LST (low stress training) + fimming (f.i.m. technique)

[darkhaze]

Hello people,

what do you think about LST (low stress training)? do you think it will combine well with fimming? i thought it will be good after the 3-4 weeks LST to fimm once all the new tops, let them heal for another two weeks and change the lights to 12/12. do you think this will maximise the yields?

[N.W.greenthumb]

Are you speaking of supercropping when you say low stress training, or screen of green, or branch bending and tying or what? maybe with a better idea of what you have in mind, i may be able to answer the question.

[darkhaze]

LST is when you bend branches... here are some links i have informed myself from. i just want to maximise my yield and every tip on how to do it will be usefull for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guqBo61Dpjc

[N.W.greenthumb]

Use both, f.i.m the plants and then when the new branches pop up tie them over horizontally and you'll maximize the plants use of light and the lower branches can grow some fatter buds. If you have only a few plants and want to get the largest yield possible, f.i.m it once and then start bending and tieing. Just give your plants two or more weeks to recover after you f.i.m. it. hope it helps.

greenthumb

[darkhaze]

when do you think the plants are ready for fimming? and the LST must start after the 2 weeks healing, yes? i was going to keep them in veg stage 6 weeks, i was going to start LST when they are 15cm tall (6inch) and do it about 4-5 weeks, but if i fimm them and then start LST i must keep them in veg stage 8 weeks, right?

[darkhaze]

can i ask you why you stopped using fim technique? if you know some better technique for making a plant bushy i will be happy to hear it :-)

[Guest samuelo]

I have topped 3 of my plants and fimmed 1 of them the topped plants now have 2 nice stems growing and the fimmed plant looks like it has 6 but is quite hard to tell at moment so will take pics when the fimmed plant grows a little more so you guys can see clearly

[darkhaze]

samuelo please photo the fimmed one for me now before it grows to see how and when did you fimmed it and how it is developing after fimming cuz i never saw this before... it will be very useful for me :-) thanks in advance

[Guest samuelo]

okay will do it soon for you

[Guest samuelo]

has been done - fimmed white widow in advanced techniques

[N.W.greenthumb]

If you f.i.m., it i dont see any reason why you shouldnt start bending even before you get the new nodes. Just make sure you have a well established root system and that you don't crease the branch like in super cropping.

Well established roots are important to make sure your bending just the branch and not the whole plant. It may help to use super thrive or B1 to reduce the stress a bit. I know that it's a very time consumeing way to grow, but the results are incredible. Note that in veg i had a thai plant that i trained a lot and once it started flowering no matter how much tieing i did the sucker just kept reaching for light vertically. So pure sativas may be a litte more difficult to train as they grow very very fast!!!!!! Hope that helps.

greenthumb

[darkhaze]

usefull info greenthumb thanks alot. i will grow very bushy indica dominant hybrid and i think it will be easyer to train than the pure sativas. can you tell me more about that super cropping cause it sounds realy interesting. do you prefer fimming+lst or super cropping? i will grow just a couple of plants and i want maximum result from them :-)

[pedrogmrx]

and if the plant is grown from seed, should we f.i.m. it in the 3rd/4th week?

[N.W.greenthumb]

With seedlings its hard to say because some seeds will still have some smaller plants by then and some may be large, I do it by size and not as much by weeks. If its well established i say go for it! Super cropping is bending the branches and making the stem heal and that will support more weight in flowering. Some super cropping techiniques call for bending and twisting both but i don't have much experience with the later. But when you bend and crease the stem it heals and grow a carbunkle looking thing sort of like a band-aid. the goal is to make the stem bring more nutrients to the future buds and support more wieght. It also can work well along with screen of green. hope that helps.

greenthumb

[pedrogmrx]

ok so I'd say, f.i.m the plant about 1 week before flowering?

[Guest samuelo]

Remember - with fimming new growth takes a little longer because of the multiple numbers of new shoots

[N.W.greenthumb]

I think 2 weeks minimum healing time after fimming is the best way to go. And like discussed before don't f.i.m. too much or you can slow growth down. I usually do it twice. If you want to make the most of it add a bit more nitrogen and super thrive and scorpion juice will reduce shock. hope that helps

greenthumb

[Guest samuelo]

Or a bit of good old honey is a nice anticeptic treatment to the tip of your plant

[VAP-HITS]

Tried the fimming technique myself but never got it right, my experience is dont get too wrapped up in techniques and such, the plant will do its thing you just need to help it not impose techniques on it. Yield will improve only if you match the technique to the right plant.

If you are doing indica dominant let it be, they love to make the big crown, top it if you need to control height or reduce bud size for mold considerations but other than that leave the fuckers be.

If you have a branchy plant be it sativa or indica this is where training becomes needed. if you want a bush, top as needed, multiple times if needed, to achieve the result, this is great to slow the plant down but once it recovers the dwell time has produced more roots so it will catch up. Ya need to understand what the plant is going to do, research its growth pattern, stretch during flowering and such and adapt techniques to suit. Sometimes you won't know so just look at the fucker and observe what it is doing. I sit for hours looking at my plants and develope a technique to suit it usually, or I decide to try shit and see what happens. The greenhouse grow vids give you a good head start as to what to expect, but don't think they will grow as fast from seed as thier examples do.

LST is what i do mostly after topping. Being proactive is the key. I have had grows where stretch was way unexpected and panic training was employed, even cutting the canopy, but it is a learning game.

I am trying a low stress training idea at the moment with some trainwreck and haze no1 which is basically screen of green technique. I have let the plants grow tall as possible until the side brances start to get going then i top the plant and lay it over sideways, not horizontal but at 30 - 40 degree angle. Using a bamboo stake to set the angle wrap stocking strip around the main stem to hold it to the stake. The branches then try to all become individual plants and you start to get the sea of green effect from the one plant. If you then top each of the arms you can multiply your heads as much as your veg time or height restriction allows.

Like I said it is a massive learning curve, but the more knowledge and experience you have the better your chances.

Don't stress too much on techniques, look at the plant and figure out how to help it, it is a team endeavour. But don't be scared to try shit, don't do the same thing to every plant you have, especially if you plan to grow the same strain again, experimenting will set you in better stead for the next time.

Get stoned and spend time with your plants the answers will come. :-)

[jmiguel]

What happens if we cut too much?

[Guest samuelo]

well it is called fim(fuck i missed) for a reason....... if worst comes to worst then you will have a topped plant - dont think about it - just do it with a fim expect slower growing for an extra 2 weeks as plant will need this to recover and get her bearings back but she will come back, cut across the leaves and you should be fine, as long as plant is still pretty flexible and young she will come back - last week or 2 of vegging is fine time to carry this out

[Guest superbluehaze]

I do very much the same as you; I will post some pictures soon, as soon as they recover, as I had some problems;

all the best, and happy growing