Many growers prune their hemp plants to influence their growth, maximize harvest and maintain the health of the plants. What are the benefits of pruning hemp, when and how to prune hemp and what techniques you can use, we explain here in our blog post.
The good news right at the beginning: if you grow your cannabis in a Bonsanto Growbox , you have the advantage that you don't have to prune your cannabis!
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Why prune hemp?
Most growers choose to prune their cannabis plants because it has several advantages. When you prune your cannabis plant, you can increase your yield or harvest. This is because pruning allows the plant to focus its energy on producing buds, making them bigger and giving you a more bountiful harvest.
Des Weiteren ist das Beschneiden der Pflanze vorteilhaft, um die Gesundheit deiner Pflanze zu erhalten. Die Teile der Hanfpflanze, die von Krankheiten befallen sind, entfernst du. So minimierst du das Risiko von Krankheiten und einem Schädlingsbefall. Wenn du dich für das Thema Cannabis Krankheiten interessierst, schaue doch mal in unserem Blogbeitrag „Hemp diseases“ vorbei.
If you are growing indoors and have limited space, pruning cannabis allows you to control the growth of your plant and its size. Pruning also allows the lower leaves of your plant to get more light, which in turn improves the overall production of your plant.
When to prune hemp?
When you should prune your cannabis depends on the growth phase of your plant. As a general rule, you should avoid pruning too early or too late to avoid harming your cannabis plant.
Pruning is most effective during the vegetative phase of your cannabis plant, as it allows the plant to recover from the pruning. We advise you to start pruning when your plant reaches a height of about 30 cm and has formed about seven pairs of leaves. From this point on, the plant is tall enough and able to recover from pruning.
If your plant is entering the flowering phase, it is a good idea to stop pruning. Pruning puts stress on your plant, which affects the quality of your harvest. You should only cut your cannabis at this stage if you discover diseased parts of the plant and want to remove them.
How to prune hemp?
It is not only important when you prune your cannabis, but also how. Do not use your hands for pruning, but get a sharp knife or scissors. This way you will be able to make clean cuts without harming your plant.
Before you start pruning, look at your plant and think about how you want to prune it and what exactly your goal is. If you primarily want to maintain the health of your plant, you should remove diseased areas on the plant with severity. If you want to promote growth and achieve a better harvest, you should focus on the densely overgrown areas and remove leaves there, so that the plant is better supplied with light and can put its energy into the production of buds.
When pruning, you should pay attention to clean cuts. To encourage the growth of new branches, you can make the cut above the nodes. If you want to accelerate the growth, you should water the plant immediately after pruning. Pay attention to how the plant reacts after you prune it to counteract any stress or disease that may occur.
Techniques for cutting cannabis
If you want to prune your cannabis plant, there are several techniques to choose between.
Was ist Cannabis Topping?
First, let's talk about the popular method of topping, which involves cutting off the top of the plant. The upper part of the plant is called meristem, so topping removes it, so that in the growth phase in this place can be two new branches. The goal of topping is to get a bushy plant that has a higher flower production. When you topper your cannabis plant, it grows in width instead of height. You can use topping for both indoor and outdoor growing. To give your plant enough time to recover, apply topping approximately five to 10 days before the flowering phase begins.
Was ist Hanf Fimming?
Fimming works similarly to topping, but the cannabis plant is pruned directly at the shoots, creating four new branches. If you want to have an even bushier plant and you don't have a large growing area available, it makes sense to use the fimming technique.
Was ist Cannabis Lollipopping?
If you grow indoors, lollipopping can also be interesting for you. Since the plant is usually only supplied with light from above, the lower leaves and branches of the plant hardly get any light. Therefore, when lollipopping, you cut off the lower branches so that the plant can put the energy into the growth of the upper parts of the plant. This allows the upper buds to grow and become larger. Start by removing the lower parts of the plant that don't get light. After that, you can also cut off leaves in the upper part of the plant that are also covered. Lollipopping, like the other pruning methods, should be completed before flowering is initiated.
What mistakes to avoid when pruning hemp?
There are some mistakes that many growers make every now and then when pruning cannabis. You should avoid these at all costs to keep your plant healthy and achieve your pruning goal.
As mentioned earlier, it's important that you don't cut your plant too early or too late so that your plant isn't stressed or injured.
While pruning has many benefits, you should also be careful not to over-prune your plant. Because even then you stress it, which can have a negative impact on your harvest. So only remove the parts that really need to be removed.
Do not ignore hemp diseases or pest infestations. You should regularly check your plant for diseases, so that you can remove affected areas early on. To prevent diseases and pests, always use clean scissors or knives and make sure the cuts are clear.
Can all varieties of hemp be pruned?
In principle, all cannabis varieties can be pruned. However, sativa varieties are best suited for pruning, as they are particularly adaptable and have more branching than indica plants.
You can also prune autoflowers. However, this is less useful because they need a lot of time to recover from the pruning. If you have an autoflower and you want to promote its growth in width, you should use fimming or topping.
Pruning hemp in the Bonsanto Growbox
As mentioned at the beginning, if you own a Bonsanto Growbox , you don't need to prune your cannabis! This saves you a lot of time and effort! The Bonsanto components are coordinated so that your plant makes optimal use of the space of the grow box and you achieve a bountiful harvest even without pruning.
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