Trouble reading today's article? Click
here: Issue #302 - Sunday, January 28, 2018
Dear Fellow
Grower,
In today's issue... - Cannabis training directly translates into bigger, better, happier plants! Get the low down on some of the most popular techniques!
- A grower called
'NugWitch' has cursed us all...to witness the the true power of out-of-control trichome production!
- This weeks trophy pic looked so good, Sirius went and got some of the same genetics. You can get some Autofem Blueberry Kush, too!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside (founders of
GrowWeedEasy.com) "Great dancers are not great
because of their technique,
they are great because of their passion." ~Martha Graham
A Quick Guide to Marijuana Training Techniques Sirius Fourside |
Although cannabis can "grow like a weed", it doesn’t do so in an efficient manner for indoor growing.
Cannabis naturally grows in the shape of a Christmas
tree which works great outside under our powerful sun that moves through the sky. But indoors, grow lights stay in the same place; this means that parts of the plant are getting much more light than others.
Cannabis training is when growers use established or improvised techniques to alter the natural growth pattern of a marijuana plant, usually to increase
efficiency and yields when growing indoors.
There are already many methods available to train your plant, and growers are experimenting with new techniques all the time. In fact, there are so many methods available that many people get confused or intimidated and opt to not try any of them.
But there
won't be any confusion or intimidation here! Instead, you'll get an easy-to-digest report on how to take advantage of these techniques to get the most out of your cannabis plants!
Below, I’ll give you my cheat notes on some of the most popular methods of training plants. We'll be quickly reviewing: LST (Low-Stress Training) |
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What It Does:
Low-Stress Training - or LST - allows growers to change the actual shape of the
plant by slowly bending the stems downward in a deliberate fashion. The stems will grow vertically again, but now they will be better placed for light to contact more bud sites.
How to Do It:
Anyone who has done LST will agree that it’s kind of an art in its own right. The basics are to use twist-tie, twine, or something similar to tie to a stem. Next, the other end of
the twist-tie/twine/etc. is anchored in such a way as to bend the stem downward. This can be accomplished by tying the twine/etc. to the pot/bucket the plant is growing in. The stems are meant to be pulled away from each other to maximize growing space. Think of spreading out the stems from the middle like a star. LST is most effective when done in combination with topping, fimming or other training methods that break apical dominance (the tendency to grow in a Christmas tree
shape)
Who Should Try This?
Indoor growers of all skill levels can and should try LST! Whether you're doing a small grow or just trying to maximize on your indoor grow lights, LST will become a must after you've tried it once!
Pros: - Drastically increases yields when done correctly
- Manages height of plants; makes shorter plants with more buds!
- Makes much more effective use of lights
- Works amazingly with topping/fimming
Cons: - Growers can snap stems by bending too much at one time, or by trying to bend woody older stems instead of flexible new growth. If you ever snap a stem, tape it up immediately and it will heal!
- Can take more time than some other training methods since plants will likely need to be LST’d multiple times per branch.
Topping
What It Does:
Topping is a method used to force the cannabis plant to have two slightly smaller main stems instead of the normal one. Main stems (also called "main colas") almost always have the highest concentration of buds (by weight), so yields are
noticeably increased by making two of them, even if nothing else is done besides topping.
How to Do It:
Not only is Topping easy to do, but it only takes seconds and you're totally done afterward. To top your plant, you’ll need to wait until it grows at least 3 to 5 nodes. To finishing topping, simply cut off the newest node right above the leaves of the node below. You
can also cut down further on the plant if you need to make it shorter. Who Should Try This?
Like LST, topping is a
great starter training technique and can be attempted by growers of all skill ranges. I would suggest topping after you've grown a single plant (just to see how it works), but you can try it on your first plant if you're the adventurous type!
Pros: - Super easy to do
- Increases yields by a noticeable amount
- One cut; do it once and it’s done!
- Works amazingly with LST
Cons:
- Can be
intimidating to cut off the top of a plant
- Can slow down plant growth if done too early
Fimming
What It Does: Fimming is like topping in that it forces the plant to grow extra colas. However, while topping will make the plant to grow two main
colas, fimming usually creates 4.
How to Do It: As with topping, a grower should wait until their plant has at least 3 to 5 nodes before going through with fimming. When ready to FIM your plant, firmly pinch the leaves of the newest growth between your index finger and thumb. You can also cut the new growth instead of
pinching it. See the picture to the below for a detailed look. Who Should Try This?
Fimming can be tried by all growers as nothing really happens if it isn't done correctly. Wait until your plant has 5 nodes just to be safe. Then go for
it!
Pros: - Super easy to do - you can't really mess this one up
- Noticeable increase in yields
- Works extremely well with
LST
- Pinch it once, and the work is all done
Cons:
- Like with topping, fimming a plant too early will slow down growth
Manifolding
What It Does:
Manifolding is a modified way of topping a plant multiple times to get it to distribute energy equally to all nodes. When done correctly, all remaining branches will get an equivalent amount of energy from the roots, and as such, grow to a similar size. The point of manifolding is to create 8
symmetrical main colas. How to Do It:
Before attempting manifolding, growers should be very comfortable with topping as it involves topping the same plant multiple times. Below is the abridged
version of how to manifold a plant.
Please note that these steps are just to get you acquainted with what’s involved in manifolding, these are not complete steps!
- Wait for the plant to grow 6 nodes.
- Top to 3rd
node and remove extra growth
- Let each new cola grow 2-4 nodes
- Top to the 1st or 3rd node (whichever is more symmetric)
- Let the new colas grow 3 nodes
- Top to the 2nd node
At this point, the plant will have 8 symmetrical
colas.
Who Should Try This?
Manifolding is definitely an advanced technique, and we'd strongly advise growers to only try manifolding when they're very comfortable with growing and training plants. Manifolding can work in most mediums, but it shines brightest in hydroponics since the recovery time is dramatically shortened. It is not a good
technique for small plants since they need to be at least a few feet tall to get the benefits of manifolding.
Pros: - Equal distribution of energy makes for a hearty, good looking plant
- No small, larfy buds. All energy goes into long, huge colas
- Makes for efficient use of grow light
- Very noticeable increase in yields when performed correctly
Cons:
- Time-consuming
- Involves lots of cutting on the plant (topping) which will increase total grow time
- Doesn’t work
with fimming
- Not good for small plants - plants should be able to grow to at least a few feet tall after being manifolded in order to take advantage of the 8 colas (otherwise it's probably a waste of time)
- Not for beginners!
Defoliation What It Does:
Defoliation is a controversial technique that involves removing fan leaves to increase energy spent on bud sites. Defoliation is also thought to limit the
amount that a plant will grow vertically.
How to Do It:
To defoliate a plant, a grower would use their hands or scissors to remove fan leaves from the plant. These are the leaves that grow right under bud sites and have a long stem with just a single fan leaf on it. It's important to note that this is typically done early in the flowering stage, and only on healthy
plants with an abundance of light.
Who Should Try This?
This is another advanced technique, so you should only try it if growing cannabis feels easy, but you want to get more out of your grows. Growers who want to defoliate should be in early flowering (though it can be done in veg for height control) and using grow lights with enough power to penetrate far into the
canopy once the big fan leaves are gone.
Pros: - Easy to do once you know the technique
- Higher yields (more light to more bud sites = more bud)
- Creates more space between branches for bud sites to capitalize on.
- Tends to shorten the overall height of plants.
- Decreases chances of White Powdery Mold
- Sirius: I picked up defoliation after
Nebula covered an article about its benefits. Since then, I defoliate in every grow and I’d definitely stand behind it as a valid way to increase efficiency and yields when done correctly.
Cons:
- A bit scary/dangerous; one wrong cut can remove future buds
- Defoliating gives you less room for error, and any deficiencies will hit bud sites first
- Some growers claim defoliation actually stunts
plant growth instead of helping. Note: We at GWE do not agree with this sentiment.
Even
though we’ve gone through all these training methods, there are still more techniques to train your marijuana plants. In fact, there are two VERY popular techniques that were skipped to keep this article from getting too lengthy.
If you want to find out more about them, check out our articles on:
Trophy Picture of the Week! |
"Blueberry kush auto female from Nirvana seeds. My first grow and she was a beauty. 450w LED Viparspectra, 2x2x5 tent. 18/6. FFHF and 3 gallon smart pot. Flushed, dried and cured. LST'd her some during veg and flower. Covered in trichs!!! = ))"
-NugWitch |
Blueberry Kush Autoflower |
Sooo...when picking out this weeks trophy pic, I noticed I was staring at one entry for a bit too long.
Long story short, I got jealous and ordered some of the same seeds to see if I could do a
comparable job. I'm only human!
Here's a link below to get the same strain. You'll probably see it again in a few months when I harvest some, too! |
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"Dear Nebula, I love your articles and newsletters! You are the voice — in this canna-wilderness -- of sanity and intelligence, not to mention a down to earth unpretentiousness that I really like!
Keep up the good work!"
~Julie |
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Who Runs This
Newsletter? |
Nebula Haze:
I'll be honest with you, when I first started growing, I struggled. Now, it is my mission to
make it easier for new growers to get started as well as help advanced growers get bigger, better yields with less time and money. We are updating and adding articles every single week and our goal is to eventually build a comprehensive growing resource so anyone and everyone can grow if they want to! If we all share the knowledge there's more buds in the world for everyone :) |
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Learn which seed sources are personally recommended by Nebula Haze |
Sirius Fourside:
Sirius Fourside is a hobbyist grower who has gained the bulk of his experience growing in water as a medium (deep water culture, bubbleponics).
"Growing cannabis can be a relaxing hobby in and of itself, but it also saves you money and keeps you from having to deal with shady characters. Cannabis is much easier to grow than people give it credit for, and growing in water
doesn't increase the difficulty much, if any. But whether you want to grow in water, coco, or a different medium, we'll show you how easy it can be!"
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