2 years ago-
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Working on these files as we speak. I’m trying to organize 7 or 8 grows worth of pics. 😅 Way more than I bargained for, but I’m pot committed 😂 And now that I see this pic, it makes me realize that This plant stayed in veg for the entire life of the auto clones. 2 clones were still in the dome waiting on bigger roots.
These rotated pics are annoying 🙄 but this pic is at day 15 from sprout (Nov. 12th)
Nov. 15th (Day 18) or what I would call 1 week into veg. Already getting too big for her cup.
So she went into what looks like a 1gal, but I think it was 2.5gal. on 11/19
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She had a bit of bleeding going on when I topped her.
I chopped the top 3 or 4 nodes off, and also removed the bottom set of branches.
I’m only keeping 4 of the plants original branches, and working my way to 32 branches with a series of topping sessions. Along with it will require additional training to accommodate them all without a trellis for support.
I only kept the 3 nodes in between that, and started LST right away pinning the branches down.
I cut the growth coming in, but I kept the section of stalk to chop again. It’s just part of my plan to fatten up her trunk. Also by keeping a large nub & not topping too close to my 2 new tops it provides support. Less of a chance to split the stem.
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At this point I have released the tie downs for the 4 main branches.
They shall return.
Here’s her trunk on 12/1
Here is one of the 4 main branches that I topped that had 4 new shoots ready to go instead of 2.
I topped 4 branches once which should have given me 8 tops, but now we have 10 coming in.
(Note to future self.. that section is going to get crowded, veg longer to space them out more.)
12/2
More tying down again.
after tying down I trimmed her up good.
I’ll be back in a bit with more. Got some trimming to do.
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12/08
12/09
Just letting her grow untied for the time being. The branches will be tied down again.
This is helping to strengthen them to hold up on their own later on. You can also twist each node in alternating directions til you hear a pop. This is called the Kushman’s Chiropractic method afaik. Here is a video on it. It’s a great watch. Lots of great tips for growing an awesome plant.
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So that we’re all caught up to this point..
We waited for 7-8 nodes to grow before topping the plant down to 4 nodes. (bottom 8 branches – rest gone)
The bottom 2 branches were then stripped. leaving 4 actual branches. The 2 new shoots were removed, and the stump was kept below the cut. (This was only used to prevent the main stalk from splitting while I tied the remaining 4 branches down.)
About 10 days later I topped again removing the extra stump. A 2nd benefit is the main stalk became pretty beefy.
2 weeks later, each of the 4 branches were topped.
1 branch had 4 tops instead of 2. This gave us a total of 10 tops instead of 8.
2 weeks later she was topped again, leaving us with 20 tops.
Do you remember in the beginning where I said it would get crowded? It did, so the 2 branches that were growing from the bottom of the main line had to go. This is why we only see 18 tops snipped on the tray in the pic. Now after this topping session, we are working with 32 total!
She’s tiny isn’t she? You can barely tell what that actually is. Still looks like 4 branches to me lol.
That’s only until you see what happened next..
Trunk on 12/11
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Now some intense training… keep in mind.. you will see the ties appear & reappear. You should be using them as needed to keep the canopy even. If 1 top is sitting up taller than all the others, tighten the tie on it to bring it down.
At this point, everything is still being trained outward. We need space for these branches to gain some mass later on & not be over crowded. That can lead to mold if not careful.
These pics are from 12/13
Can you see the difference in these two pics after the tie downs were tightened up? It shows the 4 branches flatten out nicely while the base stays strong. It’s so easy to split these stems & stalks. Always handle you’re girls with care.
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1/21 = Transplant from 2gal to 5gal
More training begins. Lots of tying down this time. Time to spread this girl out & give those branches some space while keeping the canopy even.
All the tallest branches were laid & tied down first. I used plain old office paper clips to secure the ties to the pot. They pierce the fabric with much less effort & are easily removed.
The way I tie them down is by wrapping the tie around the branch I’m bending, and pull it through the paper clip. I keep pulling through until the top is where I want it. (Even with the others)
The shorter ones come after.
Some smaller branches needed to be super cropped in order to fit in.
Super cropping requires pinching the inter node area most of the time, in order to soften & manipulate the branch to be where you want it to be. Bending it every which way & not breaking the stem is the goal, so be gentle with your bends.
These will need to be secured to be kept down.
For those tough to pinch spots on thicker branches I used brute force in the form of a needle nose pliers, and the rubber coating from the soft plant ties. I pad the branch with the rubber & pinch with the pliers.
Above was all from 1/21 these below are from 2/12 (Light switched to 12on/12off on 2/02)
**side note: I do not recommend placing a dehumidifier that close to your pots. It absorbs the moisture. Not good.
One top got a little too tall. Got the pliers & laid her down + added a tie down.
2/14
As some of you may be thinking.. “Holy s%#t that looks like a lot so far!”
Trust me it is. From seed to flipping the light for flower took 129 days. (Over 4 months)
If you have a separate tent to do something like this in, it’s an awesome project, but definitely not for those who want a quick harvest. Some say you can top once & LST train in less time to produce the same amount of bud, and I agree.. but it’s not the same.
That’s all the training the plant will need. While they stretch in flower, just monitor the evenness of the canopy. If one top starts taking off over the others even by an inch, just adjust your ties tighter on that branch. If using paper clips & soft ties like the ones I have, just loosen the tie from the clip & pull it in a little more before securing it at the level you want it.
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