Did you know that well-executed pruning and training of your marijuana plants could increase the yield by up to 25%? Some growers tend to leave their plants to grow naturally without any pruning or training. However, there are tonnes of advantages of these practices. One ought to have a well understanding of the various methods that can be used when pruning/training. The end result is that you will have healthier plants that will give you a good yield. We are going to focus on the reasons and methods for pruning and training of our marijuana plants.
Reasons for Pruning and Training
To provide adequate Light-Light is literally the life of our plants. They need light to make their food. More light in combination with training and pruning will automatically increase your yields.
Creating huge Yields-It is every grower’s dream to have a bountiful harvest. In order to achieve that, we have to incorporate activities like pruning and training of our plants. This way, we will get rid of unnecessary leaves and stalks that would have used energy at the expense of flowering. We are therefore left with marijuana plant that will have more buds and hence a good harvest.
To provide enough Circulation-We would not want excess moisture for our plants as this may kill our plants. It is therefore important to prune and train our plants so that air flows in and out freely. Sometimes the breezes help the stalks to be stronger.
Other factors that make growers prune and train their plants is to have the right temperatures in the rooms. This is for indoor growth.
Methods of Pruning and Training Marijuana Plants
Pruning and training should start in the second week of the growing phase. This can go on up to the second week of flowering. There are a number of effective methods of pruning and training.
Low stress Training-This is the most common way that growers use to fine tune their plants. This is especially if some are growing taller than others. It basically involves getting the plant into the right shape gradually using strings, pipes or even wires. LST, therefore, requires a high level of patience in order to get perfect results. The marijuana plants are tricked into thinking that there is no main shoot and hence become denser by growing other stems. Low Stress Training works best with the next type of pruning/training that we are going to look at next, topping.
Topping-Topping marijuana plants is simply the act of removing/cutting off the main shoot at the top hence stimulating the growth of other branches and shoots. This leads to our plants being dense and more solid. Topping helps in maximizing the amount of light that you have. It also helps in spreading the risk of diseases, especially for outdoor growers. When topping, ensure you operate on the latest shoot. It ensures you inflict minimal damage to the plant. Do this practice at the growing phase to give adequate time for the plant to grow wide and become dense.
Scrogging-Screen of green is another type of pruning/training. It involves spreading a net over your marijuana plants. The sole aim is to have an even canopy that stretches evenly. The net also gives support to the plants. When the plants go above the screen, pull them downwards to enhance canopy formation. You have to ensure that under the canopy there is enough air circulation otherwise your plants may die of moisture.
Super Cropping-It may seem a harsh thing to do to marijuana plants since it involves crushing inner tissues of the stem. This will make the tissues rebuild and become stronger. The plants will become healthier and their shape is also controlled easily. You should be very careful not to break the stem or branches when super cropping. It should be done in the early stages of the vegetative phase.
Fimming-This involves creating four main buds of the plant by partial removal of the newest shoot of the plant. It will make sure that the plant becomes wider and more exposed to light. Fimming is similar to topping with the only difference being how you cut off the shoot. This method may damage the plants a little bit but most will recover on time and increase the yield.
Monster cropping –This is a minor method that entails rooting clones derived from flowering plants. They will get into the vegetative state and eventually grow into monster crops.
It is therefore evident that training and pruning of your marijuana plants will increase your yield. Some practices make farming a fun activity. So, the next time you are growing marijuana, be sure to adapt at least one method.
