# LST questions??????????



## doug1627 (Mar 24, 2006)

i am wanting to try for my 1st time the LST method, just a couple of quick ?'s.......at what height should i tie the plant over? and when do i change my light cycle from 18/6 to 12/12? the plants are being grown in a bubbler system. thanks


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## THE BROTHER'S GRUNT (Mar 25, 2006)

whats up doug1627. i myself started tying mine down at 2 weeks old. i wouldnt change your light cycle until you see alternating nodes on your plants. this is a sign that your plants are mature and ready for flower.


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## doug1627 (Mar 25, 2006)

ok, thanks


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## Hick (Mar 26, 2006)

"IMHO"..seedlings should not be stressed..any stress, especially through weeks 3-5 induces fewer females.  Clones can be started training immeadiatly after rooting, but seedlings should remain stress free, and in deep pots for optimal results.


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## doug1627 (Mar 27, 2006)

Hick said:
			
		

> "IMHO"..seedlings should not be stressed..any stress, especially through weeks 3-5 induces fewer females. Clones can be started training immeadiatly after rooting, but seedlings should remain stress free, and in deep pots for optimal results.


 
so ur sayn i shouldnt use LST unless i am growing clones?


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## Slowhand (Mar 27, 2006)

You can use LST anytime without hurting the plant.It can be a clone or a seedling it won't hurt it.


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## Mutt (Mar 27, 2006)

I LST early outa necessity. If not my plants in veg wouldn't fit. I start mine around the second node.


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## Hick (Mar 27, 2006)

Yes you can LST anytime, you can flower anytime, you can top them at anytime.  But it isn't in the best interest of getting females from your seedlings.._*"IMO"*_. 
  With clones, it can't affect their sexuality, so 'some low stress' only slows growth a bit. 
  I'm not telling you NOT to use it, only relaying my experienced opinion on stress during those early stages.


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## Mutt (Mar 27, 2006)

I agree hick. Minimize the amount of stress to raise female ratios. Just if there isn't much room gotta do what you have to and LST is a good remedy for confined spaces. I don't top mine as it is a major stress IMO.


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## doug1627 (Mar 27, 2006)

am i better off just letting the plant grow, i have room to let them get 4-5 ft tall.  the only reason i want to use LST is because i read it gives bigger harvest.


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## Mutt (Mar 27, 2006)

Let it veg. then after week 4 (Hick is refering to the critical week 3 and 4) just bend the top down to keep the canopy as even as possible.


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## Stoney Bud (Mar 27, 2006)

doug1627 said:
			
		

> am i better off just letting the plant grow, i have room to let them get 4-5 ft tall. the only reason i want to use LST is because i read it gives bigger harvest.


If a MJ plant is allowed to grow with no modification, and another MJ plant is given full LST, HST, and any other growth modification you can think of, and both plants are given unrestricted height and indentical treatment, then both will have almost the same exact yeild.

This has been proven many times.

The advantage of growth modification is when one or more of the major growth variables is altered, the altered variable can be compensated for by in turn, altering another variable or more to negate the growth modifications and produce an identical crop despite the changes in growth variables.

Now, that's a mouth full.

In other words, if you limit the possible height of the plants, you can modify other growing variables to compensate for that lack of height and still produce the plants normal yeild.

That, is the advantage of LST and HST.


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## bigbudz (Mar 31, 2006)

Since this thread is about LST and i've seen a few comments about "topping" your plants in here, figured I'd ask a newbie kinda question. What is LST and Topping, and how and when do you do this?


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## doug1627 (Mar 31, 2006)

i dont know much about topping but LST(low stress training)  is where you bend the plant over with strings and tie the shade leaves out of the way so the budsites get more direct light.  you can do a search on the internet and get a more detailed explanation.


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## HK-Buddy (Mar 31, 2006)

doug1627 said:
			
		

> i dont know much about topping but LST(low stress training) is where you bend the plant over with strings and tie the shade leaves out of the way so the budsites get more direct light. you can do a search on the internet and get a more detailed explanation.


 
I've topped plants (well past the first alternating nodes) to force a more bushy growth pattern, but LST works unless you have your plants too crowded. A limiting factor tends to be the amount of light that reaches below the top canopy, and bending the plants in the spaces between plants will tend to limit the light that strikes the lower section. On the other hand bushy plants also block the light to the lower leaves, so I keep going back and forth in experimentation. I've had some success at defusing the situation with a light mover, but with a small room it only travels a short distance.


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