trim leaves

[1EZ]

This is my 5th grow and it is the best so far, autoflower original jack herer, in a 2 gallon pot.
The grow is going into 3rd week starting tomorrow, they is putting on their 4th set of real leaves, and I want to start training them.
Can I, or should I cut the bottom single leaf off ?
All I want to do is LST, but I have also read that I do not want too many bud sites, any help I can get will be greatly appreciated.

[AGH]

Before I put in my two cents, a word of caution: any defoliation of an autoflower comes with a bigger risk than defoliation (trimming) for photoperiods. This is because they will transition into the flowering stage based on age as opposed to light schedule so you have a very limited time in which they can recover from the stress of defoliation. This means that if they don't fully recover from the stress before they start automatically flowering, they may be stunted and yields may be reduced. With photoperiods, you can keep them in veg for as long as you want/need for recovery before switching to a flowering light cycle of 12/12. (all of which you probably already know, but putting it here for the good of any newbies that might not know.)

Now to answer: If you're going to train autos, it sounds like they're at the right size AS LONG AS they are vigorous and healthy. If they show any signs of stress, aren't growing vigorously with a beautiful color or the environment isn't perfectly dialed in, any topping or defoliating is not recommended. You refer to the bottom leaves. Are you referring to the very first round leaves (the cotyledons) or the first 'real' leaves? And what is the thought of removing the lower leaves? In training, you would remove the top node or two so that you break the apical dominance and get multiple 'top' colas and the plant grows in more of a tabletop manner instead of its natural pine tree shape. Removing bottom leaves won't help that at all.

The time you would want to remove lower leaves is if they're spent towards the end of the growing cycle, if they're not getting light, or if you're purposely defoliating to send energy to buds, etc. If the lower leaves are still getting light and they aren't yellowed/wilted there's really no reason to remove them. Even those original rounded leaves are fine to leave as they usually dry up and fall off on their own.

And not sure why you wouldn't want too many bud sites since more bud sites = higher yield (disclaimer: to a point) but that requires more time to recover in the veg stage which with autos you don't have. That's why, generally, topping isn't recommended for autoflowers. HOWEVER! Nebula wrote a f**king awesome article about training autoflowers: https://www.growweedeasy.com/how-to-...annabis-strain and she walks you through everything in perfect detail. Give that a read and you'll have a pretty good grasp on training autos along with the risks and potential benefits from doing it.

Lastly, any training that you do should definitely be low stress so that your plant has time to recover during the limited time in veg that it has. Unless you're feeling like taking a calculated risk and you're okay with a potentially stunted plant or lower yields, stick with just bending the plant over to one side and tying it down along with the secondary branches to help form a tabletop shape. If you feel like being wild, try topping it below the 4th or 5th node in conjunction with bending/tying since that combines some more aggressive training (topping) along with less stressful training (bending/tying).

Keep us posted with what you do and how it goes! Looking forward to the updates and good luck!

[ZigZag]

I just started an auto grow too and didn’t see Nebulas training for autos tutorial until after I topped 4 of the 8. I’m hoping I’m wrong but it looks like I might have waited a few days too long for one or two of them. The apex divided well on two of them, One hasn’t really divided at all and one looks more ruderalis than cannabis. Going to switch to flowering nutrients in a few days and hope they start to stretch soon as all except one are 12” or less. Going to be LST only for the remainder. Thanks for your post.

[SoOrbudgal]

Post some pics

[1EZ]

Thanks for your reply. I read that if you have more than around 8 bud sites that you you could get small buds, I already have those.
I have read Nebulas article before and have it ear marked.
I will put my scissors away, and try to send pics the next time I water.
Thanks again for all the help that I receive on this forum, and everything that I learn from Nebula and Sirius.

[AGH]

The more bud sites you have, you are correct, the smaller they will be. However the yield will be more so it's really just what you're looking to achieve which is what's so great about home growing! If you want 8 mondo sized colas, stick with that and if you are okay not having seed bank magazine sized colas but prefer a higher yield, that's cool too! As home growers, we're super lucky that we get to choose what outcomes we want and we can play around without worrying about our cannabis being a cash crop!

[1EZ]

Here is my grow set up.
DYNA-GROW(grow)-1 tsp/gal
General Hydroponics CaliMagic- 1 tsp/gal
General Hydroponics PH UP- as needed

My grow setup is:
2x2x4 tent
HLG100 lights about 14" up
Exhaust fan
Temp and humidity sensors
Humidifier and Dehumidifier
Fans (for air movement)
seed mat for warmth
Apera PH20 tester

I try to keep the temp between 72-81 fahrenheit,above 65 at dark.
and the humidity at this time between 40-54.

Day 18
I just watered and the one plant wants to lay over, so I put popsicle sticks to hold it up straight.
8 cups with 25% run off.

[SoOrbudgal]

Yes the leaf touching the soil yes i do trim those off that's about all for now i would do., good looking plants

[Going2fast]

Your plants look fine. Lots of misinformation on here regarding autos. Let me share what I've learned. DO NOT top and auto. Can you...yes. Should you... under no circumstances. Why slow down your plants for no reason? You're not going to increase yields in fact you will achieve the opposite. No benefits whatsoever to topping an auto. Lst is your friend. Just pull her top down slowly and the side branches will speed up growth and give you an even canopy without stunting your plant.
you want as many bud sites as you can muster. Better to have many medium sized nugs than a few large ones. Don't trim an auto in veg. Tuck the big fans out of the way. You will have to do this daily. Like topping there is no benefit only consequence. Wait till she starts flowering then you can remove a few at a time in order to open up the budsites and increase airflow.
try to get your humidity up to 60-70 for veg. 14" is kind of close for the light in veg stage. I run mine 24 to 36" but some can tolerate them closer.
Good luck they look off to a good start.