Cannabis cultivation is a careful blend of art and science, served with a generous side of botanical prowess. Whether you're a rookie just planting your first seed or a cannabis expert with countless harvests under your belt, the cannabis cultivation process involves a detailed blend of strategies and growing techniques designed to enhance plant health, optimise yield, and ensure an exceptional final product.
These plant training methods are frequently classified into high-stress training (HST) and low-stress training (LST) categories. HST techniques, such as topping or fimming, imply a considerable alteration to the plant's physical structure—breaking branches or cutting stems. When properly employed, these techniques can yield impressive results by resulting in impressive yields! However, their application should be carefully considered, as they can harm the plant if mishandled – hence the name ‘high-stress training’.
On the other hand, LST methods involve gently manipulating branches and stems to alter the plant's physical structure without inflicting severe damage. These techniques are less invasive but can demand a substantial time investment, a little skill for beginners, and ongoing maintenance as your plants grow. HST and LST techniques regulate plant shape, maximize light penetration, and enhance yield and potency.
One specific HST technique that has been gaining significant traction in the cannabis community is lollipopping. Don't let the playful name mislead you; it doesn't involve any confectionary but promises a sweet payoff for growers who employ it. In other words, this lollipop is seldom licked when it comes to valuable techniques!
Understanding Lollipopping And Its Benefits
Lollipopping refers to a high-stress training technique involving pruning the cannabis plant's lower portions to stimulate growth at the top. As suggested by the name, the end product resembles a lollipop — a long, bare stem leading to a lush green upper canopy. Picture your plant strolling into a barber shop and requesting a shave—all the way from the neck down!
The main objective behind lollipopping cannabis plants is to redirect the plant's energy and resources towards developing the upper buds. These buds usually receive more light and have better air circulation—two critical components for cultivating high-quality buds. The lower branches of a cannabis plant are often unable to receive enough light, leading to smaller or lower-quality bud production. By eliminating these lower buds and branches, the plant can dedicate more energy towards nurturing larger, more potent buds on its upper portions. Ultimately, this technique leads to a higher return on your investment of effort and resources.
Lollipopping vs. Defoliation
While we're on pruning techniques, it's important to distinguish between the lollipopping process and another common practice called defoliation. Defoliation involves the removal of leaves from the plant to improve light penetration and airflow. This can be done throughout the plant and doesn't typically target one specific area like lollipopping. Defoliation can be a valuable tool for managing growth and ensuring that all areas of the plant receive adequate light. However, it's important to note that defoliation, much like lollipopping, is a form of stress for the plant and should be done carefully and strategically.
The How And When Of Lollipopping
Before you start lollipopping, you should know that when is just as important as how! Timing and technique are paramount when it comes to applying lollipopping successfully. These factors heavily hinge on the cannabis plant's growth stage and your growing setup's specifics. In most cases, the lollipopping process is conducted during the veg or early flowering stages when the plant is vigorous enough to recover from the inflicted stress.
Step 1. Before commencing the process, ensure you're equipped appropriately. Put on a pair of clean gardening gloves and sterilized, sharp pruning shears. While lollipopping can be an adventurous endeavour, it is crucial to remember that maintaining a sterile environment can prevent the onset of plant infections.
Step 2. Begin by examining your plant. The lower third to half of the cannabis plant is typically the target for lollipopped plants. Start pruning the small branches and bud sites that are deprived of light and sequestered in the shade. This stage of the process requires keen observation skills and an acute understanding of which branches are draining the plant's resources rather than contributing to its development.
Step 3. Keep checking your plants during early flowering and prune away branches from the bottom half of the plant. These are the branches that will be kept in shade and won't get the light they need to develop properly. You don't have to remove entire branches, but judicious pruning may be helpful. Remember when lollipopping, not to snip off future buds.
Step 4. Remove branches from the middle of the plant, especially those underneath the canopy. This is where heavy foliage can grow, blocking light from getting to bud sites and hindering bud development. Remove any yellowing leaves or those that look to be dying. Let there be light!
After you've executed the necessary cuts, step back and evaluate your work. The desired result of lollipopping is a cannabis plant with a long, bare stem leading up to a thriving canopy at the top of the plant - just like a lollipop.
An Important Note:
Following the lollipopping procedure, your plant may appear slightly worse for wear; however, if you provide proper care and sufficient recovery time, your plant should recuperate, potentially returning more robust than before. Give your plants two or three days to recover before switching the light schedule.
If you've never lollipopped before, take it slow and easy, resisting the temptation to get gung-ho and prune like crazy. It's better to remove only a little and return to it a few days later to inspect progress, than to remove too many and leave yourself short on bud sites.
Note: While lollipopping autoflowering cannabis plants is feasible, it’s a technique more commonly used with photoperiod plants, as they’re bigger and produce more foliage. Autos typically don't grow tall enough to merit lollipopping.
When correctly implemented, lollipopping marijuana can be an extremely efficient high-stress training technique with the potential to increase bud development substantially, boosting the yield and quality of your cannabis plant. By refocusing the plant's resources towards the upper branches, you can ensure a more substantial harvest of potent buds.
Nonetheless, bear in mind that every plant is unique. What works well for some cannabis strains may not necessarily work so well for others, and some cultivars will indeed respond more kindly to this method. Cultivating cannabis involves trial and error, observation and adjustment. It's about identifying the techniques that your plants respond best to. On this intricate journey, you may have to carve out your own path—or in this case, weed your own way.
We'd like to thank @420cannabiscouple for their kind permission to use their images.
