HELP! Save me from myself!

[DeadlyFruit]

I am so pissed at myself! I created a problem and I am hoping someone has a creative solution that will help minimize the damage.


I have my summer crop (4 photos) under lights getting them bulked up before hardening them and putting them outside for the summer. I intended to manifold two of them and let the other two grow naturally. I made the first cut on the two plants that are being manifolded, topping them in the usual way, just above the 3rd node after the sixth node was just starting to show. I follow the GWE method of manifolding mainly. I haven’t yet made the second cut. I trimmed the growth points below the third node but not yet the fan leaves. I am growing in coco with GHE nutrients under 600w HPS. The plants are growing pretty vigorously. I have a couple clones from the 2 manifolded plants (just for experimenting with clones and because I can never bring myself to toss a healthy top). I hadn’t originally intended to grow the clones to full size - they are much smaller than their mothers so far but I could use them as a plan B if I had to.

The problem.... I managed to snap one of the two main sides branches on one of the topped plants shortly after the first topping, so the only growth still attached to the plant is from the opposite side of the node. I thought I could tape the broken limb to rescue it but it broke so close to a growth node it was hard to work with and eventually broke off completely. I still taped it hoping for a miracle but the branch is well and truly F’d up and definitely dead.

What I am hoping is someone has found an alternative way to train a plant with this problem in order to minimize the damage. As it stands now I will get a half crop from it because of where it snapped but maybe someone has tried a manifold setup that could be started from just one side of the main stem. Maybe we are about to discover the secret to giant nugs! I might have tried manifolding from the second node instead of the third but I’d already cut off the growth on the second set of leaves. If rescuing the plant isn’t worth it I could try to speed along one of the small clones to take its place (our max allowed is 4 plants) but I am still hoping to be able to do something with the much larger damaged plant.

All suggestions welcome!

[Catfish22]

Can you top it again?

[DeadlyFruit]

Hi Catfish22 , yes I could top it again if I thought it would help. The main plant looks very healthy, it is just missing that first main branch on one side so it it is very lopsided. Unfortunately I had already cleaned off the growth points below that first cut so any future topping would have to be only on that second side. It would look very lopsided (even more so) but I would be able to increase the number of colas that way to a more normal number. Any thoughts on where/ when to do that alternate topping? I assume as quickly as possible is the likely answer, to avoid any more delay but don’t know if you’ve tried it any specific way?

[Catfish22]

I'm not sure about where to top it. I just thought it may be an option.
There are others here who can give much better advice than I on that question.

[Floopydoop]

Cut the one remaining stem off the plant with diagonal cut, dip in rooting hormone, clone, and pray?

Sounds shitty man, sorry.

[DeadlyFruit]

Hi Floopydoop I actually rooted the top I cut off when I topped it so I have a clone as my plan B, I was just hoping someone tried an alternative approach using the existing plant because it is so much bigger than the clone.

[alltatup]

Shoot, I've broken a few branches off in the process of learning the mainline game!!! I'd grow out what's left, and hope for giant buds. Someone in the forum recently grew a single cola plant and produced 3 oz from it!!! So I wouldn't be afraid of turning what's left into two or four colas and letting her go. They should be super strong colas without competition from the other side.

Can you show us a picture, pretty please?

[DeadlyFruit]

Hi alltatup that approach is what I have on the go now, which is just to let the remainder grow out. I thought I may top it once or twice more and just leave it under the lights for a bit longer than the other plants to see if I can help it along before putting it outside.

[DeadlyFruit]

alltatup here she is. Basically, half the plant is gone. I am going to start using the heavier rubber plant ties as the twist tie style can be too sharp clearly. I left the room with it tied down fine but the movement of the fan must have flexed it enough that it snapped. Now it is a sad withered limb hanging from my effort at first aid (which normally works great). In behind are the plants I am going to leave natural and the solo cup in front is a clone from the first topping.

[DeadlyFruit]

Here’s hoping with the rapid regrowth. Thanks!

[alltatup]

Catfish22 The stump is dead. There won't be any regrowth there.

[alltatup]

You may have an incredibly strong cola there!!! Makes me want to try the single cola grow!!!

[dphipps1020]

I'm a little late to the party, but I've done this before too. I topped the remaining branch and trained it like it was still normal. It starts off looking really lopsided, but as it grows that should go away somewhat depending on how you do the training. You probably already did what you needed to, but I thought I'd throw a reply in there anyway.

[TOKABIGONE]

Unfortunately I'm a bit late too but a wild thought occurred to me as I read something about grafting yesterday. What if you had grafted a branch from it's clone onto the stem below the break? I believe hemp to be graftable (spell ck doesn't like that word but you get the idea). Certainly no issue with rejection. Think I'll do a google search.

[dphipps1020]

It's possible to graft a new branch onto the snapped one, but it may take a while for it to connect and then a little longer to start growing. I believe that may make it a not-so-fast solution to the issue. If he was to top above the second node and tie the 4 remaining branches down it would basically turn into the quadlining technique some of us use and it will cut the recovery/growth time down too.

[TOKABIGONE]

In retrospect that may be why we don't graft annual plants, lol! However lets say you have a sturdy plant with a great root stock you want to preserve for it's heat tolerance but want to grow another strain not so you could graft that onto your root.. ??? I'm gonna go see what was in that bowl I hit awhile ago.................

[JDU]

I say Nxt time you break a branch leave it be. I never use low stress training. I snap each n every branch as I pull it down to tie down. Last grow I accidentally broke a cola while defoliating- it was hanging on but broken half off just hanging there. I cursed my luck- left it like it was & it finished off perfectly right along with the rest of the plant.

[alltatup]

I must politely disagree with JDU My experience: If the branch remains attached, I can always repair it with medical adhesive tape wound tight to keep the branch in its original place.

Now that's different from super-cropping, where the exterior of the branch is intact, with no exterior break.

[JDU]

You are correct alltatup I used to tape them up too if the outer skin broke open. I'm only saying that it isn't always necessary. I do try to keep the branches intact when I train them but I supercrop or high stress train rather than LST by carefully bending & i don't worry if the break is external.

[alltatup]

JDU I prolly tend to over-worry when I super-crop, etc., so I keep the adhesive tape handy! ;-}

[JDU]

Not a damn thing wrong with that!! 😎

[DeadlyFruit]

Hi Gang, thanks so much for all of the additional feedback (sorry, I was away travelling for a bit taking advantage of being fully vaccinated). It may be too late to take advantage of some options but they are good to know for next time. The splicing with tape usually works for me but in this case with a complete cut in an awkward place it just didn’t take. The plant is outside now and doing very well, albeit lopsided. I may have tried a quad line but it’s too late. The remaining half is growing tall as if it were not topped. The plant (all four of them actually) have started to flower, which is strange given they get over 15 hours of daylight where we are and nearly to the longest day of the year, much of it direct. I suspect it is because I picked house brands of plants with short bloom times and they probably back crossed them with autos to shorten the time and now they are all prone to going auto. Just speculation. Maybe as well because of extended time under a light at 18/6 straight to outside with about 15/9 (with a bit of minor plant hardening over a few days). Aside from all of that they all look pretty good. One plant is manifolded, one lopsided and two are just natural with a bit of LST. Quite the fun bunch!! 🙂

[DeadlyFruit]

The gang is below. Front right is the lopsided lady, back two are au natural and front left is the manifold.

[Ckbrew]

Don't worry, be happy. It is still in veg. I would just start over with re-topping the remaining branch and continue your manifold from that. Cut it, tie it, bend it, break it, be mean to it. Make it conform to your desires.It is a weed after all...

[DeadlyFruit]

I think I fall somewhere in the middle. When my plants are indoor I manifold but only super-crop as a repair technique, although I have read others do it intentionally to trigger the reaction they want with some success but I haven’t done it methodically. I have to admit to feeling somewhat badly when I top them but not bad enough that it stops me from doing it 🙂. When I’m outside I have been evolving more towards leaving them in their natural state. There is something stronger and more vibrant looking about the plant when they grow in their own way (with the assistance of nutes and some love). There is a closet hippy in me somewhere. Thank you both for your thoughts!

[alltatup]

Ckbrew I do the same things that you do. Sorry if I sounded all snooty about attitude. ;-}

[Ckbrew]

No problem alltatup Don;t worry, be happy.