Super Cropping FIMING For Better Hydroponic Production
By Brandon Pillon
[quote]With FIMing you want to do this technique to get the results of topping without topping the plant.[/quote]
For this article I would like discuss the benefits and techniques of super cropping and FIMing for better hydroponic production and heavier yields under grow lights. Using these advanced, but still simple techniques you can increase the yield of your favorite plants. First I’ll be covering super cropping.
Super cropping is a technique that requires you to slightly bruise and damage the stem. There are many ways you can go about damaging the plant stem, but I like to give plants a slight crush between my thumb and index finger about an inch away on the branch from the stem. In doing this you break some xylems and phloem’s. (The plants veins that carry nutrients and sugars throughout the plant.) As the plant heals from the damage it will create a “super highway” of veins, as a result more nutrients flow into budding sites, meaning bigger buds and as a result bigger fruits. While doing an internship at a greenhouse growing tomato’s I was first shown this technique. I can say that I have used this with great success in my garden.
Next up is FIMing.
I first read about this technique in a publication about 4 years ago. FIMing stands for “*uck I Missed”, referring to topping a plant and partly missing with the cut. With FIMing you want to do this technique to get the results of topping without topping the plant.
Basically you want to cut the growing tip of the plant where new leaves are formed and cut, leaving 1/4 of the growing tip instead of cutting above a node. As a result you will get a very large terminal, with increased side growth. You get all the benefits of topping without really topping the plant.
I have used these advanced but simple techniques to increase yield (what every grower wants) in my garden. I’m writing this article to pay it forward. I try to make my articles informative and easy for beginners to read and grow like the pro’s do! It should be said that using good pruning and horticultural practices is always the best way to increase yield, and quality. Don’t like how much you’re paying in hydro bills to power your garden? For my next article I will be covering the gas lantern lighting schedule, grow using 30 to 50% less hydro, but that’s for Edition TEN of Grozine. Enjoy, eh!