desertsquirrel
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ISA pruning techniques
Proper as well as improper pruning can drastically affect your plants health in areas such as vigor, structure, yield, natural resistance to pests and pathogens, reproduction, ability to uptake water and solution, its production of plant growth regulators and plant health in general. Because of the importance of proper pruning practices as well as the general lack of them within the community i decided to post some of the International Society of Arboriculture's pruning techniques that i have been loosely adapting to Cannabis since my arboriculture class a few years ago...
Methodology:
As with anything in growing, no methodology can be viewed as optimal without clearly defined goals or objectives. Only within the context of an objective can optimization become clear. That being said, only prune to achieve specific goals, ie; change plant structure, provide more bud sites, prune-for-clones, etc.
Pruning objectives:
Because each cut made has the potential to change the entire structure and growth pattern of the plant, no cuts should be made without clearly established goals. Removal of specific branches and foliage as well as how they are removed is as important to your plants health as any other aspect of its care.
Branches:
The first thing to keep in mind when pruning is basic plant biology. Branches can usually be placed in one of two categories; dominate and co-dominate. They are most easily identified by they way in which they protrude from the trunk, in that dominate tend to extend at a 90 degree angle while co-dominate are at a 45 degree angle (more or less). However this is more difficult to discern with Cannabis.
Beyond their shape, the two kinds of branches have very significant differences in terms of plant structure and stability. Dominate branch's rings flow down the branch and one by one wrap around and into the rings of the trunk creating incredibly strong bonds (similar to the braids of a rope). co-dominate on the other hand, do not connect to the trunk in this fashion and are easily split (this is why you see so many Y shaped cannabis plants split down the center.)
Furthermore, dominate branches are protected by the branch bark ridge and branch bark collar which when pruned correctly create a branch bark protection zone. What this means is that if the branches are pruned outside of the branch bark collar a cube of protective tissue (physically and chemically) forms at the edge of the cut sealing it off from decay and pests.
It is important to point out that branch hight is set. Whether your cultivar be Cannabis or Christmas tress, branch height on all trees and plants does not change once it starts to grow.
Proper as well as improper pruning can drastically affect your plants health in areas such as vigor, structure, yield, natural resistance to pests and pathogens, reproduction, ability to uptake water and solution, its production of plant growth regulators and plant health in general. Because of the importance of proper pruning practices as well as the general lack of them within the community i decided to post some of the International Society of Arboriculture's pruning techniques that i have been loosely adapting to Cannabis since my arboriculture class a few years ago...
Methodology:
As with anything in growing, no methodology can be viewed as optimal without clearly defined goals or objectives. Only within the context of an objective can optimization become clear. That being said, only prune to achieve specific goals, ie; change plant structure, provide more bud sites, prune-for-clones, etc.
Pruning objectives:
Because each cut made has the potential to change the entire structure and growth pattern of the plant, no cuts should be made without clearly established goals. Removal of specific branches and foliage as well as how they are removed is as important to your plants health as any other aspect of its care.
Branches:
The first thing to keep in mind when pruning is basic plant biology. Branches can usually be placed in one of two categories; dominate and co-dominate. They are most easily identified by they way in which they protrude from the trunk, in that dominate tend to extend at a 90 degree angle while co-dominate are at a 45 degree angle (more or less). However this is more difficult to discern with Cannabis.
Beyond their shape, the two kinds of branches have very significant differences in terms of plant structure and stability. Dominate branch's rings flow down the branch and one by one wrap around and into the rings of the trunk creating incredibly strong bonds (similar to the braids of a rope). co-dominate on the other hand, do not connect to the trunk in this fashion and are easily split (this is why you see so many Y shaped cannabis plants split down the center.)
Furthermore, dominate branches are protected by the branch bark ridge and branch bark collar which when pruned correctly create a branch bark protection zone. What this means is that if the branches are pruned outside of the branch bark collar a cube of protective tissue (physically and chemically) forms at the edge of the cut sealing it off from decay and pests.
It is important to point out that branch hight is set. Whether your cultivar be Cannabis or Christmas tress, branch height on all trees and plants does not change once it starts to grow.