FIMing

FIMing is a variant of topping in which approximately 75% of the apical meristem and its youngest leaflets are pinched off, rather than cleanly severed below the node. Because a fragment of meristematic tissue remains, the plant responds by producing four — occasionally up to six — new shoots from the damaged apex rather than the two produced by conventional topping, while incurring less recovery time. Etymology: the acronym "F I Missed" — cannabis-cultivation lore widely attributed to a 1990s High Times magazine anecdote in which a grower botched a topping cut, noticed the plant produced multiple new tops anyway, and rebranded the "mistake" as a deliberate technique. The backronym and the technique are generally credited with entering mainstream grower vocabulary through High Times during that decade. FIMing sits between topping and pinching on the stress-damage continuum and is typically classified under HST. Synonyms/slang:* FIM, "the FIM technique," pinching (loose usage). → See also: Topping, HST, Pruning.