We’re all looking to get the most out of our cannabis plants and lollipopping is one of the most tried-and-true methods. While it might seem counter-intuitive, by removing unproductive growth, you can force your plant to focus on the part that really matters: the flowers.
What is lollipopping?
Lollipopping is one of the easiest and most effective growing techniques that indoor growers should be practising. As the name implies, this is the practice of trimming the lower leaves (and even flowers) off of a branch to maximise the growth of a single cola at the top. This creates something of a lollipop shape with a thin stick supporting a huge bud.
Lollipopping is easy, fast, fairly low stress, and offers significant rewards for (almost) any plant.
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What are the benefits of lollipopping a cannabis plant?
If left to its own devices a cannabis plant will grow into a typical “Christmas tree” shape—wide on the bottom and pointy on the top. While these lower branches can and will produce flowers, they won’t grow the dense heavy colas that we’re looking for. Typically, these branches produce small popcorn buds that—while still patent—are often leafy, stemmy, and overall less-than-ideal.
What’s worse, though, is that these smaller buds will detract from the quality and quantity of the flowers at the top of the plant. Even the biggest weed plants can only grow a certain limit of weed (based on the plant’s size and other factors) so by limiting that growth to fewer sites, you get bigger and better buds.
Furthermore, lollipopping is a great way to increase airflow around the your soil and bottom of your plant. Too much humidity or still air is a recipe for mould and/or fungal growth. If left unchecked, these can and will quickly kill an entire harvest.
Should I lollipop my weed plants?
If you’re growing your weed indoors, then yes you should almost certainly be lollipopping your plants. Indoor grow lights provide a static point of light, as such, only the top part of the plants is getting enough light to be productive.
Typically, most LED lights will only penetrate the top 3-5 growth layers, meaning that anything below the canopy is little more than a drain on a cannabis plant’s precious resources. While supplemental lighting can offset this, the costs typically outweigh the rewards.
If you’re growing outdoors, then lollipopping is less of a priority. As the sun makes its way across the sky each day, your plant will get light from all angles, meaning that it can be far more productive. You should still trim outdoor plants, but that’s more about airflow and plant health than anything else.
Should I lollipop an autoflowering plant?
There’s no reason why you can’t. Unlike other high-stress training techniques like topping or mainlining, lollipopping doesn’t significantly slow a plant’s growth. If your autoflowering plant is getting to the point where the lower branches aren’t getting light, then yes, I would suggest lollipopping.
It’s worth noting, though, that lollipopping does still stress a plant and can slow its growth. Since autoflowers are on a preset timer, too much trimming could impact your final harvest. The best thing to do is try them side by side and see if the difference matters to you.
When should I start lollipopping my cannabis plants?
The best time for lollipopping is right around the switch to flowering—either at the same time you switch, or anytime in the first 2-3 weeks. Starting too early means that plant will keep growing, so you’ll need to do it all again. Starting too late means that you’re stressing the plant in the middle of flowering which can cause damage in the long run.
The goal is to create an optimal number of grow sites that will all receive enough light. Doing this when the cannabis plant has just started to flower will help you see where these sites will be.
Lollipopping vs defoliation
Defoliation is the practice of removing leaves for plant health (airflow, lighting) and lollipopping is a kind of defoliation aimed at maximising grow sites. You should be defoliating your plant fairly regularly in the vegetative stage to make sure that it’s getting proper aeration and lighting.
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How do I lollipop my plants?
Lollipopping is fairly easy and only requires a decent pair of garden shears (a razor blade or sharp scissors also work in a pinch).
Step 1: Identify what to trim
Before you start cutting away, make a game plan and figure out exactly what and where you need to focus on. Most growers will remove all the leaves and flowering sites below a certain point: typically the bottom third or even half of the cannabis plant. Draw an imaginary line at the point where you see shadows falling on the leaves. Everything below this will need to go.
Ideally, you should have anywhere from 4-6 nodes at the top of each branch that you’ll leave behind. These will merge into the large colas that you want.
Step 2: Remove the leaves
Lollipopping does not require removing branches, just leaves. Start at the bottom of the plant and cut away any fan leaves that are below the line you drew in step 1. Try to cut them as close to the stem as possible without cutting into the stem.
It’s easy to feel like you’re going overboard at this point and you might find yourself thinking “Surely, that’s enough” when there’s still work to be done. It’s always hard to remove so much growth, but the rewards are worth it. Trust the method.
Step 3: Remove the buds
If you waited a few weeks into flowering to lollipop, then you should already be seeing flowers. Once you’ve removed all the leaves, it’s time to remove any budding sites that might have already started.
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Combining lollipopping with other grow techniques
While lollipopping can be done on its own, it really shines when combined with other advanced grow techniques like mainlining or screen of green. These techniques are all about maximizing your canopy space and sacrificing vertical growth for lateral expansion.
By implementing low-stress training, you can easily spread your branches out to maximize their light exposure, keeping them focused on a single uniform canopy. This bit of help will see a massive difference from just letting them grow au natural.
Make it pop
By removing the lowest growth on a cannabis plant, it’s possible to maximise its productive growth. Lollipopping is one of the easiest, fastest, and most reliable ways for any grower to take their plants to the next level in terms of both bud quality and overall yield.
