Cannabis Training Techniques

PUBLISHED: August 9, 2024

Cultivating cannabis isn’t just about planting seeds, watering, and waiting. To truly optimize your harvest and achieve the highest-quality buds, cannabis growers employ various training techniques to manipulate the plant’s structure and growth patterns. Training allows you to make the most out of your grow space, control plant height, and increase yields. Whether you’re growing cannabis for personal use or commercial production, training techniques are essential tools in every grower’s toolkit.

This comprehensive guide will explore various cannabis training techniques, breaking down how and why they work, as well as their advantages and challenges. By mastering these techniques, you’ll not only improve your plant’s health and productivity but also enhance the potency and overall quality of your harvest.

Introduction to Cannabis Training Techniques

Cannabis training involves deliberately manipulating the plant’s structure to optimize light exposure, airflow, and nutrient distribution. By shaping the plant to your advantage, you can encourage more even growth, resulting in bigger, more potent buds and higher yields.

Training is particularly useful for indoor growers with limited space, as many strains of cannabis naturally tend to grow tall and slender. By training cannabis plants, growers can prevent them from becoming too tall or “leggy,” which can result in uneven light distribution and lower-quality harvests.

There are two primary categories of cannabis training:

• Low-Stress Training (LST): Involves bending and tying down branches without damaging the plant.
• High-Stress Training (HST): Entails techniques that physically injure the plant, such as cutting or bending to achieve desired results.

Both LST and HST techniques work by redirecting the plant’s energy, enhancing light exposure to key bud sites, and increasing yields.

Low-Stress Training (LST)

Low-Stress Training (LST) is a gentle yet highly effective method for controlling the shape of cannabis plants. The goal of LST is to encourage more horizontal growth rather than vertical growth, which allows light to reach more bud sites evenly. This technique is particularly beneficial for indoor growers with limited vertical space, as it helps to create a more bush-like plant structure.

Benefits of LST

• Maximizes Light Distribution: LST allows you to spread the plant out horizontally, ensuring that more bud sites receive direct light. This results in healthier growth and larger yields.
• Better Airflow: By opening up the plant’s structure, you improve airflow through the canopy, reducing the risk of mold and mildew.
• Enhanced Yields: LST helps develop multiple main colas (the primary bud sites), leading to more uniform and higher yields.
• Lower Risk of Stress: Unlike high-stress training, LST doesn’t cause significant stress to the plant, allowing it to recover quickly.

Step-by-Step Guide to LST

1. Start Early: Begin LST when your cannabis plants are still young, usually during the vegetative stage when the plant has developed 4-6 nodes (leaf pairs). This is typically 3-4 weeks after germination.
2. Bend the Main Stem: Gently bend the plant’s main stem sideways until it’s horizontal or close to the soil. Be careful not to snap the stem. If the plant’s stem is already too rigid, apply light pressure over time until it becomes more pliable.
3. Tie Down the Stem: Use soft plant ties, garden wire, or twist ties to secure the bent stem in place. Anchor the tie to the side of the pot or growing medium. This will keep the stem horizontal and encourage the plant to focus energy on lateral growth.
4. Repeat for Side Branches: As new growth appears, repeat the process by bending and tying down side branches. This helps create an even canopy, ensuring that all bud sites receive equal amounts of light.
5. Monitor Growth: Continue adjusting the ties and bending branches as the plant grows. With regular attention, you’ll guide the plant into a bushy shape, maximizing light exposure and bud production.

When to Start LST

The earlier you start LST, the better. Beginning in the vegetative stage ensures the plant grows with a horizontal structure, and allows it to adapt to the technique. While LST is most effective when started early, it can be done throughout the plant’s life cycle, including during the flowering stage.

High-Stress Training (HST)

High-Stress Training (HST) is a more aggressive form of plant training that involves physically damaging the plant to force it to redirect its energy into multiple growth sites. The most common HST techniques are topping, fimming, and supercropping.

Topping

Topping is a popular HST technique that involves cutting off the top of the main stem to encourage the plant to grow multiple colas instead of just one.

• How It Works: When you remove the top of the main stem, the plant responds by redirecting energy to the side branches. This causes two new colas to form where there was once only one, increasing the overall number of bud sites.
• When to Top: Topping is typically done during the vegetative stage when the plant has developed at least 4-6 nodes. It’s important to give the plant time to recover after topping before switching to the flowering stage.
• Benefits: Topping is an effective way to control the height of your cannabis plants while encouraging bushier growth and larger yields.

Fimming

Fimming (short for “F**k, I Missed”) is similar to topping, but instead of cutting off the entire top of the plant, you only remove about 75% of the new growth at the top. This results in the formation of 3-4 new colas rather than just two.

• How It Works: By cutting less of the plant, you cause the plant to respond with even more branching. Fimming can create a more bush-like structure with multiple growth points.
• When to Fim: Like topping, fimming is done during the vegetative stage. You can perform it as soon as the plant has developed 4-6 nodes.
• Benefits: Fimming produces more bud sites than topping and can lead to even bushier plants. However, it’s slightly more unpredictable, as the number of colas can vary depending on how accurately the fim is performed.

Supercropping

Supercropping involves bending and slightly damaging branches to promote lateral growth and increase light penetration.

• How It Works: To supercrop, you pinch and slightly crush the stems between your fingers, then bend the branch at a 90-degree angle. This creates stress, forcing the plant to strengthen the area while diverting energy to other growth sites. The damaged branch will eventually recover and continue growing horizontally, while the surrounding branches receive more light.
• When to Supercrop: Supercropping can be done during the vegetative stage and early flowering stage. It’s most effective on plants that have become too tall or have uneven canopies.
• Benefits: Supercropping helps control plant height, increase yield, and improve light distribution. It can also make the plant more resilient to stressors like heavy buds and wind.

Advanced Training Methods

For experienced growers, advanced training techniques such as Screen of Green (ScrOG), Sea of Green (SOG), and mainlining can significantly enhance yield and efficiency.

Screen of Green (ScrOG)

The ScrOG method involves using a screen or net to train the plant’s branches to grow horizontally, creating an even canopy of buds.

• How It Works: As the plant grows, its branches are woven through the screen, forcing them to spread out horizontally. This ensures that all bud sites receive equal light and grow at the same rate. ScrOG is especially useful for indoor grows where space is limited.
• When to ScrOG: Set up the screen during the vegetative stage when the plant has developed multiple branches. As the plant continues to grow, weave the new branches through the screen.
• Benefits: ScrOG maximizes light exposure, increases airflow, and helps maintain an even canopy, resulting in larger, denser buds.

Sea of Green (SOG)

Sea of Green (SOG) is a technique that involves growing many small cannabis plants close together and switching to the flowering stage early to encourage rapid bud production.

• How It Works: In SOG, you grow many small plants in a compact space and induce flowering when they’re still small, usually within 2-3 weeks of vegetative growth. The plants focus their energy on developing a single large cola, which leads to faster harvests.
• When to SOG: Start SOG during the vegetative stage and switch to flowering early, after 2-3 weeks. This method works best with indica-dominant strains, which naturally stay shorter and stockier.
• Benefits: SOG allows for quicker harvests, increased yield per square foot, and is particularly effective for commercial growers or those with limited space.

Mainlining

Mainlining is an advanced training technique that involves creating a symmetrical, manifold structure to evenly distribute energy and nutrients to multiple colas.

• How It Works: Mainlining involves topping the plant multiple times to create a symmetrical, even structure with multiple main branches. These branches are trained to grow horizontally, ensuring that all colas develop at the same rate and receive equal amounts of light.
• When to Mainline: Mainlining should be started early in the vegetative stage and requires consistent topping and training throughout the grow.
• Benefits: Mainlining creates a highly efficient structure that maximizes light exposure, airflow, and nutrient distribution, leading to larger, more consistent yields.

Maximizing Your Yield with Defoliation

Defoliation is the process of selectively removing fan leaves from your cannabis plants to improve light penetration and airflow.

Benefits of Defoliation

• Improved Light Penetration: Removing large fan leaves opens up the canopy, allowing light to reach lower bud sites and promoting even growth.
• Better Airflow: Defoliation reduces the risk of mold and mildew by improving air circulation through the plant’s canopy.
• Increased Yield: By focusing the plant’s energy on developing buds rather than maintaining excess foliage, defoliation can result in larger, more potent flowers.

Best Practices for Defoliation

• Timing: The best time to defoliate is during the late vegetative stage and early flowering stage. Avoid heavy defoliation during the late flowering stage, as the plant needs its leaves to produce energy.
• Technique: Start by removing large fan leaves that block light from reaching lower branches. Be careful not to remove too many leaves at once, as this can stress the plant and reduce yield.

Combining Training Techniques

For experienced growers, combining multiple training techniques can lead to even better results. For example, you can use LST and topping together to create a bushier plant with multiple main colas, then incorporate ScrOG to further enhance light distribution and maximize yield.

When combining techniques, it’s essential to monitor your plant’s health and stress levels. Some plants handle stress better than others, so adjust your approach based on how the plant responds.

Understanding Plant Response to Stress

Training your cannabis plants involves applying stress, whether it’s low-stress bending or high-stress cutting. How your plants respond to this stress will depend on the strain, the environment, and the timing of the training. While cannabis is resilient, too much stress can stunt growth or cause plants to develop poorly.

Key Considerations for Managing Stress

• Strain Selection: Indica-dominant strains tend to be more robust and handle stress better than sativa-dominant strains, which can be more sensitive to high-stress techniques.
• Time for Recovery: Always allow your plants time to recover after each training session. If your plants show signs of stress (such as wilting or slowed growth), give them a few days to bounce back before applying more training.
• Environmental Conditions: Plants under stress are more vulnerable to environmental fluctuations. Ensure your grow environment is stable, with consistent temperatures, humidity, and light levels.

When Not to Train Your Cannabis Plants

While training is highly beneficial, there are certain times when it’s best to avoid applying stress to your plants:

• Late Flowering Stage: Once your plants are in the late flowering stage, avoid any form of high-stress training. Damaging the plant at this stage can negatively impact bud development and reduce your final yield.
• Weak or Sick Plants: If your plants are showing signs of nutrient deficiencies, pests, or disease, avoid training until they’ve recovered. Training adds extra stress, which can exacerbate the problem.
• Autoflowering Strains: Autoflowering cannabis strains have a shorter life cycle, so they typically don’t respond well to high-stress training. Stick to low-stress techniques like LST for autos.

Equipment Needed for Cannabis Training

To successfully train your cannabis plants, you’ll need a few key tools and supplies:

• Soft Plant Ties or Garden Wire: Used for LST to gently secure branches.
• Scissors or Pruning Shears: Essential for topping, fimming, and defoliation.
• Screen or Netting: Used for ScrOG to support and guide the plant’s growth.
• Stakes or Trellises: Useful for providing support to large or heavy plants during the flowering stage.
• pH and EC Meters: These help you monitor the health of your plants by checking nutrient levels and soil conditions.
• Grow Lights: Ensuring your training efforts are maximized by providing ample light to all parts of your plant.

Building Your Own Training Regimen

Cannabis training techniques can dramatically improve the quality, potency, and yield of your harvest. Whether you’re using low-stress techniques like LST or more advanced methods like ScrOG or mainlining, training allows you to optimize your plants’ growth and create an ideal environment for bud development.

Start simple by mastering basic techniques like LST and topping, then experiment with more advanced methods as you gain experience. Remember, every strain responds differently to training, so pay close attention to your plants and adjust your methods accordingly.

By building a personalized training regimen tailored to your grow space, strain, and cultivation style, you’ll maximize your yields and produce top-quality cannabis. Happy growing!