LOL, like i stated this is just ONE way to do LST, its not the hard and fast way it was just intended to show how LST is done (The tieing down on the main stem) just so happens i used the circular method to show you guys. you can. Egg Crate it (fill an entire eggcrate like Gator1) Circular method like this one. Simple tie down from just about anything around the pot you could even strap it horizontally along a fence for all i care as long as the main stems stay horizontal is the point LST is all about. Mister2, your looking great in the pic you started a journal on that yet?
OMG this couldn't of be posted at a better time. i have to repot and start LSTing tommarow. im at my 5 fan leaf though. so i have to start now. i have them in 2lt and growing good just need to transplant now. a++
question: do you think you can throw a Scrog net over the top of it and tie shit down so the bush inside and outside its equal lightage or would you suggest just leting em go. also do you cut any fan leafs during flowering to help light penetration. (these questions are more directed to CFL or T5 users with limited grow space)
As far as fan leaves and light penetration, I cut two out of many fan leafs, and only those because they were blocking a lot of budsites. I did this before switching to flowering. On the first day of flowering I gently tucked away and under all remaining fan leaves that were blocking light. The two leafs I did cut off were on the main bent branches, and none from the vertical branches. I am using a 125W CFL in a very limited space and this seems to get light to most of the budsites, with the help of some mylar.
Great post! You can get very creative in how you use LST. True, there are other ways to do this, but it really helps us see different techniques. I really like the fact that you can increase your yield and limit your overall height thus making it more difficult to detect
it is a good i dear but i forgot to top them but doing ok two of them have gone really brown curled up any tips on that it would be greatfull
any body any idears on why they go brown and start curling up and all of them sooner or later start curling down lights not to close temp just right humid ok
no i dont cut any fanleafs during flowering, in LST or SCROG your tops will be even and buds will start right there so should have more than enough light penetration. I do however cut fanleafs during veg to help light penetration to get as many branches as possible.
I am doing hydro and LST and it wasn't too hard, although it is not quite as efficient as other methods. I am using a 5gal bucket and lid with a net pot in it, but I am sure this method would work with a lot of hydro setups. All I did was go and buy some small eye screws, the ones with the closed circle on the end and a threaded point on the other end, about 3cm long. All you do is screw these into the lid of your rubbermaid or bucket and tie your restraints to these. I have about a dozen of these in a circle around the top of the lid, it is really easy to do and costs very little to implement. The nice thing is that you are tying the branches to the lid so when you have to take off the lid for flushing etc you dont have to worry about keeping another piece of equipment aligned with it or whatever. how are you doing hydro anyways?
Hey I have a small plant thats been alive 47 days. It's starting to flower. Can I still LST or is it too late? If I still can how long do I have untill I shouldn't try it? Thanks, Matt
Would LST be done the same way if using a hydro setup? I'm using 4" pots and I'm not sure there will be room. Thanks!
Dierwolf, thanks for the guide man, it really helped me a lot. I have a question about it though, for example if i tied down a plant and untie it a month later would it still be bent?
This is an excellent tutorial. I'm thinking of doing this exactly with my upcoming first grow. I have a question though, by using metal hooks and digging them into the dirt, couldn't that be risky in that the hook can puncture or hit a root? Also, why is it recommended to start on on the third leaf set and not the second or first? In other words, why not earlier...
That should be fine, but there are alternate methods that work just as well. I pre-drilled holes all around the rim of my pot and then use pipe cleaners, they're easy to adjust as the plant grows.
The way I've been doing it so far has been difficult to manage as time went on, but easy on the wallet and not too hard to work with, as long as you are sure-handed and patient. Just duct tape (after first using masking tape, which loses adhesivity at higher temps) over string, looped over branches. An example from early-mid December (of my now starting-to-flower plant): Around the time I changed it to 12/12, I installed a chicken fence screen cut in the middle to allow for placement around the main stem and lower vegetative growth. With this, I started using zip ties. An example: I also used zip ties tied at the cross point (the X) of two terminal branches that were growing too fast on their own, so they would start to grow away from each other and more spread out. (Also because they were too high to zip tie alone, forcing me to resort to string again, of which I am currently out of stock.) I plan on cutting my zip ties/strings in perhaps 2 weeks- I think I may use more light space if I keep them on as they stretch and spurt right now, hopefully it will do more good than bad to keep them trained that long. nanu nanu