Lollipopping Autoflowers: Everything You Need to Know

When it comes to harvesting and the cultivation of cannabis, manufacturers tend to use precise techniques in order to achieve the best results. If you have ever searched the methods of growing cannabis the right way, you might have come across numerous ways to do so.

However, there is one particular method that gardeners, cultivators, or farmers use to increase the yield of cannabis plants, called the lollipopping technique.

Well, lollipopping has nothing to do with candies. It refers to removing the extra growth at the bottom of the cannabis plant that is not getting a sufficient amount of light; therefore, removing it does not harm the whole plant.

Furthermore, the grower leaves the vegetation and buds at the top untouched. This is an excellent way of increasing yields.

Here it is important to note that autoflowering cannabis is different from other cannabis plants.

As the name suggests, these cannabis strains flower automatically. They don’t need external factors to produce resinous buds as they flower automatically after a certain period. So, how does lollipopping technique helps the growth of autoflowering cannabis?

Continue reading on as there is so much you need to learn about this technique. We will share all details so you can follow it easily and do it the right way.

What is lollipopping and why is it effective?

Well, as per the experienced indoor cultivators of cannabis who find this method to be highly effective. Lollipopping is basically a pruning technique that helps in the heaviest harvest without growing cannabis plants in large numbers. This technique directs the plant’s energy all the way to the upper, fatter buds producing branches by removing the lower buds of the plant.

If you understand the technique involved in this process, you might just figure out why it has such a good effect. What basically happens is that the lower parts of the plant don’t get proper light. Thus, this method promotes and focuses on boosting bud production in the upper area.

The upper area receives the best treatment possible in order to achieve the best results. In other words, the philosophy behind this technique is less is more. It means that if the cultivator desires to yield the heaviest harvest of cannabis, growing a large number of cannabis plants is not necessary. The growers can apply the technique early in the bloom.

People do question how the removal of the lower area makes any difference? Well, by removing the lower section of the plant, you’re allowing the plant to receive better and more improved air. This technique is highly effective and useful in areas where the climates are a bit damp.

However, autoflowering cannabis are different than other strains of cannabis ad they don’t rely on sunlight or the season to flower. They start flowering when they are 3-4 weeks old. Thus, the grower doesn’t get a lot of time to lollipop autoflowering cannabis. The growing and flowering cycle of autoflowering cannabis takes 2 to 3 months. So, you need to be careful when lollipopping autoflower.

The technique

Photo by Gunnerboy76 on autoflower.net

Lollipopping an autoflowering plant is tricky, but safe. You shouldn’t worry about the lighting schedule. The technique will make each plant bloom after a few weeks. During all these weeks, your plant won’t depend on lighting time. Before we discuss lollipopping, let’s have a look at the growth period of autoflowering cannabis.

As for outdoor, you don’t need to correspond to the strain with the local time zone or any specific timing to plant. The basic technique for the outdoor farmer is to plant auto when you have approximately 2-3 months of warm summers.

While increasing the number of autoflowering plants outdoors, you don’t need to monitor light schedules. All you require is to ensure your plant will have at least 3 months of warm weather (above 60°F).

When it comes to lollipopping, there are two ways you can go about this, either use your hands or a pair of scissors. Many professional growers who have used this technique for quite some time prefer using their hands instead. The reason behind this is lollipopping with the hand delivers more precision.

This technique is sort of similar to the pinching of the tips from the main stems; however, in this case, you carefully remove the lower bud sites. It is highly important to do it the right way; if you leave any bud sites, they will grow back within a week. Therefore, be sure to strip away all the bud sites and do not cut through the shoot.

Remember to remove the leaves of autoflowering cannabis in the vegetative stage. Applying lollipopping technique in the flowering stage is a big no unless you want to yield tiny amounts of cannabis.

The lollipopping zone

Now let’s talk about where exactly do you lollipop the autoflowering cannabis plant.

If you don’t learn this process the right way, you’ll end up ruining the whole yield. First, you need to identify the lower third of the plant. Once you determine the proper zone for lollipopping, you may proceed with the next steps.

Start the process with the lower leaves and only remove a few leaves at a time. Make sure not to stress the plant too much while lollipopping. You must remove the leaves in a way that all parts of the autoflower get enough light.

The best approach is to begin with the fan leaves as they are ready to fall anyway. Next, remove the unhealthy leaves so that the autoflowering plant can focus on the green, healthy leaves. It helps the branches to expand and improves the yield.

During the lollipopping or stripping process, you will have to strip about fifty percent of the plant. Keep in mind doing more than that could result in some issues during harvesting. Ensure to strip the lower popcorn buds in order to boost bud production in the upper area.

Remember, you have to stay within the lower third. If you go higher than this and strip the shoots, your cannabis plants might look leggy and will not receive enough sunlight. However, you can remove the secondary shoots within the lollipopping zone.

Should you use this technique on your autoflowering cannabis plants?

Well, many growers will praise this method, and some might say it isn’t the best to use.

However, let’s take a deeper look into the advantages and drawbacks of autoflowering cannabis.

The advantages

One of the biggest advantages of autoflowering cannabis is the faster life cycle. The growing cycle of autoflowering cannabis takes about 7 to 10 weeks. This is due to the fast flowering stage and short vegetative cycle. The best time for lollipopping autoflowering cannabis is the vegetative phase.

Another advantage of autoflowering cannabis is that the cultivation can reach a maximum height of around 80 to 100 cm. Therefore, this allows growers to complete the process in a short period and continue to grow more. Lollipopping encourages the branches of autoflowering cannabis to expand, and each part receives enough light.

Autoflowering is also a process that people adopt as it is easy to grow cannabis in small locations. Growers using autoflowering can be flexible with the light procedures, as 18 hours on and 6 hours off cycle is perfect. This gives the plants sufficient lighting and saves energy.

Drawbacks

One of the biggest drawbacks of autoflowering cannabis is that it provides a lower yield. It means these plants cannot produce the same amount of buds as the taller plants. So, even after lollipopping, you will get smaller harvests compared to photoperiod plants.

Another drawback is the low THC levels. Yes, autoflowering cannabis doesn’t have the same amount of THC that all growers desire. Lollipopping doesn’t help in this case.

Conclusion

Now that you know what lollipopping autoflower is, if you want to utilize this technique in order to achieve the high-quality yield, be sure to do it the right way.