I topped this black jack about 4 days ago along with 2 others. This one seems to be growing the fastest so i decided to tie it down today. This is my first attempt at it. I tied one soft wire tie around the main stem to hold it. and then bent over the top and tied it down to the other side. Does this look like i did it right? Also I've read a lot of different threads and sites about mainlining and they seem to say they tie down right after they top. I'm not sure what i would be tying down because if you look at the last pic the new tops aren't very tall so theres really nothing to tie down. Should i wait until the tops grow some more before attempting to tie down this one in the last picture.
Just bending over the main stalk works fine but I personally don't like that method. I top my plant early so that I get two branches at the top and the two branches on the node below that. From there, I keep the 4 branches tied down to prevent verticle growth and to keep them seperated. The idea is to have a 4-way LST. I also find it easier to use small rods and make a hook on each end. One to hold onto the limb and a small one on the other end to hold it in the soil. Then anchor the limbs to the soil till they are long enough to reach the rim of the pot. Around the outside lip of my pot, I have screws to tie my string to. 4 of the branches come from the stalk which was less than two inches tall. The lower node's branches each have 2 more branches coming from the first node giving 8 total branches. It's just some really tight internodal growth so they all look almost like they come from the same spot.
damn that's a good LST job mine looks nice but damn. Good job man I lstd the shit out of this girl but know I'm letten her reach for the sky. Happy growing to all Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Yes. It was done for asthetics. I don't see removing fan leaves to ever be benificial to the plant's growth. On my first grow, I removed fan leaves a lot to let light get to lower areas but anymore I just see that as sacrificing good growth in hopes the lower areas will grow better. In this case, I removed them mostly to keep the center clear and the 8 ends seperated. In reality it's better to leave the fan leaves there to absorb light and just cut back any unwanted branches that grow from the lower nodes so they don't later make attempts to compete for light.