A bud site is any place on the plant where flowers develop: each node, where a leaf and side shoot meet the stem, and every branch tip. In flower, the tips become colas and the nodes along each branch produce smaller clusters. Large, dense buds form only where there is strong light and good supply from nearby leaves.
In practice
Training techniques are judged by what they do to bud sites. Topping and mainlining multiply main tops. LST and SCROG lift many sites into the same strong light. Lollipopping removes the weak sites below the canopy, which would otherwise make small, airy "popcorn" buds. The goal is not the maximum number of sites, but the maximum number of well-lit ones.
Don't confuse with
- Cola: the main terminal cluster of flowers on a stem; a cola is made of many fused bud sites.
- Pre-flower: the first flowers that appear at nodes, used to sex plants.
The dense, elongated cluster of flowers that forms at the end of a stem or branch; the main cola tops the leader.Top shelf is the highest price tier of flower in a shop, used as slang for any premium-looking cannabis; it reflects pricing and appearance, not verified quality.LST (low-stress training) bends and ties stems so the plant grows wide and flat, exposing more bud sites to light without cutting or breaking tissue.SCROG (screen of green) trains a few plants under a horizontal net, tucking shoots so the canopy forms a flat, evenly lit layer of many tops.Lollipopping removes the lower branches and small shoots on a plant, usually around the flip, so energy goes to the top buds and airflow improves underneath.Popcorn buds are small, separate buds, usually from lower branches, often sold cheaper as "smalls" though they can be the same quality as the tops.The first individual flowers that form at stem nodes during late vegetative growth, letting a grower tell male from female before full flowering.The point on a stem where a leaf (petiole) and its axillary bud attach; branches, flowers and clone roots all originate at nodes.The canopy is the top layer of foliage and buds across a grow, the surface that intercepts most of the light and where yield is mostly made.
