When should I start topping my plants?

Author: Miss Susanna Armstrong  |  Last update: Wednesday, March 26, 2025

If you top the plant too early, it will have a hard time recovering. It may seem like a good idea, but you will get the best results and fastest recovery if you wait until the plant has 4-5 nodes. Wait Until Plant Has At Least 4-5+ Nodes – Topping a Too-Young Seedling Can Slow Down Growth.

How tall should a plant be before topping?

It's essential that you are topping your pepper plants early enough in the season that they have time to set new fruit and ripen it before the fall frost arrives. If you wait too long, their growth will be stunted. A good rule of thumb is to top your pepper plants when they are 6-8'' tall.

What happens if you top too early?

Topping too early can stress a young cannabis plant, stunting its growth, while topping too late can reduce the time the plant has to recover and produce lots of colas. The goal is to top your plants at a point where they can recover quickly and continue to thrive.

When should I start covering my plants?

Starting in mid to late September, it is beneficial to watch the forecast and take note of forecasted low overnight temperatures. Once temperatures dip to the mid-30s °F, it will be necessary to take action by bringing plants indoors, covering plants, or utilizing cold frames and hoop tunnels.

How many nodes before topping?

It is recommended that you wait until your plants have at least four nodes before topping them, and most growers recommend topping the plant above the sixth node. Nodes are the part of a plant that connects new stem offshoots with older growth, which can form a branch, a leaf, or in the case of cannabis plants, a bud.

How and Where to Top a Cannabis Plant

Does topping actually increase yield?

How do topping and training benefit plants? Topping's main benefit is increased lateral growth that sets your plants up for higher yields. Fueled by redirected growth hormones, lateral branches rush to catch up with vertical growth. As side branches grow, branches that would have been shaded receive more light.

Do I cut above or below a node?

Using a sharp knife (or pruners) cut just below where a leaf attaches to the stem (the node). Roots grow easiest from this location. If you leave a section of stem below the node, it often rots. Remove the lower leaves but leave the top two or three.

When should you start topping your plants?

Therefore you want to top plants when that plant is at its healthiest – giving it additional energy into changing from growing vertically into growing laterally. That also means that soil health needs to be ideal as topping increases the growing demands for the plant.

Should I cover my tomatoes at 40 degrees?

So when temperatures start dipping below 50º F, leave the tomatoes on the vine if warmer days and nights are forecast. But if temperatures have started on a steady downward slide, go ahead and pick the mature green tomatoes and bring them indoors.

Can I cover plants with garbage bags for one night?

If you're looking for tips for protecting your plants from frost, avoid using garbage bags as plant covers. Trash bags are not the best protection against frost damage, primarily due to their material. Most garbage bags are made out of low-density polyethylene plastic.

How long does it take for plants to recover from topping?

2. Healthy plants usually take 2-3 days to recover from topping. After topping, do not remove the leaves from that node as these are needed to power growth of the branches from that node. Never top during flowering as it causes too much stress – which slows growth and inhibits yield.

What node should I top at?

When Is The Right Time To Top Cannabis? The best time to top your cannabis plant is after the 6th node appears (a node is a pair of branches + leaves that grow 90 degrees from each other). This means you will have 5 formed nodes, and the 6th still pointing upwards.

How many nodes before flowering?

Most growers would advise to wait until your plants has a minimum of 4 cannabis nodes. Many prefer to wait until their plant has 6 nodes before topping their plants.

Can you top a plant too late?

If you top the plant too early, it may no longer flower and cause stunted growth. If you top it too late, it may not grow correctly again.

What to do when your plant gets too tall?

Once it's taller than the window the growing part of the plant won't have enough light. It's time to cut off the top and root it, making a new, shorter plant.

When to start low stress training?

You can start low-stress training at any point in the vegetative state, but the later you start, the less dramatic your results will be. Ideally, start low-stress training the moment your plant's stems and shoots are long enough to tie down. They should be sturdy enough to endure manipulation without being harmed.

Is 55 at night too cold for tomatoes?

How Cold Can Tomatoes Tolerate? Tomato seeds won't germinate when the soil temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Tomato seedlings suffer cold damage in temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Some tomato varieties are bred to be more cold-tolerant and can set fruit when it's below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can peppers survive 40 degrees?

So will peppers survive 40 degrees? To sum it up, most peppers won't necessarily DIE from 40˚ F temperatures, but their growth can be stunted, and they may be slow to recover so it's best to keep them warm if possible.

Can cucumbers survive 40 degree nights?

Cucurbit family temperature tolerances

They can tolerate some heat but will become stressed if temperatures exceed 95°F (35°C). Cucumbers can also be damaged by frost and temperatures below 50°F (10°C).

Does topping increase yield?

Some producers perform either topping or fimming to trigger the production of axillary shoots, which will enhance the number of flowers per plants and thus increase the yield of the cannabis plants. Topping or fimming is generally performed after the cuttings have been transferred to rooting media for two weeks.

Where do you cut when topping a plant?

Most plants naturally only have one main stem. The idea of “topping” is to cut off the top of a main stem to split it into two. The two growth tips that remain will each develop into their own stem.

How to count nodes on a plant?

To get an accurate count of total nodes, it is necessary to start at the first true leaf node above the cotyledons (node 1) and count upward until reaching the uppermost unfurled leaf.

When should you not trim bushes?

Do not prune deciduous shrubs in late summer. Pruning shrubs in August or early September may encourage a late flush of growth. This new growth may not harden sufficiently before the arrival of cold weather and be susceptible to winter injury.

What is one of the most common mistakes in plant propagation?

Inadequate Moisture: Cuttings need to be kept moist, but not waterlogged. Overwatering can lead to rot, while under-watering can cause the cutting to dry out and die. Use a spray bottle to mist the cuttings regularly with fresh clean and ensure the soil is consistently moist but well-drained.

Can you put cuttings straight into soil?

Plant the Cutting in the Soil

Carefully plant the cutting in the hole you made in the potting mix, and gently tamp the soil around it. You can fit several cuttings into one container, but space them so the leaves do not touch one another.

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