plant when it is flowering because this phase alters how the plant grows. Things like nutrient requirements and the way energy is focused change, and if you top the plant now, you can reduce yield.

Because it will force the plant to use its energy to repair the cuts rather than develop the buds. If you've done it successfully, the plant will grow larger lateral branches, instead of just one large central branch. With some strains, where you would otherwise get 25 grams in a large main cola, you might use topping and instead get only 10 grams in each cola.

You do run the risk of reducing your yield a bit with topping, depending on the strain. This is determined by the genetics of the strain you are using. So, do some extra research or basic trial and error to see how your specific strain responds.

We do fimming for the same reason as topping: to stop the production of auxins and control the apical dominance. Your overall goal is to get more lateral branch growth on your cannabis so you don't end up with the Christmas tree shape and a single cola. By cutting off the very tip of the central top branch, which is known as the centre or the centre apex, you are forcing your plant to not only put more energy into the nodes that are growing outward rather than the central branch growing upward, but you are limiting the hormone production that would impede this outward development at the same time.

Now, with fimming, you don't have as many concerns as with topping. The strain matters less here because you are not drastically removing an entire node, but rather, trimming the leaves to achieve the same energy disbursement on the lateral branches.

Timing is still important. When you are fimming your cannabis, you never want to do it after the plant has flowered. Much like topping, you can encourage the plant to force more energy into its outward growth if you fim it before the flowering stage. Topping: Topping is the act of cutting off the newest growth — or terminal bud — at the tip of the main stem. If done correctly, it results in the pruned single stem growing into two new stalks with two colas. Since growth hormone is normally focused on the central bud — also known as the apical bud — its removal also allows the resulting rush of growth hormone to be spread around the entire plant, promoting healthy growth from bottom to top.

Timing and placement of the cut are key to successful topping. It should always be done in the vegetative state, ideally after a plant has reached around a foot in height. It can be tempting to cut earlier, but patience is paid off with healthier buds and better yields. The placement of the cut should be directly on the main stem, just below the newest growth. A clean cut is best, and the scissors or blade used should always be sterilized.

But once the plant has stabilized and the new stalks are established , the topping process can be repeated over and over , potentially producing enormous yields. Fimming : Moving a topping cut up slightly so that it cuts above the main stem is called fimming. Instead of turning the main stem into two new offshoots, fimming will result in four or more shoots emerging from the site of the cut.

Fimming requires less precision than topping, and it can even be done by ripping the top growth off with the fingernails — although a clean tool is still ideal. As with topping, the removal of the central growth will cause a rush of hormones to be distributed more evenly around the entire plant, benefiting the buds at the sides in addition to the new growth at the top.

And just like topping , a couple of weeks of recovery should be observed to ensure the plant has time to shake the shock off before any further training is done.

Larger yields and higher quality are the goals for all cannabis crops, from the largest industrial farms to the smallest home gardens.