When To Top Dress Your Soil. Growers need to top dress their soil in early spring, before the start of the growing season, because it takes the microbes a while to break down organic matter and release nutrients.
As a regular course of action, topdressing every two years is a good rule. The best season is at the beginning of the growing season. Usually this is the beginning of spring for most plants, but some are late starters and late spring is fine.
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.
Top dressing a lawn is best done during the growing season which is when your lawn is getting mown weekly, typically this is during late Spring/early Summer. Top dressing a lawn should only be done when the grass is actively growing.
If you top them too early, you risk stunting their growth. Consider your light: If you're growing in an indoor grow space, and light leaks are a problem, consider topping your plants early. There are a few different ways to tackle light leaks, but topping is the most reliable solution.
Topping too early or while the plant is showing signs of damage or disease could seriously harm it. Generally, your plants will be sturdy enough to begin topping when: The plant is at least 30-days old. The plant has developed 4-7 nodes.
We recommend topping to the 4th, 5th, or 6th, node. When you top the plants, you are completely removing the upper growth. No new growth will develop from the growth tip that has been cut. This allows the lower lateral growth to assume the dominance.
Spread top dressing over lawn to a depth of ¼ to ½ inch. It is okay to fill in holes, especially if you have poor soil. Lightly brush the grass with the backside of a rake. The object is to get as much top dressing touching the soil as possible.
When to topdress your lawn. Topdress your lawn while it's actively growing. If you have a cool-season grass type, topdress in late fall. If you have a warm-season grass type, topdress in late spring.
WHEN SHOULD I STOP USING RECHARGE? It is not harmful, but most folks stop using Recharge in week 5 or 6 of flower.
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.
Ending Nutrient Cycle / Flushing
To prevent harsh tastes and unsavoury chemicals making their way into your stash, you can simply stop feeding any nutrients in the last 1.5–2 weeks of flowering. If you are growing hydroponically, you shouldn't stop feeding until the last five days as they will be growing in water only.
You should apply fertiliser to your lawn prior to top dressing. This will encourage grass growth and allow your lawn to gain the maximum benefits from top dressing. Aim to fertilise several weeks prior to the application of your top dressing mix.
FAQ About Topdressing
It's optional, but yes, you can fertilize before topdressing a lawn. If you decide to aerate, the fertilizer should be put down after you aerate and before you place the topdressing material. This extra fertilizer boost will help increase the turf's growth and health.
The disadvantages of top dressing include the struggle of applying nitrogen at the correct time and potential for increased nitrogen losses. Although top dressing is a quick job to complete, it often needs to be completed when growers are busy finishing seeding or starting in-crop herbicide.
Be sure to mow your lawn the day before applying the top dressing and rake up and remove any debris to allow the nutrients to effectively penetrate into the soil.
'Gradually add no more than a layer ½in thick, so the grass can grow though it and form roots at a higher level,' continues Steve Bradley. 'If the top dressing is too deep the grass beneath will die off and leave a bare patch where weeds can establish.
The nitrogenous fertilizers are normally applied closely in crops like paddy and wheat, with the objective of supplying nitrogen in readily available form to growing plants. This kind of application of nitrogen fertilizer is known as top dressing.
Leave it a week to 10 days before mowing, and after a few weeks you will notice a much healthier lawn.
This stress is only heightened for a plant that goes through topping. However, the light shift and the beginning of flowering is one of the most stressful times for any plant. Considering this, the majority of growers will tell you to wait 1–2 weeks between the end of topping and the beginning of flowering.
Pre Flowering Stage. Most Cannabis plants will become developmentally mature when they reach 14”-20” in height, or 8 to 10 nodes of growth.
Only top before flowering
Even better is waiting 1 week, and then making the switch. If you have an autoflower, make sure to only top it if it flowers in 4+ weeks, or it will not have time to recover.