increase side branching

Salutations,

Topping: is good if your wanting to create a new Mother plant..

Pinching: is used to prevent upward growth from the top of the plants main stem (trunk) that would normally produce a single large cola and leave the plant to produce 2 or more smaller cola's that will be created on the branches. This method also promotes side branches to grow faster, since the growing tip was removed.

So, if one wanted to limit the height of any plant in their grow, they could pinch the growing tip off the top of the plant which will promote a shorter bushier plant much like a hedge in your yard. Keep in mind that each branches growing tips can be pinched as well giving way to a much bushier plant in the end.

The downsides to these methods of training are they all produce many smaller buds although, you might get tenfold the amount come harvest. The days of the single large cola at the top of the plant are gone when these methods are practiced.

Have a Great day and don't forget to call your Mothers and wish them a Happy Day
don

They are basically the same thing just one damages structures through mashing them and one removes it completely but there are other ways of doing it as well as all you are really doing is stopping a hormone from traveling down by gravity and it's not always the best thing to do? Peace, Steve

am i correct in saying that with pinching you pinch off 100% of the growing tip and with fimming with cut off about 75% of it? i've read that fimming is the better approach to take. i dont see how cutting 75% off instead of 100% off would make such an improvement. unless im completely mixed up. sorry never trained my plants before.

Good morning,

What is your goal??

If you only want to create a shorter bushier plant, then remove the growing tip completely..

Too further confuse you, as each lower lateral branch grows out, there growing tips could be pinched off as well in the same manner, this will produce an even bushier plant.

I love it when people make more out of something then it really is. Its simple, pinch off the very top growing tip and walk away, your done. FIM'ing just means I need a magnifying glass to see that it had been done correctly. Pinching is just so much easier.

Separate the uppermost nodes growth (the alternated leaves) to find the clumped bit of new growth emerging from the top of the plant and grab it with your index finger and thumb, squeeze tightly and brake off. Then walk away, the plant will take care of it from there.

Have a Great day
don

If your feeding your standard grow nutrient try bringing up your p-k. I balance my n-p-k ratios, plants became much bushier after I started mixing my grows with blooms a few years back, been doing it ever since. Ill mix the two or ill introduce some bat bloom guano to there diet. Not only does more branching become evident, a bigger sturdier root structure does as well.

So the end result of pinching (removing 100% of the growing tip) and FIMing (removing 80% of the growing tip) is the same? Why are the hype about FIMing?

I think because FIM'in is harder to get right hence more of a challenge while Pinching is pretty straight forward and you won't mess it up. Thats my take. For me in the end, i'd rather pinch if i'm only creating a shorter bushier plant because thats what we did back in the day. Topping for the Mother clone which ultimately does the same thing as pinching in the long run. The differnce being, I get a cutting instead of clump of foliage nothing can be done with.

I think it is flabbergasting when two growers, in two separate rooms, with the same beans, light, ventilation, temperature, humidity, pH and moisture content will come up with two totally different plants. Now take one of the growers to fully tweak the plant. The difference exceeds night and day. Such is true.

Side branch increase, IMVHO, is best achieved with low stress training (LST) because this bends the plant to a 90 degree angle proper for light to enhance growth of new colas. Further colas are created by the bending of the new ones until no available space is left.

Once there...welcome to the : "Monster Plant!"