How I perform low stress training on my plants: Lots of pics!

[Keffka]

Thanks for reading through Keffka!

These days I top and then use what could be called LST to keep the top two nodes flat while the lowers have a chance to catch up (same auxin distribution method though). I found that using LST from the beginning made my plants so wide I had trouble fitting them through the door twice a day!

But anyone without a need to schlep plants in and out morning and night and enough room in their tent can use this technique to generate a shit ton of bud without ever cutting a thing.

Definitely, thank you for the thorough descriptions and images, you left very little if anything to question.

Oof yeah, in that situation Id do the same. Large expenditures of energy multiple times a day is already enough to deal with, without being annoyed.

I pushed the walls of my grow out a foot on each side to give myself some more moving space but the plants don’t have to leave the room so it sounds ideal.

I had an inkling this would be effective. I was playing around with a few male plants last time and forced them into bonsai positions and they quickly adjusted to their new position. I’m excited to see how this works out!

 

[InTheShed]

Come back once in a while and post some pics of how the training is going!

 

[Keffka]

Shed.. I’m running mulch in the top 2 inches.. just dropped these sweeties in this morning. Think they’re ready for training once they show they’re spurting? I was thinking it’d be better to wait until I know the roots have left their initial ball and are into the new soil

These 2 plants are gonna need a little patience while I bend them.. they got much taller much faster than I anticipated. You think I should wait until they’re set in their 1 gallons or start on them now?

 

[InTheShed]

Think they’re ready for training once they show they’re spurting? I was thinking it’d be better to wait until I know the roots have left their initial ball and are into the new soil

Back left and front right are definitely ready. I never worry about where they are in the root growth process...I only go by whether it's tall enough to eventually get the top lower than the lower nodes.

And since it takes a few days to coax them into their final position I'd start to get them used to it.

These 2 plants are gonna need a little patience while I bend them.. they got much taller much faster than I anticipated. You think I should wait until they’re set in their 1 gallons or start on them now?

Start now! With that kind of growth they might not be happy to be leaned over later!

 

[Sparkey224]

Decided to pull her down couple days ago.
Looks like the bottom branching coming up nicely. Appreciate it Shed, excited how she turns out.
Marshmallow Og from Compound Genetics.

 

[InTheShed]

Decided to pull her down couple days ago.
Looks like the bottom branching coming up nicely. Appreciate it Shed, excited how she turns out.
Marshmallow Og from Compound Genetics.

Looks healthy AF! Great work, even if it is with synthetic nutes.

 

[Keffka]

First 3 are done.. Had to stop, lights out is coming in a couple minutes and I didn’t want to lose the light in the middle of training lol

 

[InTheShed]

First 3 are done.. Had to stop, lights out is coming in a couple minutes and I didn’t want to lose the light in the middle of training lol

Couple of things if you don't mind me mentioning:
• The right one in the solo cup looks supercropped rather than LST. It's got a right angle bend in it.
• The left solo cup needs the lower stem supported and only the top pulled down. The idea is to leave the lower nodes above the top rather than level with it. The curve of the trunk should look like a rainbow.
• The larger pot needs the support wire about another inch off the soil and the curve needs to be a curve rather than a flattening. Think rainbow, with the first bend more like this:

Taking them down is a multi-day process!

 

[Keffka]

Couple of things if you don't mind me mentioning:
• The right one in the solo cup looks supercropped rather than LST. It's got a right angle bend in it.
• The left solo cup needs the lower stem supported and only the top pulled down. The idea is to leave the lower nodes above the top rather than level with it. The curve of the trunk should look like a rainbow.
• The larger pot needs the support wire about another inch off the soil and the curve needs to be a curve rather than a flattening. Think rainbow, with the first bend more like this:

Taking them down is a multi-day process!

Do not mind at all, that’s why I was posting them (should’ve probably said that). The super cropped looking one, yeah lol. I went to bend it and it cropped so whoops I instantly learned I need to be a little more delicate when they’re that size and slowly work them down. I think anchor the stem then work it slowly down from the top correct?

Which node am I trying to get below, the first true leaves or the node above that?

The super cropped one.. what’s a good plan of action? Do you think that one will still spread like it’s supposed to or should I pull it back up let it heal and retry?

For everyone else the major thing I learned was, this is better to do as soon as you can when the stems are still somewhat thin and pliable.. I waited a little too long and likely should’ve started when the 3rd node was established

 

[InTheShed]

I think anchor the stem then work it slowly down from the top correct?

Yes. It's important that the trunk-root connection remain upright and unaffected by the bending above.

Which node am I trying to get below, the first true leaves or the node above that?

In the early stages (but not in day 1), it's just important that the top be heading in a downward arc. Once it starts to grow out and you keep it low, the rest of the lower nodes will outpace it.

This is good post to see the progression.

The super cropped one.. what’s a good plan of action? Do you think that one will still spread like it’s supposed to or should I pull it back up let it heal and retry?

I would straighten it out and let it heal, but if you're inclined to give it a go as is you should eventually transplant it to the far edge of the pot to make room for the lateral growth.

I waited a little too long and likely should’ve started when the 3rd node was established

It's more about height than nodes. If it's done too short, you end up with the top just rising on a slant (which I see with a lot of LST) rather than getting lower than the rest.

The further up the trunk you support it the better.

 

[Sparkey224]

Hey Shed,
Haven't touch until the first tie down. 5 days ago mayb? Around that ballpark.
Ive noticed my top node branching coming back now. Little higher than the lowers.
Should i keep her that way or pull down a little to level with lowers..
Hope that makes sense.

Cant believe how much faster this lowering branching coming up.
Cheers bud

 

[InTheShed]

Hey Shed,
Haven't touch until the first tie down. 5 days ago mayb? Around that ballpark.
Ive noticed my top node branching coming back now. Little higher than the lowers.
Should i keep her that way or pull down a little to level with lowers..
Hope that makes sense.

Cant believe how much faster this lowering branching coming up.
Cheers bud

I'd move the tie out to grab the new growth, or add another. You want to keep that new gowth lower to make the plant think it no longer has an apical top.

 

[Sparkey224]

Forgot to add the pic, my bad.

 

[Keffka]

So I was successful with the LST on one of the plants so far.. apical dominance was replaced with lateral growth.. I had to get smaller rubber ties.. I also need to figure out a better way to approach it in my environment. I think next time I will use my containers that I’ve drilled holes into the rims on so I can anchor it that way. My biggest issue was being able to hold the apical tip down while keeping the stem straight.

 

[InTheShed]

So I was successful with the LST on one of the plants so far.. apical dominance was replaced with lateral growth.. I had to get smaller rubber ties.. I also need to figure out a better way to approach it in my environment. I think next time I will use my containers that I’ve drilled holes into the rims on so I can anchor it that way. My biggest issue was being able to hold the apical tip down while keeping the stem straight.

Looking good, and your work-around seems to be doing the job just fine!

I use barbecue skewers to extend the rim of the pot if the plant gets too big before it needs to be upcanned. Here are a couple of pics of how I do it:

 

[Keffka]

Looking good, and your work-around seems to be doing the job just fine!

I use barbecue skewers to extend the rim of the pot if the plant gets too big before it needs to be upcanned. Here are a couple of pics of how I do it:

Ooo clever.. Definitely gonna need to do that since she’s still got 2ish weeks left in her current pot. Thanks for the tip!

 

[little kitten]

Greetings all! I've had members ask about how I do my LST (low stress training) on my plants so I thought I would do a pictorial on it. My pics are of two different plants but don't let that confuse you. It's just easier to demonstrate that way.

Let's discuss the theory behind LST for a minute. Cannabis plants grow up to the sun. They have a top (apical) cola and side branching. Most of the growth hormones (auxins) go to that apical cola, which is why an untrained plant often has a beautiful huge bud on top and then progressively smaller buds as you head toward the soil. Topping a plant tells the plant that there is no longer an apical cola (damage alert!!!) so it needs to send the auxins to other branches to assure its chances to pass on its genetics. You then end up with two tops from that one.

That's great for photo plants which you can grow as big as you want them to be before you flip them, but autos are on an internal clock. Now many growers top their autos and get great results. I don't. I try to stress autos as little as possible so I do LST.

LST is a method for tricking the plant into thinking it no longer has an apical cola without actually removing it. The method involves pulling the top down flat so that it's not higher than the rest of the plant. The plant still thinks it's lost its apical cola and begins to send the growth hormones to the rest of the branches, but there is no recovery time as there is with topping because nothing has been cut.

As each of the lower branches grows in response, it gets tied down toward the outside of the pot, allowing light and air to get to the rest of the plant, and forcing the plant to continue to evenly spread the auxins.

Let's look at some pics!

I used to start bending the plant when it was much younger. Now I wait until the stem will be close to even with the top edge of the pot after it's bent. This was my Blueberry Auto from last summer.

20170614_083330.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018
• 1

Blueberry auto 2

You can see that I used a rock to hold the stem in place as I bent it. It's important that the base of the stem be upright so you don't put stress on the stem/root connection. Now I use a rock as well as a tie holding the stem in the opposite direction to the bend. This is my current Blue Treacle:

20181020_094929.jpg

• InTheShed
• Oct 20, 2018

Blue Treacle 2 LST begins

Let's watch the progress of the Blueberry Auto as it goes from the first pic to full buddage!

You can see how I have begun to take the side branching and lay it out flat as well - away from any other growth - using the sticks and twist ties. Flattening each branch forces the plant to spread the auxins equally:

20170628_081732.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Blueberry auto 2

Once the branches outgrow the internal size of the pot, I tie the branches to the edge:

20170706_081732.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Blueberry auto 2

Once they get this far into flower there is no more to be done except watch them grow! I do not untie them until I harvest the plant.

20170720_081206.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Blueberry auto 2

Here is the Blueberry getting close to the end. Can you spot the apical cola? This produced over 4 ounces of dried buds. Not too shabby!

20170807_073337.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018
• 5

Blueberry auto 2

Now let's look at an auto I have currently going into the earliest stages of flower. This one is a Blue Treacle, shown in the second pic with the white wire holding the stem in place opposite the bend. Here is a top view:

20181106_081156.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Flat trained LST canopy

And here it is from the side. You can see how flat the top is:

20181106_081230.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Flat trained LST canopy

This plant thinks there is no apical cola and is trying its damnedest to develop a new one. Not going to let that happen! I want each cola to be the same size in the end, similar to the last Blueberry pic.

Time for a closer look at the restraints!

20181106_081250.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Tie downs

20181106_081453.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Tie downs

20181106_081501.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Tie downs

20181106_081514.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Tie downs

My main stem no longer has any room for me to get a pipe cleaner in between the bud sites. No matter! I just grabbed a top fan and tied that down!

20181106_081442.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Tie downs on the leaf, not a stem

And here you can see some of the exposed lower sites that get full light and are close to the same height as the rest of the stem...more hormones!

20181106_081636.jpg

• InTheShed
• Nov 6, 2018

Lowers growing up

That's the way I do it. Post questions or comments!

I'll update this thread when the buds develop and we can see if they're as even as the Blueberry was!

NEVER get tired of looking at this-----thanks for posting!

 

[InTheShed]

NEVER get tired of looking at this-----thanks for posting!

Glad to help where I can!

 

[little kitten]

Shed, I got 2 questions

Glad to help where I can!

that came to mind when I was at the co-op. (That I would only ask someone that I think KNOWS....
1. How would mixing 13-13-13 (when you graduate to 5 gal. pot) just a few sprinkles....be tolerated by cannibis?
2. What would ammonium nitrate (VERY FEW PELLETS) do just before the flowering stage?
IF either one of these are used, how long should you wait before you continue with your usual nute schedule?
(Both girls are doing so well, I MAY TRY TO EXPERIMENT (on one), depending on your answer.

 

[InTheShed]

Shed, I got 2 questions

I'd like to take those over to my grow journal if you don't mind. I'll be there in a minute!