8 Headed Mainlining

[tsmith]

These (5) GG-4 plants are about 18 inches tall off the soil. My question is do I allow the new growth nodes below the main to remain or trim them off as shown by the arrow? They seem to be growing at every node opportunity. I’ve followed Nugbuckets tutorial but it’s not mentioned.

[Bluey]

When you top don't cut the growth nodes, just the main trunk..and cut it just below the node above the node you are manifolding, so leave a big piece of trunk on.

so cut on the red line if you want to manifold the node at your arrow

[changeofpace2014]

You can cut a little closer, but as Bluey pointed out, leave some main stalk above the cut, if not it will most likely split if you do not.

[SoOrbudgal]

Are topping or going to mainline these? tsmith

[AGH]

There are two answers to this question depending on what stage in the mainline/manifold process you're in. If you're setting up the manifold, then everything that isn't part of the main manifold should be removed. If you've already got the manifold structure formed, then leaving the secondary branches is up to you.

I did a manifold for my last Blue Dream grow and it was really fun to do!

[tsmith]

This is just my 2nd post(reply). Thank you for the feedback. I'm bad........I didn't make it clear what I was asking. My (5) plants have been mainlined and manifolded as shown in these new photos. Also, my top view of one plant w/ 8 tops. Back to my question: Do you prune out the new branches growing out of the lower nodes because they're growing like crazy. Thx

[Bluey]

Refer back to the tutorial. It states which nodes to keep and which ones to remove...it is clear but you may have missed it. Read it a few times

[Gavin]

You have done a great job. I would tie the shoots down and tie them to the outer edge of the ring, open the canopy up, let more light in, but I would not prun any more, just flip it over to flower.
in the stretch, the plant could double in height, if you have any bamboo, sticks, you can open the canopy more every few 2 days,( stretch starts day 7- 21+ after the flip)

[PRIMO]

Is there a right and wrong way? For me I think it's how many cylinders my O.C.D. is firing on when I have the snips in my hand.

[SoOrbudgal]

OCD well you can train mine anytime. Great looking most beautiful mainline i've seen in a while

[Gavin]

Is there a right and wrong way? yes there is a right and wrong way depending on the end result the grower is looking for,
if tsmith just turns his plants over to flower, the plant will grow tall and narrow, 8 cola's will be bunched together(increased chance of bud rot and a lower crop size), if the canopy is opened up(plant will receive more light,airflow), the buds will start to grow vertical in a few days and his canopy will be 4 times the size.

[AGH]

Thanks for the clarification.

There are two schools of thought and they both have merits. Some would say to take off everything that isn't a main cola and some would say leave it all. I fall somewhere in the middle. When I defoliate (usually 2x per grow, one at the flip, one a few weeks later) on the first round, I remove leaves that are in shadow and aren't getting light. On the second round, I do that again as well as removing branches that won't reach the canopy (do this defol once the flowering stretch is done so you know what will and won't reach the top). The last time I manifolded, on my second round, I removed everything below the 4th or 5th node below the main cola. This was just roughly where the light was able to penetrate through the canopy to.

So, it's up to you. If you keep them, you likely won't get much bud off of them and what you do get might be larfy. If you trim them off (lollipop them) then the plant focuses energy on the buds that do get lots of light and air. However (your plants look happy and healthy so this doesn't apply here) if a plant is having any stress like a nutrient deficiency, pests, etc and isn't growing strong and vigorously, trimming less may be better to avoid further stressing it.

[PRIMO]

Well said.