What training is for
Goal
Most pruning and training aims at more yield, either per plant or per square of canopy
Plant-count gardens
When the law limits plant number, each plant is trained for maximum individual yield
Canopy-limit gardens
When the limit is floor space, total room yield matters more than any one plant
Variety
Branching habit changes the best cut. There is no single topping recipe for every cultivar
Topping for a bush
First cut
Clip the growing tip after the third leaf set
Result
Side shoots at the top nodes take over and you get a rosette of three or four branches
Repeat
After three or four more leaf sets, top again if you want it even wider
Veg pinches
Some growers pinch once or twice more before the flip
Direction
Cutting tips spends growth on spread instead of height
The canopy rule indoors
One use of light
The top layer absorbs almost all the light. What sits in shade adds little energy
Cost
Lower growth still drinks nutrients, raises humidity, and blocks airflow
Lollipop
Removing lower limbs opens the understory, gives you clone cuts, and pushes growth to the lit tops
Air
An open trunk zone is a humidity and mold control tool, not just a look
Shape experiments in the book
Comparison
In one setup, three plants in a pot yielded most, a topped plant with wide sides was next, and a single untopped plant was last
Flat plants
Removing every other rank of branches makes a two-sided plant you can set against a wall
Triangle
Leave one extra branch rank so one face is flat and the others project into the room
Fit the slot
Train to the space you have, then flip before height runs out