ABC's and LST's

[pieceofmyheart]

I remember when I first started growing and there was so much info and so many intitals for things!!!! It can make that first grow seem very daunting to say the least. I recently came across a thread about LST (low stress training) and it was excellent, here is the link:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=6090

But lets do a quickie for our micro grow folks, easy to understand (I think) and to follow. Some type of pruning, LST or scrog is necessary for a micro grow, you can't let them stretch to 5 feet and then bud.

I put screws into the side of my pots. I use twist ties and attach to the screw and then the stem. I like using twist ties because I don't have to tie it around the plant, just bend it over the stem. That makes it very easy to adjust, then the other end gets wound around the screw.










One tie is to hold the base of the stem in place.

 

[Guest]

awsome...ive been looking for good pics of this method...others work but i can never see how to tie them ....thanks pomh

 

[pieceofmyheart]

You are very welcome, I had a hard time "getting" what people meant when I first started. If you can get someone through that first grow....then it gets so much easier, experience and just doing it is the best way to learn.

 

[Guest]

im doing my first "real" grow but i cant seem to get the seeds to sprout....ah well..ill give them more time

its been day 6 or 7 for a few ...day 3 for ones i germed in a paper towel...day 5 for some others...

knowing my luck ill have 8 sprout at once and only have room for 2...just wanna make sure i get enogh fems.

 

[pieceofmyheart]

Ok, after 2 days you can see the changes. It's time to move the twist tie further up the stem.

See how the new growth is reaching upward to the light?

 

[I2KanGrow]

Hey POMH - your explanations, and before/during/after pics make things very clear - I really enjoy and learn alot from your posts... thanks a bunch!

 

[GMT]

cool, are ya gonna take that plant through to flowering pomh?

 

[Delta9-THC]

Hey ... GMT ... Long time ...
Been Busy ...but things are settling again ...

POMH ~~ Hows things? well I hope ?

Go On Throw It Into The Flowering Chamber : )


Peace

 

[DurbanPoison]

LST

LST

I've kind of gone away from the LST tie down method, but heres a pic of what I came out with by using the method. I put screws around the plastic pot and tried to make a ring that was about 2" above the rim of the pot. Once I got all the way around I put it into flower and got this. This is the same technique POMH is demonstrating.



If you veg them out long enough, the trunk wont be so weak. That's what I have learned isn't my favorite about LST. Also, this is a complete pain in the ass IMO. Very time consuming. But if done correctly you can get some good results. I was using thread trippled up to die the plants down FYI. Happy training!

 

[Hail]

How old do you guys recommend plants/clones should be before you start doing LST?

 

[bounty29]

I started LSTing my plants about 2 weeks from seed, when they were about 6" tall. I bent them straight over to the soil, and here they are, two weeks later.



I definitely like LSTing, but next time I'll be sure to transplant to the end of the tub so I can just tie it straight down the length of the container. It's getting to be a nuisance right now, hopefully the stretch will stop and buds will start forming soon.

 

[Delta9-THC]

hey pomh ... great thread ...been LST-ing for a while now ... I prefer it to topping ..but hey everyones different : )

Take care

Peace

 

[pieceofmyheart]

Thanks guys, sure I'll take them through and we can see how much one yields. These 2 are CPR and went into flower a few days ago.
I usually top mine before I LST, when I go from seed, I top at the 4 set of leaves. Then I may do it one more time depending on how long I intend on vegging them.

At this point, since the plant has been stretched, it has a twist in the stem which seems to me would be the same as supercropping. Makes it stronger in that area. I'll get a close up of that area in a few days and you can see where the stem will be repairing itself.

Thanks

 

[pieceofmyheart]

Does LST have to be started early, during veg? Or can I tie a few braches back later on if I find I'm close to harvest but just need a few extra inches in vertical space to finish inside of my box?

You can do it anytime, but be careful not to break the stem if it is getting close to harvest. They are more pliable and trainable when young. Hey....like kids!!

I have sorta opened mine up during flower before, like spread the outer stems from the main one so the light could penetrate better.

 

[Guest]

Great job, POMH! I'm following along. This coming grow is going to be 2 400W HPS with 4 girls LST'ed in wide, 5-gallon pots. It's all about the Big Bushes.

Or the little bushes.

 

[crunkinshoe]

Here's some plants I lst'd.... if this hadn't been done they would have definitely outgrown my cab, although I did top at the 4th-5th node
I use a rubber band around the lip of the pot to hold the twist ties that do the actual positioning

 

[DurbanPoison]

Thats good advice. Use large rubber bands if possible. That will make the screwing/tying hassle issue drop drastically.

 

[Snider]

Thanks for the explanation and nice pics POMH.
This will surely help out a lot of new growers.
Maybe this thread can be made sticky later.

 

[bongasaurus]

nice n' clear tutorial you got here

ive hear that lsting and topping together have negative results... any opinions?

 

[DurbanPoison]

i did FIM and LST in that shrub pic I posted on page 1.