lst topping and training thread

[VerdantGreen]

not sure where scrogging comes into this but imo its like an easy way of doing lst as the support frame is already there and you dont have to tie down individual branches.

i still tend to top plants to get multiple tops before i start to scrog them as i find that the main top will stay dominant to an extent even when you bend it over - this is also strain dependent. plants grown from seed also tend to be harder to encourage sidebranching with LST and the tips will stay dominant - so if youve topped them a couple times then at least you have 4 co-dominant leaders rather than 1.

without trying to sound clever its worth knowing about what is happening in the plant when you do this. dominant tops produce auxins which travel down the plant and cause it to put its energy into growing roots rather than making sidebranches. once you remove the top or bend it down the auxins stop and the plant will produce sidebranches.
because of this i tend NOT to top a plant at the same time as you want it to grow roots like at repot time.

as someone mentioned earlier its always best to top down to a big mature leaf or leaves (because it is this leaves which will be the primary source of energy for the plant to grow its new shoots).

VG

 

[edgey]

lst topping and training thread

Nice info verdant , we love a good scrog and there more than welcome in this thread

 

[VerdantGreen]

cheers edgey! at the end of the day they are all methods of canopy management - getting as many buds on the top deck as possible.
this was done under a little 100watt LED light
7 weeks

11 weeks

 

[RudeDog]

Top info VG....What would be the effect of potting up, topping and then straight to 12/12? Would this slow the root development for a certain amount of time while the plant recovered from the topping?

 

[edgey]

cheers edgey! at the end of the day they are all methods of canopy management - getting as many buds on the top deck as possible.
this was done under a little 100watt LED light
7 weeks

11 weeks

very nice m8 , just goes to show what can be had in a small space and light

 

[~Shhh~]

Something i often wonder, what is the average time you guys veg for running lower plant numbers?

What medium are you running?

 

[edgey]

Something i often wonder, what is the average time you guys veg for running lower plant numbers?

What medium are you running?

i veg till i have room in the flower tent lol , usually 4-6 weeks .

grow in coco , sometimes hand watered sometimes with drippers depending on the numbers

edgey

 

[VerdantGreen]

in my 'big' cab (actually not very big at all) i scrog 4 plants under a 250 hps

veg time is anything from 2 - 4 weeks strain dependent.

VG

 

[edgey]

in my 'big' cab (actually not very big at all) i scrog 4 plants under a 250 hps

veg time is anything from 2 - 4 weeks strain dependent.

VG

big or small you got it dialed in m8

edgey

 

[afternoon]

great thread, and great results, especially VerdantGreen's, I hope to emulate.

Here are pics of what I do and what I shouldn't do !

 

[VerdantGreen]

Top info VG....What would be the effect of potting up, topping and then straight to 12/12? Would this slow the root development for a certain amount of time while the plant recovered from the topping?

hi RD, i think the topping would slow the root development in the new pot as the plant would be concentrating on throwing sidebranches - but im sure it would catch up pretty quick.
i would say it would be better to have topped it a week or so before the repot/flip though

as for repotting on the flip to 12/12 - i did this for a long while out of necessity and im certain it delays flowering a bit whilst the roots fill out the pot - which in turn encourages more stretch (which isnt necessarily a bad thing - you just need to be able to handle it so as the canopy is managed properly).
on the flip side im pretty sure that a plant will show sex / start flowering quicker if the roots are filling the pot, so if you are waiting to sex plants then try to delay the repot till after you know. (again some forward planning will allow you to do this without the plant suffering from being rootbound for so long)

topping, imo, will also 'buy you some time' whilst the plant is in veg, keep them short with more tops (some people defoliate their plants for the same reason but i just cant get my head around that whole thing)

given the way the law works in the UK there are good reasons to grow less plants and make them bigger so all these techniques are useful to know and have the confidence to use. at the end of the day every plant is different and every grow is different so its good to be able to employ as many of these techniques as possible. i use a lot of LST on my scrogs as the colas grow above the screens - just moving a bud slightly so it is in the middle of the space it has available will make a lot of difference to it's size come harvest time.

lastly, its useful to know how to read patterns of yellowing when you scrog or LST. if you have largely trained the plant horizontally out from the middle as the branches grow, then if you see the buds start to yellow from the middle out, that is the equivalent of the bottom of the plant yellowing and indicates that the N is running out. check the 7 week plant in my picture above for a great example of this!

VG

 

[RudeDog]

Thanks for the detailed reply VG.....Definitly some food for thought.

The reason I asked the question is the problem I ran into with a couple of Chemdogs getting pot bound in about 10 days and stretching beyond my belief. Ended up binning these & I wouldn't mind trying the Chems again but being prepared for the stretch and root growth.

I got a Chem D x Sensi Star x AK47 which has streched a fair bit as well but as I hadn't trained her I just bent the main stem and tied it to a cane. The other branches have since caught up with main stem. She's at 16 days of flower so I'll give her a good stripping out tonight as I reckon the stretching has stopped.

Not got access to a decent camera so I can't put up any good pics that are going to do justice. Xmas bonus this will fund a camera.

 

[VerdantGreen]

hey RD the chem did the same thing stretch wise to me - threw a huge internodal distance just towards the end of the stretch (hate it when that happens because with small lights you want to get as many bud as possible in that sweet spot) sometimes keeping the plants as close as possible to the light during stretch will help, also do the last repot a week or so before flipping them.
the best thing ive come across to reduce stretch is using MH lamp for the first 3 weeks though.

 

[~Shhh~]

My GH Chemdog Lol and some OG#18 a friend is running have an astonishing stretch and are seriously vigorous growth/ root wise. Some of the quickest clones to root (7days) and fill the cups up...

They really could have used some topping/ training for sure!

Check out the plants in right hand side of pic

 

[edgey]

here's mine on day 1 of string .

i've got 5 - 6 weeks before these go on flower so i won't top rhwm till there in there final pots and a lot bigger lol.

edgey