Low Stress Training (LST)

[Aquaponix]

Low Stress Training is the manipulation of young plants to produce early lateral growth without topping.

 

Topping or tipping can cause stalled growth and even stunt plants too young to have their main growth tip removed.

 

LST is recommended if you have height restrictions in your grow or plan on growing with a screen.

 

HOW?

 

OK. Once a seedling or clone has 2-3 sets of leaves it can begin to be manipulated. Two wires or ties are used on the main stem. One near the base to secure the plant firmly where it is as the second one near the top (under top set of leaves if purchase is available) and pulling in the opposite direction of the bottom wire/tie bringing the top of the plant as far down as possible.

 

This will create an S shaped plant. Each lateral shoot now has a chance to grow. The next two ties are placed on the two highest lateral growth shoots so the plant is then tied down north south east west.

 

This method will greatly increase foliage cover to aid in early photosynthesis.

 

Not for folks wanting big plants. Again, screens grows or height restricted grows.

 

Better than topping, proven by heapss of OG growers.

 

Here's a wee plant that got the LST treatment.

 

It had the best two leaders taken off for clones then the next best two were the third and fourth tied down. Nice n uniform but a bit small I was too eager to try it.

 

Saw pics etc of one plant grows under 150 watt HPS's with an LST trained plant under a screen. Some very nice results with deep or shallow water culture in rubbermaids producing 3 ozs plus.

 

 

Again, I think I trained this a bit early (it was a very compact clone). :whistling

Edited February 9, 2006 by Aquaponix

[nugget]

Beauty, this is exactly what im gonna try on this grow... when they get big enough.. im waiting patiently... argh

[SukonmiSkunk]

I do the same thing, but i kink them...probably not as efective but a lot less wires and strings around.

I just sqeeze the stalk and kink it over...carefully, they do tend to snap off every now and then tho.

 

I cant seem to post pics here but here is a link, you can get the idea.

this is by no means a new method..people have been doing it for years, I know I have always done this from my very first grow. The first time i was shown (1988 or 87) I freaked out, but my mate assured me..."its ok, trust me"....

 

and I have always done it since. I think to get the most out of your space this is the only way....unless you want to do heaps of clones...............

 

http://www.bubblebag.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1627

Edited February 9, 2006 by SukonmiSkunk

[Pa-uul]

...I cant seem to post pics here...

Why not? Did you upload them, and then click Add to Post? It's a two stage process. You should see in the post something like: [attachment id= xx] Edited February 9, 2006 by Pa-uul

[SukonmiSkunk]

tom says the files are too big, and I wouldnt have a clue how to make them smaller...waaa

so you just have to click the link to bubblebag..... I have heaps of pics there....

[Pa-uul]

..... I have heaps of pics there....

Yeah, that's too many photos to mess with anyway.

[WantDaChronic]

tom says the files are too big, and I wouldnt have a clue how to make them smaller...waaa

so you just have to click the link to bubblebag..... I have heaps of pics there....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

you can still upload them to your gallery or you can go to Photo Bucket and add them in your posts by using the IMG button in the reply window OR you can copy the IMG code from Photo Bucket and just paste it into your replies :smoke

[shroomz]

I had a bit of a play with this

high times released an article on super cropping

about 5 years ago i gave it a try on half my plants back then and the plants that

had been super crop had more side growth and the main stem after a week or so

will had fix it self up and start to all most double in size which gave me bigger buds too

"bending the tops neutralizes the effects of the growth-inhibiting hormone: the top grows more thickly and lower branches grow more quickly" by Mel Frank

from marijuana growers inside guide

Edited February 22, 2006 by shroomz

[Luke Skywalker]

LST is just training, and similar to tipping although has no removal of the apical meristem and the loss of apical hormones and mild stress this involves.

 

I'm one for both methods, although it depends on personal preference really. At most tipping would push you back 2-3 days if you do it right and take as small a piece as you can. It certainly makes for bushier plants, which will then maximise light usage and therefore yeild, but if you want massive colas it's more about strain and environment than tipping/training.

 

Get some yo-yos (nie-co-rolls), much better for training than any tie-wire/twist tie known to man.

 

Just re-read and saw this....

 

It had the best two leaders taken off for clones then the next best two were the third and fourth tied down.

 

That's not really LST then, as you'll get branching from the cut-off points.... Unless the branches were removed from where they emerged from the central stem, thus preventing any development from basal nodes as there aren't any left on those now missing branches...? You've just stressed the plant by doing this, so you're doing MST, moderate stress training....

 

It's nit-picking I know, but that's what I do best.

[SukonmiSkunk]

tipping is highly recommended in my eyes.

you can chose where you want to clone from and tip 2 days b4..then the clone already has 2 branches..and a couple underneath. it takes about 10-15days b4 they start to grow again and at about the 18th day can be tipped again, this makes for 4 branches.. and those 2 underneath have grown up and can be tipped by now too...mmm 8 branches. then repot under a 400 to fatten and into the room to flower...

 

just a technique to maximise the traning method before the plant starts to grow.. will save on grow time too I would guess.