More Colas by Trimming
Can one plant have more than one cola? It's been Prove many times that it can be done. It's actually very easy and straightforward. By pruning the plant the right way and the right time you can get up to 4 big colas.
So, what is a cola, anyway? A cola is the long thick bud that some plants produce. It's called a cola after the Spanish word for tail. Not every plant gets a big cola as a result of strain and growing techniques and some get really big ones. If you're growing for fun you should try for big coals because it will impress people.
If you want the biggest colas possible you'll probably do better growing single ones. Some gardeners feel that more cola means more yields, however, and they have a point. There are two methods to get multiple colas - training and trimming. We'll talk about trimming in this article.
What I mean by "trimming" is to pinch off the top of the plant when it's still young. This won't be news to anyone with other gardening experience. In fact, it's common practice with many plants. Fuchsia growers regularly pinch off growing tips to get more blossoms. It also works with different plant varieties. You can encourage bushy, rather than tall, growth.
You can use two different pinching methods with this plant. Each method gives a slightly different result. There are fans of both approaches. Try each and decide for yourself which is the one you like most.
Starts by letting the plant develop a few nodes. A node is where the plant branches out. The plant has a main growing stem, from which it throws out pairs of branches. The growing tip continues to grow up the center between each set of branches.
If you pinch this growing tip off just above the 5th or 6th node the plant will replace the pinched off tip with two new ones on each side of the main stem. These will create two new main stems. Each will shoot off leaves and branches, but each will remain dominant stems.
You can do this different ways. If you like, you can just keep pinching off any central shoot that you see. You'll get lots of little buds, but no huge colas. Or, you can pinch less. One way will create 2 big colas, and the other will create 4. Either way, you should get some big ones.
The way to get four colas is to wait until you have more good nodes (4-6). You trim the center stem about an inch above the node. The plant will send out two new stems where you pinched it off, as well as two more from the node right below. That's four colas. The other method is to pinch it off lower. Without a node for the second set of stems to sprout you'll restrict the plant to only two new stems. Two stems = two colas.
What happens if you wait until the plant is taller and then pinch the stem at the 10th node? Do you get even more colas? The answer is yes, but the colas are smaller. Small colas aren't worth calling colas. They're buds, and that's all. They still work, mind you, and will perhaps increase overall yield. The thing is that clipping the stem manipulates the plant's hormones. You can't go too far before it stops working. Too much pruning will get lots of small buds, not lots of huge colas.
It's that easy. People will argue which method delivers the best results, but really, who cares? There are so many other variables that you won't really know until someone does a controlled experiment and removes the variables. Light, strain and nutrients will make a big difference in results. Keep in mind that we're pruning in order to get big colas that will blow our friends' minds.It's about fun, not maximum yield. Remember to keep the cutting. You can root it and get more plants!
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