3.5 to 4 weeks
into flower, when USask suggests clearing lower growth
10th node
topping point in a 2022 indoor pruning study
6 plants
California adult-use home-grow limit
Pruning & bending cannabis plants sounds like a lot of jargon, but almost every technique is one of two moves. Pruning cuts something off: a growing tip, a leaf or a branch. Training bends or ties stems to change the plant’s shape. Topping, FIMing, lollipopping, defoliation and mainlining are cuts. LST and supercropping are bends. ScrOG and SOG describe how plants are arranged and supported. Know which move a term means and you know most of what it does.
This glossary is the quick reference in our growing series. For step-by-step help, see our pruning guide and our guide to LST versus topping.
Last reviewed: November 2026.
Pruning & bending cannabis plants: cut, bend or support
Most techniques exist because of apical dominance. The University of Saskatchewan grow guide explains that a cannabis plant has one dominant main stem with smaller side branches, which gives an untrained plant its Christmas-tree shape. Bending stems or pinching growth tips lets the side branches grow larger, producing a bushier plant. USask calls training completely optional and places it in vegetative growth.
Which move does the term describe?
Pick a move to see the terms that belong to it.
Pruning
Cut it off
Topping, FIMing, lollipopping, defoliation and mainlining all remove plant material. Clean the blade between plants.
Training
Bend it
LST ties stems outward without a cut. Supercropping crushes the inside of a stem slightly before bending it.
Canopy systems
Arrange it
ScrOG spreads branches under a screen. SOG grows many small plants close together, which the six-plant home limit rules out at scale.
Cuts carry one extra job: cleaning the blade. OSU Extension says hop latent viroid spreads on tools through plant sap, and that bleach solutions inactivate it where ethanol and hydrogen peroxide do not.
Plant parts the terms refer to
A node is the point on a stem where leaves and branches grow out; USask notes that pre-flowers, the first signs of a plant’s sex, appear at the nodes. The growing tip is the very top of a stem, where new growth starts, and it is what topping removes.
Fan leaves are the big, many-fingered leaves; sugar leaves are the small, resin-coated leaves inside the buds, which the USask trimming guide says get trimmed back at harvest. A cola is a cluster of buds at the end of a branch, and the canopy is the top layer of the plant where light lands.
Plant map
Where each term lands on the plant
- 1Growing tip. The very top of a stem, where new growth starts.Topping cuts it off. FIMing cuts part of it.
- 2Node. Where leaves and branches grow out of the stem. Pre-flowers show up here.
- 3Fan leaf. A big, many-fingered leaf.Defoliation removes some to open the canopy.
- 4Cola. A cluster of buds at the end of a branch.
- 5Canopy. The top layer, where light lands.A ScrOG screen holds it flat and even.
- 6Lowest branches. They rarely make good flower.Lollipopping removes them.
- 7Main stem. One dominant stem gives an untrained plant its Christmas-tree shape.LST bends branches outward so lower ones can grow up.
Plant parts per the University of Saskatchewan grow and trimming guides and Massuela et al. (2022). FIMing and mainlining are common grower terms, not methods those sources tested. Training is optional. Clean blades between plants: OSU Extension says bleach inactivates hop latent viroid.
Cutting terms: topping to mainlining
Topping is cutting off the main growing tip so the shoots at the node below become new main tops. In Massuela and colleagues (2022), plants were topped at the tenth node and produced more dried flower than unpruned plants, though not significantly more CBD.
FIMing is a partial cut of the newest growth at the tip that leaves some of it behind, a looser version of topping. Mainlining starts with a low topping cut and then trains the plant into a symmetrical frame of equal main branches.
Lollipopping removes the lowest branches and leaves so the plant looks like a lollipop: bare stem below, canopy on top. Massuela tested it by removing the two lowest side branches, then two more nine days later. Defoliation removes fan leaves to open the canopy. In a greenhouse study by Danziger and Bernstein (2021), defoliation raised cannabinoid levels in the lower canopy without significantly changing flower yield.
USask’s flowering guide times both of those cuts to the transition from early to late flower, about 3.5 to 4 weeks after switching to 12 hours of light, and advises against cutting branches in early flower because it adds to the stretch.
| Term | Cut or bend | What it does, per the cited source |
|---|---|---|
| Topping | Cut | Removes the growing apex; more side shoots and a shorter plant (Massuela 2022) |
| Pinching tips | Cut | Lets secondary branches grow larger for a bushier plant (USask) |
| Lollipopping | Cut | Removes the lowest side branches (Massuela 2022); lower branches rarely make good flower (USask) |
| Defoliation | Cut | Opens the lower canopy to light; more even cannabinoids (Danziger and Bernstein 2021) |
| LST | Bend | Branch bent near horizontal and tied; lower branches turn upward (USask) |
Bending and support terms: LST to SOG
LST, or low-stress training, bends stems outward and ties them down. USask shows a branch bent nearly horizontal and held with a wire plant tie, which lets the lower branches grow upward and exposes more bud sites to the light. Supercropping is a rougher bend: squeezing a stem until the inner tissue softens, then folding it over.
Scroll the stages
Where each technique fits in a grow
Timing from the University of Saskatchewan grow guides.
Early veg
Top, FIM, mainline
Cuts to the growing tip go in while the plant is growing fastest.
Mid to late veg
LST, supercrop, ScrOG
Bend and tuck branches to level the canopy before the flip.
Early flower
Hands off
Pruning now can add to the stretch, USask warns.
Weeks 3.5 to 4
Lollipop, defoliate
Clear shaded lower leaves and small lower branches.
Harvest
Trim
Remove fan leaves and trim sugar leaves back, before or after drying.
Dead or damaged leaves can come off at any stage.
ScrOG, screen of green, stretches a horizontal net or screen over the plants and tucks branches under it so the canopy grows flat and even. SOG, sea of green, grows many small, usually single-cola plants packed close together; Massuela notes that a compact single-top shape suits high-density systems like SOG. At home, the Department of Cannabis Control caps an adult-use grow at six plants, so SOG is mostly a commercial term in California.
Which techniques suit a small home grow
A home grow is small by law, which shapes the vocabulary you actually need. Health and Safety Code section 11362.2(a)(3) allows adults 21 and over not more than six living plants within a single private residence in California at one time, six per home rather than six per adult, and (a)(2) requires them to be kept in a locked space not visible from a public place. In Oregon, the OLCC allows four plants per residence. This is general information, not legal advice.
With so few plants, the techniques that make each plant wider and flatter earn their place: topping or FIMing once, LST to spread the new tops, and a screen if you like a level canopy. SOG, which depends on many small plants, is a commercial method. For step-by-step help, our pruning guide covers lollipopping and fan leaves, and our guide to LST versus topping covers the choice between bending and cutting. Our home-grow guide covers the whole season.
Frequently asked questions
Remove dead or damaged leaves whenever you see them, make shaping cuts such as topping during vegetative growth, and clear shaded lower leaves and small lower branches about 3.5 to 4 weeks into flower. At harvest, trim fan leaves and manicure sugar leaves before or after drying.
Yes, with timing. University of Saskatchewan guidance advises against cutting branches in early flower because it can add to the stretch, and suggests pruning lower growth at the switch from early to late flower, about 3.5 to 4 weeks in.
Dead or damaged leaves first, then lower leaves that get no light and leaves covering bud sites. Healthy fan leaves in the canopy can stay, since they photosynthesize and store nutrients for the plant.
Mainlining is a training method that starts with a low topping cut and then shapes the plant into a symmetrical frame of equal main branches, so each top gets similar light.
Sources
- California Health and Safety Code section 11362.2
- OLCC: Recreational marijuana FAQ
- USask: Vegetative growth
- USask: Flowering
- USask: Harvesting and trimming
- Massuela et al. 2022, Plants
- Danziger and Bernstein 2021, Plants: Shape matters
- OSU Extension: Hop latent viroid in hemp
- DCC: What's legal
For adults 21+ (18+ with a physician’s recommendation in California). Keep out of reach of children and pets. Do not drive or operate machinery after use.
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