How to Top a Marijuana Plant

If you’re relatively new to the world of marijuana farming, you’re likely excited to watch as your first plants thrive. There’s so much more than simply planting your seeds and providing your plant with water, nutrition and heat … you also need to know how to properly care for your plant for the best results. Common questions asked by new growers are how to top a marijuana plant and why it’s important.

What is Topping a Marijuana Plant?

Topping refers to the process of cutting away the upper section of your cannabis plants from the main stem. It stops a plant from continuing to grow vertically and encourages horizontal growth instead.

Why Should I Top Marijuana Plants?

If you’re short on vertical space in your growing room, topping your plants easily solves any space issues. When you remove the top of the plant you may worry about losing plant potential. Topping your marijuana plant, however, actually enhances growth; when you remove the upper part of the plant, two new branches typically spout in a Y-shaped formation. These new branches each produce flowers. When you top a marijuana plant, therefore, it can ultimately increase your yield.

Additionally, when your plants grow outwards rather than upwards it makes it so much easier for light to reach all of the branches, thus further enhancing plant health.

Topping Vs. Pruning Cannabis Plants

While topping a plant means the top section is removed, pruning is when you cut away dead twigs and branches from a plant. Pruning marijuana plants is different to topping, but both trimming processes are important for good plant health and a successful yield. Don’t confuse either process with trimming, which mainly takes place at harvest.

When to Top a Marijuana Plant

Topping your plant too early can cause irreversible damage. Don’t top your marijuana plants until they are at least a month old. Further, you should wait until your plants have produced around at least six leaf nodes. It’s important to also ensure that your plant is healthy before topping it, as topping causes stress.

How to Top Marijuana Plants

It’s vital that you don’t cut your plant too low; ideally, you should cut right above the fifth leaf node. This makes sure that the plant is hardy enough to deal with the stress of being cut. Additionally, this height means that you should have plenty of lower branches that can continue to grow outwards and flourish.

It’s possible to top your plants again as they continue to grow. Locate the two new main stems that were formed by the original cut and follow the same technique to top again. Allow enough time between toppings for your plant to be healthy and sturdy.

The first step is to sterilize your pruning scissors to make sure you don’t introduce bacteria to your plant. Ensure your scissors are sharp too for a clean, precise cut. Find the part of the main stem where you intend to cut, remembering to keep above at least five leaf nodes. The cutting point should also be directly above a leaf node. Snip through the stem to remove any growth above that point.

Make sure that your plant heals well after topping and look forward to enjoying a larger yield!