Plant training: Difference between revisions

The main concept of training a plant is to shape the canopy and stems in a way that will maximize yield. For example, without training, the upper canopy canwill havenaturally fanput leavesthe thatlower shadecanopy bud-producingin stemsshade. Via training it is possible to force lower branches to grow away from more dense areas to receive more [[Light|light]] and [[Plant_processes#Gas_exchange|airflow]]; this allows the plant to be more open, giving each branch more growing room and a chance to branch further.

Some forms of LST can be applied as soon as the plant has one node, as this is when it is flexible and not brittle. Things like pinning or tieing down stems. One of the mainmost common goals when employing LST is to make the main stem grow sideways so that most of the branches aren't in the shadow of the main canopy, as they would be if the canopy was directly above. LST can be applied throughout the plant's entire lifespan. It may be necessary to adjust your LST every day or every two days when the plant is growing quickly.

PaperFluxxing clipsis cana bemethod usedof using metal wire (or paper clips) to pin the stem down as it grows. This greatly reduces the height of the plant by training branches to grow laterally. This method is better suited to more compact mediums like soil, as pins require some friction to stay in place. Pinning should start as soon as there is a long enough stem to pin. You can grow a seedling in low light to increase the stem stretching in the seedling phase. This can increase the inter-nodal distance, giving your branches more space later on in flowering. If branches are pinned tightly, pins will have to be removed after the plant has adjusted so that they do not constrict or cut into growing stems.

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Ponytailing is the process of tying leaves up in a bunch together to remove the shade they create. This also leads to the ponytailed stem receiving less light and stretching more as a result. This can be done with small cable ties or paper clips at any point in the plant's life.

Defoliating is simply the process of removing excess leaves. If there are too many leaves, the humidity can become too high and fan leaves that do not create buds can shade other branches that will bear buds. Defoliation is necessary for maximizing yields and should mostly take place in the vegetative stage. Take care not to prune excessively once the plant is a few weeks into flowering, as the leaves will not regrow, negatively impacting yield.

This is the process of stripping all small buds and leaves from a branch except those at the top of the canopy so that the branch resembles a lollipop. The idea is that the plant will spend more resources on the cola at the top of the stem, as less is wasted on small "popcorn" buds that(sometimes willreferred notto yieldas much"popcorn" asbuds) theythat are in the shade of the main canopy. This technique is more suited to photo flowering strains, as they have more time to recover from the process before flowering. AlternativelyAs an alternative to lollipopping, smaller buds can be left to continue growing after an initial harvest of the main colas, until they are mature enough for a second harvest.

A method of planting a large number of plants so that there is a high density of cultivars under a trellis. A ScrOG with multiple plants.