News Joint Grow Journal 8: Topping
I left off News Joint Grow Journal 7 with my five resilient plant bouncing back (with a photo taken April 27) after I’d corrected the pH balance and transplanting them.

ILNJ photo
The next couple weeks were the smoothest and least stressful time during this first grow. In fact, after over-stressing a few weeks prior, I decided not to bring negativity or stress into the grow area, because I do believe that my attitude while in the grow area has an effect on the plants. Just as my dogs can tell if I’m upset or stress, so can the plants.
The girls (Steve DeAngelo’s Dream Queen, Amnesia Lemon, Blood Diamond OG, Prayer Pupil, and Swabi Pakistani 3) thrived inside their new five-gallon pots of FoxFarm Ocean Forest Soil and Happy Frog Potting Soil mix, while under my NextLight Core LED Grow Light (all sponsored by Aroma Grow Store). I started running the light for twenty-hours on and four-hours off. This was not a strategic plan.
I planed on more than four hours of darkness, but I had not set up my Apollo 9 digital timer for the light, and I had already been turning the light off for the fours hours late at night while I worked. So when I set the timer, I kept the twenty-on and four-off schedule. I’ll definitely switch that up for my second grow.

ILNJ photo of Steve’s Dream Queen
I watered the plants a total of four gallons between the five of them. I pruned lower dying leaves but didn’t do much else besides let the plants grow for the next week. Because of the poor condition the plants were in when I transplanted them, I waited an extra few days before topping each plant. I followed the instructions for adding the Lotus Nutrients, pH balancing the water, and establishing somewhat of a routine schedule.

ILNJ photo of Swabi Pakistani 3
By May 4, almost two full weeks in vegetation, I might have waited a bit too long to top because most plants were growing their sixth nodes. Even though I know topping helps my overall grow, I still feel gut-punch bad cutting a thick stem off a plant. I literally apologized to each plant before squeezing the trimmers. I’m guessing, after a few grows, this feeling fades.

ILNJ photo of Swabi Pakistani 3
I thought about attempting a FIM (fuck, I missed) cut on one of the plants but decided against it. I knew running five different strains was already going to difficult to keep a level canopy in my tent, and I didn’t want to mess a FIM cut up and make it more difficult for me down the road. Plus, as a first-time grower, I have to keep telling myself to keep it simple.
I followed the topping instruction from our partners at Homegrown Cannabis Co. and other resources and went for it.

ILNJ photo of Prayer Pupil
Check back for News Joint Grow Journal 9 for the latter stages of vegetation and plant training.

ILNJ photo of Prayer Pupil
Click here for earlier entries of News Joint Grow Journal. A Prairie State of Mind.