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Rubber Band LST

lumbo

lumbo

Member
This works for hydro too, but since I'm a soil guy I thought I'd post it in this forum.

I like to train my plants with Low Stress Training (LST), which is simply tying the main leader over and allowing the side shoots to grow up and become colas in their own right. Although there are plenty of ways to secure the growing shoots, I do it with a thick rubber band and some nylon string.

Briefly, I just run the rubber band around the rim of the pot, tie the leaders I want to train with pieces of the string, put the other end of the string under the rubber band and presto: the growth shoot stays tied down. You can easily make adjustments with just a little tug on the end of the string.

I'll post some pics when I can get some.
 
G

Guest

That's a killer idea! I may have to change.

I use those black metal clips on the rim of the container and my ties are the floral arrangement wires you can buy at Wally World for $1, the kind that are meant to run alongside flower stems to make them stiff.

Silly question, but what kind of "loop" do you make to attach to the branch? That's why I don't like thread... making loops and knots is a pain. But the rubber band will probably work with my little wires, too.
 
G

Guest

i like to use plastic zip ties 12 to 36 in. they come in very handy but are a lil high price. but with a pair of cutters they are very easy to dispose of. good luck
 
lumbo

lumbo

Member
canine,

I tie the plants near the top. You have to re-tie them periodically as the plants grow. A friend of mine over on Overgrow named Intrisic uses longer string and loops it around the tops instead of tying. That way, he's got two ends under the rubber band for each tie-down.

I think the rubber band would work great with wire. Don't know why I never thought of that. Get yourself some thick ones, like what brocolli flowers are bound together with. Then just bend a little hook under the rubber band.

Good luck!
 
Verite

Verite

My little pony.. my little pony
Veteran
Why do I get the picture theres some plants out there wearing those little red ball bondage mouth gags?

red_soft_ball_gag_jts_b563.jpeg
 
lumbo

lumbo

Member
I only use those on the bad ones. And the gimps.

All the good girls and even the boys get the gentle treatment.

BTW, while we're on the subject, I don't believe in killing male plants in front of the girls. I think it's bad for morale. Just another one of my Idiosyncrasies.
 
G

Guest

lol @ verite....

thats the same method I use Lumbo...think I got it from you at OG.
 
O

Opt1983

Member
That is also how i do my LSTing, very very simple, takes about 1 second to make a adjustment using the rubber band technique , i'll never goto anything else :) -Opt
 
TML16

TML16

Snow Grower ~OGA~
Veteran
Hey Lumbo,

I've seen some of your rubber band LST on OG, and must admit it inspired me to do some LST of my own with my Passion #1 plant ( a known tall and lanky strain). I didn't use yout rubber band technique, but all I did was screw in a few screws into the side of my pot and used cotton candlewick to tie them. I wanted to tie it in multiple places for more strength on the stem and control of how I wanted to control it. The pic is how my first LST is looking on the last day of Veg. I changed my bulb from my MH conversion back to HPS and started 12/12 today. Excited to see how my first LST will turn out.
 
lumbo

lumbo

Member
Good to see you over here TML16. That's a nice looking plant. I see you like to use nursery pots, too.
 
G

Guest

Guys is my plant tall enough/old enough to start lsting and should I? It is like 2 weeks old.



 
Tokin White Guy

Tokin White Guy

Member
Turk, I'm no expert (so correct me if I'm wrong here people) but I don't think your plant is big enough yet...give it a couple more weeks.
-twg
 
O

Opt1983

Member
Yea Turk, those are too little. Wait till u get some more nodes, and supporting branches taking off. I just did my LSTing for the first time the other day, and my plants are around 3 1/2 weeks from seed if that gives u an idea. -Opt
 
G

Guest

Thanks guys mines about 2 from seed. Ill give it a couple more weeks.
 
stoner 13th

stoner 13th

Member
oo, an lst thread- couldnt resist ;)

i usualy an limited in the amount of upspace i have to play with, so i use a similar method to the standard lst you are speaking of- i like to use what i call "magic wire"- not realy magic, just a 1/4 mile roll of 1/16 (maybe smaller) wire that can hold up light fixtures and hold down plants :)
 
G

gOurd^jr.

Active member
Ah LST, gotta love it. All I do is poke some holes around the rim of my plastic trash can pots. I tie some twine around the top, bend to desired height/location and then tie the other end through a hole to keep it in place. Looks like this here....






peace and pot

gOurd
 
lumbo

lumbo

Member
I don't top my plants (at least not intentionally) because they seem to stall out afterwards. That's never been a problem for me with just tying them down. People who know how to top get good results, but I've just never tried to get good at it.
 
stoner 13th

stoner 13th

Member
ive done a lot of toping of my plants- with varried results- here is an experiment i did with some cali-o from nirvanna- i had 104w cfl in a small cab- the plant on the left was double topped as i call it ( topped the main branch once, then both the resulting side branches were topped once)- the plant on the right was my spiral plant- got some nice buds off of it, was fun to do and play around with some training methods- ill see if i can did up the pix of my spider plant then- its was a durban poison (dp seeds) that in the end was only 7" tall but 3 feet wide :) love a well trianed plant!


 
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