Training methods for outdoor garden

[PaleSun]

Hello everybody

I've been successfully growing outdoors for a couple years and have always just let the Feminized Purple Kush grow into their natural cone shape. It's a nice secluded spot and gets direct sun all day. Most times they reach 7ft (2m) and there's plenty at harvest.

What I'm really wondering about is training methods for outdoor gardens. Does anyone use anything that resembles a screen or maybe LST bending? I'm not sure if there's any real benefit, maybe not.

Anyway, let me know if you've been trying any outdoor training. I'd love to hear about it. Send pics if you can.

Cheers!

 

[Blew Hiller]

I am still trying to find the best method for me...last year I tried tomatoes cages and they just got lost in the growth, though they were useful in the early training stage to direct the branch growth. I am looking at using a cattle panel bent around the plants this year to provide real structure, both for training and for support during flowering.

Hopefully you'll start a grow journal and share the grow with everyone here.

 

[Captain goodvibes]

Ive been quite successful with scrog grows outdoors.

 

[Blew Hiller]

Ive been quite successful with scrog grows outdoors.

I've considered using the cattle panels horizontally for scrog. Do you have any pics?

 

[Captain goodvibes]

sorry, no pics. But last time I used piece of wire mesh 50mm x 50mm gaps laid horizontally and cable tied to 4 wood posts , I planted in early October , they started to flower in December and I ended up with a monster scrog from 3 plants about 1.5 m high and 3m long. width was only 500mm to fit in between the shed and the fence.

 

[Blew Hiller]

sorry, no pics.

Oh, you tease...

 

[PaleSun]

Interesting options. I wonder about wooden garden lattice? It's nice and light.

How high above soil level do you think the screen should be. Did you guys top or LST as well?

 

[Captain goodvibes]

I found the wooden lattice a bit flimsy, tends to fall apart plus the cross pieces are too broad to bend the tops under effectively. . The wire mesh is just as light. I topped once but I dont think you have to at all and the LST is part of the scrog. I trained it under the mesh a couple weeks before flowering started, being an outdoor grow I couldnt time the flowering start but it worked out well, once the plant was about a metre high I just started bending it under the mesh. Had to raise the mesh once though.

 

[PaleSun]

Well I'm definitely going to try this in the summer. Captain goodvibes, what is this "wire mesh"? Like chicken wire, for growing beans & peas?

I'm thinking some topping will be in order once the plants are about a meter high

 

[Captain goodvibes]

well If you are in Oz you can buy a panel of mesh for about 20 bucks from Bunnings from the garden centre. . Much bigger gaps than chicken mesh and thicker. Commonly used to trellis plants.

 

[PaleSun]

Actually I read an article about Scrog last night. Buddy showed how to make a screen on a frame using 2x2 lumber and cord/string. Says you can just cut the cords at harvest time.

Think I'm going to do an A/B comparison this year. Will do 1 or 2 using LST and SCROG techniques and the others as natural cone shapes.

Remains to be seen if SCROG outdoors makes a big diff. This year will tell

 

[andIhalped]

I LST heavily up until a coupla weeks before flowering, with topping early to get more bud sites using the approach shown here: On Walden's Outdoor Grow In The PNW '18: A Nonlinear Tale
Some photos of the results:

a.JPG

• andIhalped
• Nov 25, 2018

AmHashaug.jpg

• andIhalped
• Aug 31, 2018

am-hashplnt.jpg

• andIhalped
• Aug 23, 2018

lebnep1.JPG

• andIhalped
• Aug 14, 2018

I aim for plants that are much wider horizontally than they are tall.
I've tried screens/scrog outdoors, but have found it to be more hassle than the approach described above. But that's me...

 

[Lerugged]

Hey man .Cool topic. Been doing all sorts of training. Here are some pics. All are Durban poison landraces. Peace

 

[PaleSun]

Lerugged! Holy...!! I'm speechless. Those are incredible pics. Especially that 4 legged cone for tying back different branches. Awesome man, thank you for posting.

Did you top that plant inside the cone/pyramid, or just tie it wide and let it go? Cheers!

 

[Lerugged]

Lerugged! Holy...!! I'm speechless. Those are incredible pics. Especially that 4 legged cone for tying back different branches. Awesome man, thank you for posting.

Did you top that plant inside the cone/pyramid, or just tie it wide and let it go? Cheers!

Hey .
She got topped by the wind after a super crop . She was just before stretch when happened. The cone thing is just a support from the inside wind we get.
If you check out my journal it's there .

 

[flashmp3]

An example of outdoor training. Topped once then quick lst and nothing more

Blue dream side view

• flashmp3
• Sep 12, 2018

More opened thanks to pruning

Outdoor blue dream

• flashmp3
• Sep 12, 2018

Received last pruning as she starts flowering

Blue dream day 110

• flashmp3
• Sep 7, 2018

Blue dream outdoor

• flashmp3
• Sep 7, 2018

She had received hair cut on 27th August

Blue dream day 72

• flashmp3
• Jul 31, 2018

Blue dream day 55

• flashmp3
• Jul 14, 2018

Left view

Outdoor girls

• flashmp3
• Jul 8, 2018

Green crack day 16

She was the one of the left

 

[Leappy]

Hello everybody

I've been successfully growing outdoors for a couple years and have always just let the Feminized Purple Kush grow into their natural cone shape. It's a nice secluded spot and gets direct sun all day. Most times they reach 7ft (2m) and there's plenty at harvest.

What I'm really wondering about is training methods for outdoor gardens. Does anyone use anything that resembles a screen or maybe LST bending? I'm not sure if there's any real benefit, maybe not.

Anyway, let me know if you've been trying any outdoor training. I'd love to hear about it. Send pics if you can.

Cheers!

Hey PaleSun.. I did 7 plants outdoors last season.. all with LST and 1 plant (sativa) left to do her own thing.. also over 7 ft tall but I did app the LST and the results thereof.. strong plants with amazing stems and I had no need for support screens at all. Good luck

 

[BeezLuiz]

How did the yield and bud size compare between the LST and non-LST?

 

[Stunger]

Hi All, I'm constrained with a balcony for an outdoor grow, but to remain under the line of sight of my neighbors I really need to train my grows to not go above 1 meter. The very first grow I did, I LST'd all the branches but then had to chop the main cola as it was poking up too high. Then with last year's grow, I topped for the first tine as well as LST'd but ended up a messy all 'over the show' plant. This year I was inspired by Light Addict's incredible fluxing approach. Altho the plants went into mega stretch mode when I was away for a short holiday and at this point I ceased further maintenance training. Obviously Fluxing indoors, then one can veg until the plant has developed sufficient lateral branching before putting it into flowering, but when outdoors time is limited for veg growth. Next time, I would probably avoid pruning off the up/down growth and instead let it grow out until I could train them to go lateral with the aim of getting as many cola branches as I could before the plant goes to flower. I would like to try super cropping a plant in the future too. Pics below taken today, of my two somewhat out of shape fluxed plants.

DSC00420.JPG

• Stunger
• Apr 3, 2019

White Widow XTRM week 9

DSC00411.JPG

• Stunger
• Apr 3, 2019

Gorgonzola week 11

 

[beardog]

So much to take in. What an incredible forum! A simple question, should an outdoor plant in a 5 gal container of well draining soil, six weeks old, 14" high, greener than most limes, no visible leaf issues and having every appearance of thriving during direct southern California sun in April, 'droop' when the sun goes down? I am watering at four day intervals and only enough to see the container drain with runoff, no more. Started fox farm grow big & big bloom last week at one tsp of each in half gal of RO h20. I don't understand the drooping. I apologize for no photo, I'm an old fart, no smart phone to make that convenient. Should my otherwise gorgeous looking plant droop after dark? What am I missing here? Appreciate every constructive reply, thank you!