Advantages of Low Stress Training

Cannabis is a strong and vivacious plant that will quickly reach a tall and visibly noticeable height if permitted to grow on its own. Growers of Cannabis are eager to embrace LST because it is a successful method of keeping the plants to a controllable and discrete height where they are less likely to be observed by nosy neighbors or passersby. Growers employ LST to allow more light to penetrate to the new growing bud sites.

When to start Low Stress Training?

Once the plant is large enough for you to do so, you can start low-stress training, which is most successful when the plant is young. So long as the seedling has many leaves, you can start with a small one.

LST is so low-stress that it could theoretically be applied across cultures. Start low-stress training when your cannabis plant is only a seedling to obtain the maximum benefit.

LST essentially comes to an end when a cannabis plant is halfway through flowering and no longer extends. After that, you can still bend branches for purposes like light penetration in different directions, but this won’t produce new side branches, etc.

However, compared to the beginning of the cycle, LST will have far less of an impact throughout the flowering period. Within just the first few weeks of entering the flowering period, a cannabis plant can double in height. The blossoming stretch in this area. To sustain the incredible canopy you’ve been working on for the entirety of the plant’s life, all that new growth must be contained.

How to Low Stress Train Cannabis (step-by-step)

Step 1 – Gather materials:

With LST, you can manipulate your cannabis plant as much as you like without setting off a stress response. Thin iron wire can easily cut through a plant, so anything that isn’t too “sharp” will work. Therefore, most individuals employ special iron wire that is encased in a thick coating of rubber. But there are innovative options. Thick wool, clothing hangers, and pipe cleaners are a few additional common substitutions (the things you use to clean pipes).

Add the following to your list of necessary items:

• A seedling of a young cannabis plant (or two, or three!)
• Plastic clips or twist ties
• Precise scissors
• Duct tape is essential for tying ties or canes and mending branches that have accidentally snapped.
• There are several solutions for supporting the bent. Use bamboo canes or make a few tiny holes close to the pots’ rims.

 

Step 2 – Select stem:

To determine if you can operate with the stem or branch “safely,” start by carefully feeling how flexible it is. It is inappropriate if you worry that it might break. Next, picture the shape that you want your plant to take; for novices, it is recommended to stay with a straightforward cannabis bush. You have the option to pinch out the top leaves at this point.

 

Step 3 – Tie the highest branch:

So that the former top is suddenly lower than the rest of the plant, tie or clamp the highest branch. Do not attempt to bend the stem; instead, pay close attention to check if it bends smoothly. You must get started with any low-stress training as soon as you can. Although it’s best to begin when your plant is still very young, with LST, it’s never too late to start. ​

The key goal is to maintain a constant distance between each stem and the light. Therefore, you should gradually lower the tallest stems to the same level as the rest and then use a twisted knot to gently but securely hold it in place.

The plant can be easily bent in the desired direction even if you never top it.

 

Step 4 – Organize the canopy:

Continue to arrange your canopy by bending everything in the appropriate directions, paying particular attention to the tiny new side branches that will now develop vertically. To increase the LST effect, you may additionally fasten the next-highest branches.

Step 5 – Watch and wait:

The branch will begin to grow up again 24 hours after being bent, but it will do so at the same level as the other branches. You might need to LST the secondary branches as well when they begin to receive more light and develop.

 

Step 6: Repeat the tieing process

Wait until your canopy is properly filled and uniform again and then repeat the tying process.

 

Step 7: Flowering

During flowering, a sea of peaks that are of the same size will appear. Your cannabis plants will expand remarkably quickly once they begin to blossom. The plant will be encouraged to be more productive up top where it matters rather than wasting energy on stuff that will not actually affect the final output of your plant if you prune the lower branches that will never have any chance of reaching or obtaining any light at this time. Additionally, it will allow for improved canopy ventilation. Remove the lowest two or three while leaving the leaves in place. Later, when the flowers are in bloom, the leaves are clipped.

Final Thoughts On Low Stress Training Plants

A wonderful technique to boost production without spending more money on better lighting, nutrients, or growing area is through low-stress training. This is a straightforward strategy to assist your plants in realizing their full genetic potential.

You can use this technique in your subsequent grow cycle now that you are aware of how to train your plants under low stress.