[TUTORIAL] LST, Topping and FIM, What does it all mean and How it will benefit you!

[Jipo]

Submitted By: JipoSubmitted On: Today, 09:16 AMSubmitted In: Grow Room Tricks and Tips:Click here to go to tutorial

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Hey guys! Jipo back with some more tutorials. I'm going to try and add a tutorial every day or so until this section is pumped full of useful information.

 

Today I bring you 3 simple methods that will incread your yield and plants stature.

 

First is LST, or Low-Stress Training. If heighth is of a concern for you this is something I highly recommend, it allows you to have a 5-6 foot tall plant kept under 2-3 feet. It's a very simple process, it involed gently bending and tying down of a plant.

 

The First step I like to do and isn't necessary is drill holes approx 2-3 inches apart all the way around the lip of your bucket/planter. 1/4-1/2 works great.

 

2nd get a good stash of twine or garbage ties and put them in your grow room for holding down the plant, I've always used garbage ties as they are very easy to work with 1 hand.

 

When your plant is about 1.5' tall or so take it by the main stem and gently bend it all the way back down to the lip of bucket, by gently I mean gently, Do not snap your main stem this could end up very bad. it should have a decent arch to it so to not put alot of stress on it, the plants stem should still be very flexible, take a garbage tie or twine and run it through the hole and around the stem of the plant, do not over tighten just give it enough to hold down the stem.

 

Now you will notice in a day or two the part you bent of is growing vertically again, allow the stem to gain 6-8" of height and take the new growth and bend it to the next hole in your bucket, tie down again. Rinse, wash, repeat.

 

Do this until your plant has made full circle around the bucket or you're content and ready to flip the switch into flowering. You will notice that the side nodes begin taking the role of what would have been the top of the plant. This is the point and a very good thing heres why.

 

When the side nodes of the plant achieve a heighth greater then the main stem the plant thinks that those are the main stem and will begin putting more energy into the nodes closest to the light, so in theory you end up with 1 plant and many tops, this will end up growing similar to SOG plants, if you had 10 nodes growing off the plant that are higher then the main step you will notice you have something similar to 10 SOG plants. The Main stem will begin to grow vertically always as well so when you tie it down for the last time that to will try and compete to be closer to the light as the rest of the nodes. Thus allowing you to have a much taller plant then it looks.

 

Next is Topping, Topping is an age old trick done with all plants. Have you ever seen those trees that go from one great big tree and split into two? Guess what, those were topped at that height. When you top a plant you kill that node and further nodes that would emerge from it, but fear not plants are amazing things. You will end up noticing that the spot you topped "scars" over and 2 individual nodes occur at this point. So heres how one tops a plant.

 

First wait until the plant is at its 4th-6th nodes, you want a good healthy main stem before you cause any stress and yes this technique causes stress so don't do it when your about to flower, give it a good couple weeks to full heal and give the new growth plenty of time to grow or you won't see the benefits of this.

 

When your ready and you see a new node emerging give your battle cry and rip it off, or the more humane cut it with scissors. One thing to watch for is make sure its a node and not a veg leaf, you will notice your plant grows a set of nodes, then fan leaves, then nodes, then fan leaves etc... make sure the last growth before this was fan leaves and you should be golden.

 

Now you wait, you will notice 1 stem turns to two, and each of these 2 new nodes will for 2 nodes at each point like the main stem was doing prior.

 

FIMing is a technique very similer to topping, its a more advanced version. The only real difference in this is you sometimes get 2 main nodes, sometimes 4 or even more. When you see the new node growth wait until its 2 leaves are grown to the point where they are almost branching out as a node. Take some scissors and carefully cut 3/4 of this growth, it will trick the plant into thinking it was topped but that growth will heal and grow out just as it would have untouched. Only you will have 2 new main nodes form due to the plant thinking its tricked and usually end up with 3-4 nodes right right depending on whether the main stem stays or splits along with the 2 new nodes.

 

Thats about it for today. Enjoy mates!