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Find out how to train your cannabis plants for optimal growth. These tips and tricks will help you get the most out of your plants and produce the best possible results.
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The Basics of Plant Training
Plant training is a process of manipulating the plant’s growth pattern to produce a more desired outcome. For cannabis, this usually means increasing yield, improving bud quality, or both. There are several different methods of training, but the most common are topping, LST’ing, and supercropping. Let’s learn a little more about each of these methods.
Why Train Your Plants?
There are many reasons to train your cannabis plants, and the benefits often depend on the specific training method you choose. For example, Low-Stress Training (LST) can increase yields by exposing more of the plant to direct sunlight, while Screen of Green (SCROG) can help improve airflow and reduce the risk of mold and mildew.
In general, training techniques can help you:
– Improve yield and quality by increasing light exposure and air circulation
– Ensure an even canopy so all buds get similar exposure to light
– Save space by training plants to grow horizontally or in a specific shape
– Reduce the risk of certain problems like mold, pests, and wind damage
The Different Methods of Plant Training
Plant training is a technique that is used to modify the growth of a cannabis plant. By manipulating the size and shape of a plant, growers can increase yields, improve air circulation, and sunlight exposure, and reduce the risk of pests and mold. There are many different methods of plant training, each with its own set of benefits.
Topping is a method of plant training that involves cutting off the main stem of a plant just below a node. This causes the plant to produce two new shoots, which will grow into two new main stems. Topping can be repeated multiple times to produce even more main stems. Plants that have been topped will typically have a wider canopy than un-topped plants.
FIMing (or “FIMing”) is similar to topping, but instead of cutting off the entire main stem, only the tip is removed. This leaves behind a small portion of the main stem, which will branch out and produce two new shoots. FIMing can also be repeated multiple times to produce more branches. Plants that have been FIMed will typically have a denser canopy than un-FIMed plants.
Lollipopping is a method of pruning that involves removing all lower leaves and branches from a plant. This allows light and air to circulate more evenly throughout the canopy, which results in better growth for the upper leaves and branches. Lollipopping also makes it easier to identify pests and diseases, and to remove damaged leaves and branches.
Defoliation is the process of removing all leaves from a cannabis plant. This can be done all at once, or gradually over time. Defoliation increases air circulation and allows light to penetrate all parts of the canopy, which results in improved growth for the upper leaves and buds. Defoliation can also be used to manipulate the sex of a cannabis plant – by removing all male flowers before they have a chance to pollenate female flowers, growers can produce seedless (“sinsemilla”) buds.
To learn more about these and other methods of plant training, check out our complete guide to cannabis pruning!
Low-Stress Training (LST)
LST is a training technique that involves manipulating the plant to grow in a certain way. It is a safe and effective way to improve yields and quality. LST can be used on both young and mature plants.
What is Low-Stress Training?
Low-Stress Training (LST) is a cannabis training technique that involves bending and manipulating the plant to encourage it to grow in a certain way. By carefully bending the main stem of the plant and tucking the leaves under, you can control the shape and direction of growth. LST is a great way to maximize your grow space and encourage your plants to produce more buds.
There are several different ways to achieve LST, but the basic principle is always the same – you want to bend the plant so that it grows horizontally rather than vertically. This will encourage the plant to produce more buds, as well as making it easier to manage in a smaller grow space. LST is especially effective in environments where vertical growth is discouraged, such as in Sea of Green (SOG) grows.
To start training your plants using LST, you’ll need to find some sort of support system that you can use to gently bend the stems. This could be something as simple as fishing line or even strips of cloth. Once you’ve selected your material, you can start gently bending the main stem of the plant and tucking the leaves under. You can do this on individual branches or on the main stem itself – it’s up to you. Just be careful not to snap anything!
Once you’ve bent the stems into position, you can secure them with your chosen material. This will help prevent the stems from snapping back into place or from being blown around by wind or other movement. You can leave your plants secured like this for several days or weeks, until they have grown into their new shape.
Once your plants have grown into their new shape, you can remove the support material and enjoy your beautifully trained cannabis plants!
How to Low-Stress Train Your Plants
LST, or low-stress training, is a common cultivation technique used to encourage cannabis plants to grow wider instead of taller. By gently bending and tying down the tallest stems, growers can “train” their plants to produce shorter, denser buds all along the main stalk, rather than concentrating all their energy into a single tall cola.
LST is an especially useful technique for growers who are limited by height restrictions, and can be used in conjunction with topping (another common training method) to create incredibly bushy, productive plants. Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to low-stress train your cannabis plants for optimal growth.
What is Low-Stress Training?
As the name suggests, low-stress training (LST) is a gentle way of training your cannabis plants that minimizes the amount of stress placed on the plant. Unlike topping (which involves cutting off the main stem), LST relies on bending and securing the tallest stems in order to redirect the plant’s energy into growing new lateral branches. These secondary branches will then produce their own buds, resulting in a shorter but wider final product.
Since LST doesn’t involve any actual removal of plant material, it’s considered a much less stressful method of training than topping or FIMing (another common cultivation technique). This means that LST can be performed more often without risking damage to your plants, and also makes it an ideal technique for first-time growers who are still getting familiar with working with their plants.
How Does Low-Stress Training Work?
The principle behind LST is simple: by redirecting a plant’s energy away from vertical growth and towards lateral growth, you can encourage it to produce more buds all along its length rather than concentrating all its efforts into a single large cola at the top.
To do this, growers will need to bend the tallest stems downwards and secure them in place with some kind of support system (more on that later). The broken internode between the stem and the main stalk will then cause the plant to grow new lateral branches in an effort to reach back up towards the light source – resulting in a shorter but wider final product.
It’s important to note that LST should only be performed on young plants that are still in their vegetative stage – attempting to low-stress train mature flowering plants will only result in stressed, damaged specimens. Once your plants have started flowering, it’s best to just let them do their thing and focus on providing them with ideal growing conditions until harvest time rolls around.
What Are The Benefits Of Low-Stress Training?
There are several benefits that come with low-stress training your cannabis plants:
1. Increased Yields: One of the most obvious benefits of LST is that it can lead to significantly increased yields come harvest time. By redirecting a plant’s energy away from vertical growth and towards lateral growth, you can encourage it to produce more buds all along its length rather than concentrating all its efforts into a single large cola at the top.
2. Shorter Plants: Another benefit of LST is that it can help you keep your plants short and squat – perfect for growers who are limited by height restrictions or don’t want their crop towering over everything else in their grow room!
3. Better Airflow: Since LST results in shorter but wider final products, it also allows for better airflow between each individual plant – reducing the risk of mold or mildew problems down the line.
Overall, low-stress training is an incredibly versatile cultivation technique that can be used by growers of all experience levels to achieve increased yields and better bud quality come harvest time. So if you’re looking for a way to give your cannabis crop a boost this season, why not give LST a try?
High-Stress Training (HST)
One of the easiest ways to increase your cannabis plant’s yield is by high-stress training (HST). HST is a type of plant training that involves stressing the plant out to force it to grow in a certain way. This can be done by bending the stems, defoliation, or even topping.
What is High-Stress Training?
High-stress training (HST) is a type of plant training that involves subjecting the plant to a period of stress in order to force it to grow in a certain way. By stressing the plant, you can manipulate its growth pattern and encourage it to produce bigger, healthier leaves and buds.
HST is often used by growers who want to increase the size of their plants without using artificial chemicals or techniques. It can be an effective way to maximize the yield of your crop, as well as improve the quality of the final product.
There are a few different ways to stress your plants, but the most common method is by topping them. Topping involves cutting off the main stem of the plant, which forces the plant to grow new stems and leaves. This process can be repeated several times throughout the growing season, and each time you top your plants, they will grow bigger and bushier.
Other methods of Stress training include:
-Defoliation: Removing leaves from the plant to reduce its overall leaf surface area. This forces the plant to grow new leaves, which can improve bud development.
-Supercropping: A technique that involves gently bending and breaking stems in order to encourage new growth.
-Low-stress training (LST): A gentler form of HST that doesn’t involve cutting or breaking stems. LST can be achieved by simply tying down branches so that they grow horizontally instead of vertically.
How to High-Stress Train Your Plants
High-stress training (HST) is a cultivation technique that involves deliberately stressing your cannabis plants to encourage them to grow more vigorously. By subjecting your plants to periods of stress, you can force them to produce more growth hormones, leading to healthier, more robust plants.
There are a number of different ways to high-stress train your plants, but the most common method is via topping. Topping involves cutting off the main stem of the plant just below the topmost leaves. This stresses the plant and forces it to produce two new stems in an effort to compensate for the loss of the original stem.
Topping your plants once or twice during their vegetative stage can significantly increase the size and yield of your final crop. However, it’s important to note that HST is a advanced cultivation technique that should only be attempted by experienced growers. If done improperly, HST can permanently damage your plants.
Screen of Green (SCROG)
Screen of Green, or SCROG, is a training technique that is used to maximize the yield and quality of your cannabis plants. This technique involves using a screen or net to evenly distribute the buds throughout the canopy. By training your plants this way, you can get more light and air to the lower buds, which will result in bigger, better buds.
What is Screen of Green?
Screen of Green, often abbreviated as SCROG, is a training technique for cannabis that has many benefits. The goal of SCROG is to evenly distribute light and air to all parts of the plant while allowing the main cola (central bud) to grow uninterrupted. Even light distribution leads to even growth, which means bigger yields! Another benefit of SCROG is that it helps prevent wide phenotypic variation in your plants (more on that later).
A “screen” is placed over the plants, and then the branches are trained through the screen. You can make your own SCROG screen out of anything that has holes in it, but common choices are chicken wire or lattice. The most important part is to make sure the holes are small enough so that the branches can’t just slip through. Once the screen is in place, you need to start training your plants.
To train a plant, you simply bend the stem and tuck it through one of the holes in the screen. It’s important not to break the stem, as this will damage the plant. Once you’ve tucked the stem through the hole, you can let go and let the plant grow into its new position. You can train plants throughout their entire life cycle, but it’s best to start early on so they have plenty of time to fill out the screen before flowering.
As your plants start to fill out the screen, you will need to do some maintenance to make sure all parts of the plant are getting adequate light and air. This means occasionally removing any leaves or branches that are blocking light from getting to lower parts of the plant. You may also need to thin out your plants if they are getting too crowded. Allowing too many stems to grow unchecked will result in smaller buds, so it’s important to be vigilant about keeping your canopy open.
SCROG is an easy and effective way to get bigger yields from your cannabis plants. By evenly distributing light and air throughout the canopy, SCROG ensures that every part of your plant can reach its full potential. So if you’re looking for larger harvests, give SCROG a try!
How to Screen of Green Your Plants
Screen of Green, or SCROG, is a technique for training cannabis plants that allows growers to get the most out of their grow space and produce larger, more consistent yields.
Here’s how it works:
The SCROG method involves using a screen or grid to evenly distribute the plant’s canopy. This even distribution allows all areas of the plant to receive an equal amount of light, which results in more even growth and larger yields.
To set up a SCROG grow, you will need a screen or grid that is large enough to cover the entire grow area. The screen should be placed a few inches above the plants so that it does not touch the tips of the plants. As the plants grow, they will need to be trained to grow through the screen. This can be done by gently bending the stems and tucking them under the screen.
The SCROG method is an easy way to get the most out of your grow space and produce larger, more consistent yields. Give it a try today!
