# LST when is too early



## Mutt (Mar 3, 2006)

Well, I have been LST'ng my plants since I started growing indoors. I always waited until the second node to start traning. but I am getting ready to train next week. The age old question I never could find an answer to popped in my head. "When is to early"??. Or "when is it too late".

My opinion was anytime before the second node and too late well I never went past week three so I wouldn't know that one.

So what is your opinions?????

Also what do you guys do? 

I use rubber bands and thumb tacks around the rim of my pot and do a corkscrew. The rubberbands make it so my shakey hands don't pull to hard and the famous "*snap* Oh shit!!!". As the plants grow I just move the band from tack to tack keeping tension and put new bands as new growth occurs.


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## THE BROTHER'S GRUNT (Mar 3, 2006)

*whats up Mutt. i seen people LST there plants as soon as they came out the ground. i started my LST at around 2 weeks old. i put holes around the top of my container and use string to tie them down. *


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## Stoney Bud (Mar 3, 2006)

Mutt said:
			
		

> Well, I have been LST'ng my plants since I started growing indoors. I always waited until the second node to start training. but I am getting ready to train next week. The age old question I never could find an answer to popped in my head. "When is to early"??. Or "when is it too late".
> 
> My opinion was anytime before the second node and too late well I never went past week three so I wouldn't know that one.
> 
> ...


I like the rubber band idea. I use string and it's awkward as hell in the middle of the plants.

Within reason, LST is measured in the effect of the practice. As long as what you're doing makes sense as far as spacing the branches and encouraging side stem growth, then it's OK whenever you do it. I use HST pruning from the third node on each stem to promote the 2 for 1 branching. then, after each branch has split at least once, I start training these branches to the far reaches of my grow area. As I go, I let each branch develop enough upward growth to again prune it for the 2 to 1 effect. I keep using the combination of HST and LST to extend the branching to every conceivable spot of my grow area until all is used. Then I prune all of the branches until they have split as many times as possible before stopping two weeks before changing the lighting period to a progressive shortening of 2 hours every other day until I've reached a 12/12 schedule. This method will lessen the stress on the plant resulting from it's recovery from pruning. Only prune 30% of the total plant mass at any given time. Wait three days before pruning again and always prune less than 30% of the total plant mass. This amount of pruning won't cause any radical stress and will result in a forest of branching covering your entire grow area. Each of the many, many tips that you've created should be trained using LST to keep the branches all as close to the same exact height as you can. This prevents the plant from releasing the primary growth hormone to only a few, or one in some cases, branch. If there is one branch that is taller than all the others, it will be the one that gets ALL of the primary branch growth hormone. If all of the branches are at the same height, all of them will grow at close to the same rate.

It took me quite a few grows to finally accept this method as fact. I kept thinking I could prove it wrong. I didn't. Save yourself some time and crop yields, and try it this way once. Take your clones from each plant for sexing before your LST has gone beyond the first level of the grow area. That way, if you have to remove one, you still have time to train others into the bare spot the male created.

If I missed anything, let me know.

Good luck on your grow man.


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## skunk (Mar 3, 2006)

you can LST AND HST  at any time during veg if getting to tall for your veg room and cant  get in to flowering room just yet. but anyways i know i said this before but ill say it again i use 1 ft long plastic tie straps and drill lil hole at top of bucket big enough to fit tie strap though . then i proceed to make a loop in the hole with the strap at full open adjustment then i take the other tie strap and make a loop around the plant where im gonna strap to and at the same time also make a loop though the already loop in other strap to the bucket . then from there you can adjust all you want to. but be careful not to adjust the loop to tight around the plant as it needs room for growth . adjust 1 at bucket all the way first.


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## rockydog (Jun 18, 2006)

I would like to LST but my stems are too thick to bend and I am afraid I will uproot them if I force them over.


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## Stoney Bud (Jun 18, 2006)

rockydog said:
			
		

> I would like to LST but my stems are too thick to bend and I am afraid I will uproot them if I force them over.


You may be trying to bend stems that have already gotten too big. Try moving up on the plant to smaller stems and go verrrrrrrryyyyyy slow. Bend them each a little each day. If you take your time, you can bend them all. You just can't do it in one try.

Try bending them just a very small amount each day.


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## rockydog (Jun 18, 2006)

ok but my stem gets thicker as it gets closer to the top, then it get real narrow real quick. 1 of my plants is like 6" taller and 2 nodes ahead of other 3 plants due to transplanting problems. I was thinking about lst to get it to the same height as others so it isnt stealing theit light. Do you still get the big top cola when you lst


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## gcr6bk (Jun 18, 2006)

For LST I use those pipe cleaner type thingies. I start at about 3 weeks.


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## rockydog (Jun 18, 2006)

I am 3 weeks and 3 days now, I am going to begin the tying of one plant but should it take a few days to get it below the side growth like shown in a lot of pics. And do you still get a top cola?


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## Stoney Bud (Jun 18, 2006)

rockydog said:
			
		

> I am 3 weeks and 3 days now, I am going to begin the tying of one plant but should it take a few days to get it below the side growth like shown in a lot of pics. And do you still get a top cola?


Basically, there are two methods of growing that produce two distinctly different types of harvest.


No training, No LST, No pruning.

The plant will grow one main stem and several side stems. The main stem will have the largest Kola. The rest of the top buds will also be very large.

Using LST and pruning.

There will be many, many, many top buds. Their combined weight will be the same as the combined weight of the huge Kolas in the above example. Each bud will be much smaller than when using the other method.

This makes a shorter plant with more branches.


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## rockydog (Jun 18, 2006)

so lst is basically all for size.


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## Mutt (Jun 19, 2006)

rockydog said:
			
		

> so lst is basically all for size.


 
More for Ht. than size. keeps the plant at a low profile.


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## Stoney Bud (Jun 19, 2006)

I've got to tell you also, a plant that has no LST or pruning is one heck of a lot easier to manicure the buds off of.

There are so much less of them, but the same overall weight if enough room is allowed for the unmodified plant to grow in, like it would be if it were grown outside or in a room with a very tall ceiling.

I used massive LST on my last grow and the manicuring was a nightmare.

I didn't know if my arms would last long enough to finish!


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## rockydog (Jun 19, 2006)

lol, thanks for all the feedback guys. I knew I could get my answers from you guys


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