As growing enthusiasts, we are always looking for that one trick that will maximize our yields and produce better cannabis in the end. Well there are no magic beans, but there are techniques we can employ that will almost guarantee an improvement in our production. Low Stress Training (LST) is a simple way to gain the most control of your garden and help push your yields over the top. Low stress training techniques look to condition your plant and control its growth without turning to damaging techniques like topping or super-cropping.
LOW STRESS VS HIGH STRESS TRAINING
You won't often hear growers talk about their high stress techniques. You will however hear them talk about topping and super-cropping. Both are control or training techniques that involve cutting or otherwise damaging the plant to trigger new growth. Topping involves the removal of flower sites which in turn will trigger a new branch of growth. You will fundamentally go from one cola to two. This is a pretty standard practice in most indoor gardens. Super-cropping is another technique designed to change the direction of growth for flower sites lower down the main stalk. It involves the physical bending of the plant in order to change the direction of growth of the budding flower sites. Instead of smaller buds growing outward, you end up with bigger denser buds growing straight up.
Both of these techniques work, however, both cause damage to the plant. On plants that are super-cropped, you can often see brown decaying plant matter near the point of bending. With low stress training techniques, you can achieve the same if not better results without causing unnecessary stress to your plant. LST involves the bending, pulling and securing of your plant in order to allow more light penetration to flower sites that would otherwise be ignored. LST allows you to control the shape and size of your plants, giving you more control over your garden and increasing yields through maximized light exposure.
TECHNIQUES
There are several techniques of low stress training, all of which involve physically securing your plants to control growth. A cannabis plant in its purest form is shaped somewhat like a Christmas tree. One tall cola with a network of smaller colas and larfy buds is what you get if you plant em and forget em. Indoor cannabis cultivation is akin to a chicken coop that grows chickens so big they can't stand on their own. Nature would never do that to chickens or cannabis. Working with low stress techniques maximizes light exposure through physical manipulation of the plant. Maximum light exposure means that all the small buds that never stood a chance, now can grow into dense solid buds.
Controlling growth means keeping your main stem and branches low by pulling or weaving them. Depending on how low you want to keep your plant will determine what technique you use. The simplest way to get started with low stress training is by using string, zip ties, twist-ties or any combination thereof. Start by carefully pulling down your main stem so as to avoid damage while exposing the bottom branches to the light. Secure the plant in such a way that the smaller flower sites that would typically struggle, now have the exposure and room to grow. Shape your plant in a manner that satisfies your space requirements, just remember that your plant is likely to grow out instead of up.
For a more advanced indoor garden, you may be using a trellis system to keep your plants secure. If that's the case you have probably been low stress training your plants and not even knowing it. Weaving your plants through a trellis is one of the best methods of low stress training. Using a trellis system allows you to shape your plant any way you want with minimal effort. Laying the plant flat and weaving it it through the trellis will control its height and give you all the light exposure you could ever need. If you really want to take your low stress training to the extreme, forcing low growth with chicken wire will keep your canopy at an extremely uniform height and will produce crazy yields due to how level the light exposure is. You want to start your low stress training almost immediately after shifting your plants into the flowering stage. Implementing LST early will maximize your results.
BENEFITS
Yields, yields, yields. That's the name of the game right? When you grow cannabis you want two things: quality and quantity. Finding the right techniques that will help you achieve both is what its all about. Yields come from healthy plants that get enough light and nutrients. Happy plants means more finished product. Low stress training should be one of those techniques that is in every growers repertoire. Since you can't necessarily bring the plant to the light, LST allows you to bring the light to the plant. The gentle bending and curving of the stalk exposes those otherwise shaded areas that are naturally neglected. The result is the transformation of what would otherwise be fluffy and loose bottom buds into viable and healthy colas.
One of the biggest benefits of low stress training is that you get to control the size, shape and overall structure of the plant. We've all seen those outdoor cannabis plants that are the size of a tree. Cannabis can get unruly if not controlled early. Low stress training allows you to force conformity of you plant into a manageable size that meets the needs of your grow room. No more bleached tips because your plant grew out of your control. By pulling, curving, tying or weaving, LST will shape your plants resulting in an efficient and manageable canopy.
CONCLUSION
Low Stress Training sounds like something way harder than it is. Some of us may already be doing it and not even know it. If you are currently employing techniques like super-cropping, low stress training is a better and safer alternative for the plant. Maximizing your plant's exposure to light in areas that are typically neglected will have a dramatic impact on your garden and your yields. While high stress techniques work, low stress training avoids any unnecessary complication that may arise due to plant stress. Implementing low stress training techniques will undoubtedly increase your yields and keep your garden from growing out of control.
Author - Cory Hughes / Twisted Purple Media.
Twisted Purple Media is a cannabis content provider and original author of this article.
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