Some info on LST

PHATBLUNT420

New Member
okay so im plannin on lstn for a couple weeks.then FIM'n my top..
good idead??


Well here we go, LST (Low Stress Training) the ultimate way to maximize your yield.

Before we begin lets get some knowledge on what you will be looking at.

Light Brown : Pot Outline
Green thick Lines : Main Stem
Small Thin Lines with Green Balls on top : Fan leafs
Yellow Lines : Side Branches
Red : Tiedown Metal Hooks (or thread whichever item you use, i use Hooks its easier)

The Text in the box : First digit is Step No. and Second Digit is Pot Size, below the numbers is the type of view your looking at (either from the SIDE or from the TOP)


Now that thats out of the way lets get it on..

Please note, you dont have to do it this way, its just the idea of how to do LST, this is the way i did it and you can see the end result of 4 weeks of growth this way in my signature picture where it says FIM/LST. Some may opt to use the eggcrate method where you utilize an eggcrate around the pot and tie it down to that with zipties instead of using string or hooks running from the pot itself... this way you can cover more square footage and maximize your yield even more.

Ok heres the STEPS PICTURE for you to follow along with.

2mm7f9u_1_.jpg


STEP 1 : Grow your plant from Seed or Clone to 3 or 4 leaf sets, some use 5 but i always use 3 because after 3rd leaf set the main stem starts to harden and it will be harder to bend over your plant properly without breaking the main stem.

STEP 2 : Using a metal hook (i cut small sections of cloths hanger and bend a U shape at the end as a hook) bend over your plant with metal hook at the last internode (space between the last set of fanleafs and the next to last) and stick the metal hook into your dirt to hold down the stem.

STEP 3 : This is really not a step, just waiting time... Take note of how the top of the plant that was bent down will bend back upwards towards the light, this could take anywhere from 3 hours to 1 day. Under my 1000 Watt Metal Halide light it does it in under 3 hours.

STEP 4 : Veg and dont tie down until you have a new leaf set. You will notice Side branching has started already because good light is getting to the main stem areas next to each fanleaf stem intersection with the main stem.

STEP 5 : Depending on your starting pot size you may have to transplant. If you started out with a large pot, repeat step 2 over and over again holding the main stem down with hooks until you reach the end of the pot. In this illustration to save time and drawings, i started out with a small pot and it reached the end of the pot after the first tiedown. I repotted it into a 10 inch pot which will be my final pot size for this plant in order for me to continue the LST Bends around the inside edge of the pot.

STEP 6 : Now that your new leaf set has formed you have enough length in growth since the first bend(s) to allow you to start bending the stem horizontally around the inside edge of the pot. Use metal hooks again to keep this bend in place. Side branches should be coming along very nicely.

STEP 7 : Continue repeating steps 4 and 6, allowing the plant to grow and then keep tieing it down along the inside edge of pot using metal hooks (or whatever your using) Side branches should be forming and growing up towards the light.

STEP 8 : Continue to repeat step 7 until you are all the way around the pot... when you reach the point where your plant first met the edge of the plant Top the plant (cut off the very top of the plant ) and hold it down horizontally with a metal hook.... During all this time of repeating step 7 you should also be tieing down horizontally the new branches that have formed from the main stem as much as possible until you use up as much space as possible inside the pot as well , the outter branches growing over the outside edge of the pot you can hold down as well with string to keep those tops even with the inner branches.

STEP 9 : After you have used up all possible space inside the pot (or your eggcrate) its time to just let it flower.. This is a side view of how it will and should look by that time with all the side branches growing upwards towards the light.... these will all become Collas unlike a non LST plant will only have one colla.

During flowering and even before due to lack of light on the main stem fan leafs which is all the way to the bottom almost against the soil those fanleafs will die off anyways, i usually cut these off the main stem right after the branch has grown out in that area, keeps things neat down below where you will need good airflow during flowering.. so go ahead and take off any fanleafs coming off the main stem that is going around the inside edge of the pot.

Set your timer to 12/12 and watch it bloom

There is no Step 10 in the picture but we all know what that is HARVEST!
 
Nice illustration but LST doesn't require a circular training pattern. I myself have been lsting for years and have grown them in circles, squares, zig zag and even just bent over in a 7 foot long line.lol LST is just the bending of the stem to train. What direction is taken depends on the grower.
I prefer super cropping to LSTing now but that's more to even out my canopy than it is to save room. If i were really looking to increase yield while using all available space under a small to average light I would SCRoG.
 
Great job on the pics bubba :cheesygrinsmiley:

Yeapper, like BubbaRace says, thats one way to do it,
in fact if my second pic would show the first nodes gone, topped off
and only 2 nodes or 4 new branches/colas.

Then I pin those down when they are long enough
and just keep on keeping them pinned down as they grow out.
 
This is an awesome post of information. Two newbie questions:

Once you have the plant trained around the pot and start the flower cycle, do you trim the fan leaves on each branch much or at all?

How close do you keep your lighting to the plant during the veg cycle while training?

Thanks
 
as of now i only have 2 clones. so i dont think SCRoG applies????...

so i guess ill just LST till i have enough nodes to FIM it

Hey PHATBlunt, assuming I followed the circular pattern in your drawing, can I FIM multiple nodes at a time once the top of the plant has gone all the way around and the LST part done? Or would doing them all stress the plant too much? Thanks...
 
This is an awesome post of information. Two newbie questions:

Once you have the plant trained around the pot and start the flower cycle, do you trim the fan leaves on each branch much or at all?

How close do you keep your lighting to the plant during the veg cycle while training?

Thanks

Well it depends on your light. And i wouldnt trim the fan leaves for the first part of flower, wait till week 6ish.
 
Hey PHATBlunt, assuming I followed the circular pattern in your drawing, can I FIM multiple nodes at a time once the top of the plant has gone all the way around and the LST part done? Or would doing them all stress the plant too much? Thanks...

Just rember topping and fimming are great but dont over do it. Youll just end up with a bunch of smaller buds
 
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