What is Lollipopping?
The word comes from «lollipop» that describe the appearance of the plant once the technique is applied; with a healthy stem without buds or branches and enormous queues of buds at the top. It’s basically a low-hanging pruning.
This growing technique is for indoors. Leaves, shoots, and branches are removed from the lower third of the plant because they are shaded and without the opportunity to receive direct light from the lamp. This is done to concentrate the energy and production of the branches at the top, where they do receive a large amount of light and can develop enormous, plump flowers.
Why to do Lollipopping?
- Improves yield: Removing leaves and branches from the lower parts of the plants promotes greater production in the upper parts. It also helps buds form perfectly, as the flowers in the lower parts are left without much light and are half-developed. By applying Lollipop pruning, you will achieve higher yields and better flowers.
- Better use of nutrients and energy: The nutrients you provide to the plants go to the areas where you really want buds to grow. Plants distribute nutrients throughout their parts, so if there is less plant mass on the plant, the remaining areas will receive that extra dose of energy that will make a difference during flowering. With this technique, the plant allocates its resources to the areas you want, improving flower production and quality.
- Improved aeration: Pruning the lower areas of plants greatly improves crop aeration, improving airflow around the plants and helping prevent moisture from accumulating in these areas, which can lead to fungal problems.
- Eliminates pests: Pruning the lower areas greatly reduces the chances of pests appearing. By keeping this area free of leaves and branches, you’ll be able to detect and treat any problems quickly.
This technique is only suitable for photoperiod seeds, NOT for autoflowering seeds, as these do not have the necessary lifespan to perform this type of pruning and could become stressed and remain small.
When to do Lollipopping?
You might do it when the plants are in bloom or a week before, so that during the growth period, so during the growth period durinf the pre-flowering phase the plant can already take advantage of this better distribution of energy in the apical zones.
You should repeat the process after a few days or weeks; during the flowering photoperiod, the plant will tend to develop new shoots and leaves in the previously pruned areas. Plants that experience a strong growth period will take a while to begin flowering properly, so you’ll have to prune several times before you finally see the buds begin to form where you want them.
How to do it?
You have to know that any type of pruning causes minor stress to the plant, and there always exist a possibility of disease transmission. Use pruning scisors disinfected with isopropyl alcohol.
If doing it by hand, disinfect your hands before starting to ensure maximum hygiene and make sure no pieces of the leaf stem remain as this can cause infection and even kill a large part of the crop.
