When growing cannabis, it may seem like the main objective is to let it grow as big as it can. But, it’s more of an art form than that, you need to ensure that you are pruning your marijuana correctly.
It might seem counterintuitive but trimming off a bit of your plant intentionally means that unnecessary parts that would have taken precious energy now won’t.
And the fact is, when branches and leaves turn yellow or die-off, you should trim them off your plant anyway.
It’s also worth a mention that removing stems and branches off the middle of the plant will allow air to flow more freely, and light to penetrate deeper, which in turn results in a healthier plant.
In fact, there’s an entire technique that revolves around this called SCROG.
But what else should you be on the lookout for when pruning your cannabis plant?
What to Look for When Pruning!
As we said, your bud will grow better when your cannabis plant receives a lot of sunlight and airflow. This is especially true for the top of the plant.
To ensure this happens you want to remove certain branches like:
- Branches lower down on the plant;
- Leaves that are dying off due to lack of light;
- As well as buds that are forming low down on the plant.
The earlier you start this pruning, the better. Young cannabis plants are pretty narrow in their early stages. When they start to bush out, you should begin to prune to encourage the top layer of the plant to reach upwards.
From when you plant the seed, it’ll take a few weeks to get to the flowering stage. You can prune take off low hanging leaves and branches all the way through your plant’s vegetative growth stages. And in fact, this will encourage the plant to grow larger.
Now, let’s talk about the actual cutting!
How to Actually Cut It!
Any pruning scissor will do. But we’d suggest ours first! You might require bigger shears when the plant stems get thicker, but if you’ve been pruning right from the beginning, that won’t be necessary.
Make sure that these scissors and shears are sharp. The sharper they are the better they’ll be at not damaging to your plant.
Remember to clean them after every use to prevent infections.
When it comes to cutting, make sure you:
- Remove the larger branches first, working your way to the smaller ones. This will allow for more shape and detailed work. And work from the bottom up.
- Cut off branches growing in the middle of the plant, under the main, top canopy.
- And finally, if a branch is dying, or the leaves are turning yellow – cut them off!
The days after a proper pruning your plant should go into a growth overdrive.
Pruning for a Better Crop
Just by following these simple instructions you’ll be able to control where your plant’s energy is directed, ensure enough light reaches the leaves, and overall create a healthier plant.
Words by: Andrew Macfarlane, writer, gardener, and avid believer in pruning
z00tly says: “If I started pruning my tree when I moved in, I could have had double the floor space…”
