Two Useful Pruning Techniques

Welcome back to our blog, where in this article we’re going to talk about the two most used pruning techniques, how and when to do them, as well as why they’re done. Hopefully by the end of this article you will have learned a couple of things and try them out on your own plants!

For indoor grows, you’ll need to prune the lower branches if there’s an issue with the light reaching the entire plant. This might happen due to an excess of plants in a grow tent or grow room. If you use this method due to poor lighting then you’ll need to check and see which branches are getting the least amount of light. The branches that get the most light will create more buds than those that don’t, so pruning the ones that don’t get enough light can avoid the appearance of chlorosis, which causes a lot of loss in flavor and potency. If you plan on pruning this way, you’ll need to do it during the transition to the flowering period to make the most out of the space you have available.

To prune you’ll need to cut the branch at 1cm from the trunk, and then place some warm wax on the scar and let it solidify, effectively closing the wound. The better option, however, would be to use Batlle sealing and healing paste, using extremely small quantities to seal the hole. Remember that if you prune at the right time it won’t affect the flowering or the final yield. During this transition period your plant will easily recover from the stress of pruning. It should take around seven days for your plant to become completely stable.

Apex pruning consists of removing the top bud from (usually) the central branch of the plant causing two more to sprout. These two branches will act as two more central stems and buds, increasing vigor.

If you want to grow nice, round plants then you’ll need to control the timing of your plants cycles, planning the pruning for one week before switching the flowering period to 12/12. That’s when apex pruning is done, which will give your plant two decent weeks of growing during their transition period. They’ll keep growing right until they begin flowering, dragging the growth in with them and stopping during the third week of the flowering period.

Remember that plants double in size after doing the first prune. This technique can be done both indoors and outdoors, although for outdoor plants you’ll need to prune a week earlier as it takes longer for them to recover completely.

For sativa strains, you’ll need to wait another month before pruning as they need a longer growing period, but we recommend using this technique on indica-dominant strains and balanced hybrids. They have the perfect structure for growing massive malls and mega plants that can be easily worked on. If you prune very early, prune again on the upper areas during the first stages of flowering so you don’t get any breaking problems.

Check out our other article on how and when to prune your plants.

Translator: Ciara Murphy