at the base, you don't remove it... at times you may tie somethign else down temporarily to break apical dominance. this will allow other branches to catch up, then release it...
not so long it gets rigid/woody of course.
you want that base to stay level or lear level etc... if you unhook it, it;ll start creeping upward even if woody/rigid, then you level canopy isnt so level 4-5 weeks from now.
i see it is an auto, so you want 7-10 primary branches or so, then i'd let the terminal bud grow vertically. really depends on the auto and how fast its growing etc... guess you could also just get 'enough' side brnaches going vertically and top the terminal when you have enough. might be better strategy for a lst'ing an auto. just a little nip off the tip :P
if you expect an XL auto, you may have more time for more growth.. all depends. some ppl grow things faster than others too.