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Mainlining Vs Lst

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Mainlining Vs Lst

Onetwothree 47 Replies 27,979 Views
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Onetwothree

Onetwothree

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#1
I'm on my first grow and thought I would just do a small one...so I've got 2 White Widows that are now about 10 days old. I've been doing a lot of research as to training (I have a 4x5 tent) because I want to maximize my yield off the two plants. (next time I'll grow a few more)

So here's the question...I was either going to mainline them, or do the version of LSTing where you basically creat a circle around the pot with the main stem...which would you guys choose? Does mainlining add a ton more time to the veg process since it involves topping the plant 3 times? I can deal with veging for two months, but any longer that that and I think I'll start to get way to antsy. So sicne this is my first grow, I have no clue how long plants take to recover from topping (I know there are a million variables, like the health of the plants, the growing medium, the lights etc) but let's just say all things being equal, how much longer are we talking to do a proper mainline compared to a "circular" LST?
 
#2
For a 4x5 tent and it being your first grow I would just top them once, let them veg for another two weeks to let the tops grow out and recover and then flip them to flowering. A bit of Lst doesnt hurt if you want to expose some lower buds or keep it from touching the light but cutting off the lower stuff and topping once or twice will give you plenty of top buds and those are the ones you want.
 
#3
plus the circular lst that ur referring to is design to keep plant close to pot size, not really spreading them out.
with 4x5 tent ant 2 plants you want to spread your branches out. super cropping and lst would best suite ur set up.
top,then let heal, start training your branches out ward and down by tying.
check videos on super cropping, there are different levels of cropping. extreme...where they just pinch and bend the branches drastically. and then there's the moderate one where you take the selected branch to bend between your fingers and gently roll it to soften the stem. then you bend it in the direction you want. you can actually roll the whole stem and when it heals it will get larger and stronger.
Top those, and do same. you can also use a net to put over your tops. 3 inch squares. will allow you to position your buds as they grow out.
 
#4
3N1GM4 said:
For a 4x5 tent and it being your first grow I would just top them once, let them veg for another two weeks to let the tops grow out and recover and then flip them to flowering. A bit of Lst doesnt hurt if you want to expose some lower buds or keep it from touching the light but cutting off the lower stuff and topping once or twice will give you plenty of top buds and those are the ones you want.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a smart plan. I dont want to get to over my head on my first grow. It might be best to keep it simple and learn how the plant grows...
 
#5
Bannacis said:
plus the circular lst that ur referring to is design to keep plant close to pot size, not really spreading them out.
with 4x5 tent ant 2 plants you want to spread your branches out. super cropping and lst would best suite ur set up.
top,then let heal, start training your branches out ward and down by tying.
check videos on super cropping, there are different levels of cropping. extreme...where they just pinch and bend the branches drastically. and then there's the moderate one where you take the selected branch to bend between your fingers and gently roll it to soften the stem. then you bend it in the direction you want. you can actually roll the whole stem and when it heals it will get larger and stronger.
Top those, and do same. you can also use a net to put over your tops. 3 inch squares. will allow you to position your buds as they grow out.
Click to expand...

Good advice, I can see why doing the circle method would be kinda pointless when I have so much room to play with. Thanks for the input you guys, I really appreciate it!
 
#6
I hope you mainline on at least one of your future grows. It's so easy to do. I managed it in 4 weeks from seed to train 3 plants this way on my first grow. Unfortunately they were all male. But to get 8 colas was simple and quick. I just stuck to 8 colas as it was my first attempt. This time I'm gonna practice some LST as iv not done that yet. Good luck with your grow.
 
#7
kbellfoy said:
I hope you mainline on at least one of your future grows. It's so easy to do. I managed it in 4 weeks from seed to train 3 plants this way on my first grow. Unfortunately they were all male. But to get 8 colas was simple and quick. I just stuck to 8 colas as it was my first attempt. This time I'm gonna practice some LST as iv not done that yet. Good luck with your grow.
Click to expand...
Oh man that sucks! All that work for nothing.

I'm definitely going to mainline! I'm very intrigued by the idea of it, and I love the results I'm seeing on the interwebs. Yea I would definitely stick to 8 colas with my space, I think I'm going to do 3 or 4 main line on my second grow. I just think these guys are right...for my first grow I just want to keep it simple and learn about the structure the plant grows in before getting too advanced in training. I do love the idea of mastering mainlining and pulling 6+ zs off a single plant!
 
#8
Onetwothree said:
Oh man that sucks! All that work for nothing.

I'm definitely going to mainline! I'm very intrigued by the idea of it, and I love the results I'm seeing on the interwebs. Yea I would definitely stick to 8 colas with my space, I think I'm going to do 3 or 4 main line on my second grow. I just think these guys are right...for my first grow I just want to keep it simple and learn about the structure the plant grows in before getting too advanced in training. I do love the idea of mastering mainlining and pulling 6+ zs off a single

There is so much to learn isn't there. It's part of why I love growing. I love trying new things and learning. I looked at suoer cropping but I thought it was a bit too advanced for my first grow. I hope you do a diary on your grow if you have the time.
Click to expand...
 
#9
Why top to the third node when you mainline? Is there an advantage to topping at the third node?
 
#10
McCannabis said:
Why top to the third node when you mainline? Is there an advantage to topping at the third node?
Click to expand...

From what I've read you want to top at the 3rd node whether you're mainlining or not. From what I understand you want the plant to have 5 or 6 nodes before topping to the 3rd node as the plant will be stronger and recover much faster.
 
#11
Onetwothree said:
From what I've read you want to top at the 3rd node whether you're mainlining or not. From what I understand you want the plant to have 5 or 6 nodes before topping to the 3rd node as the plant will be stronger and recover much faster.
Click to expand...
What doesn't make sense to me is why its three? Letting it go to 5+ nodes then cutting close to half of it down doesn't seem like it would recover faster. I topped after four nodes and it worked for me. But if I would've left it get a few more then topped it would've recovered faster? Is it becasuse of the roots development at that point?
 
#12
McCannabis said:
What doesn't make sense to me is why its three? Letting it go to 5+ nodes then cutting close to half of it down doesn't seem like it would recover faster. I topped after four nodes and it worked for me. But if I would've left it get a few more then topped it would've recovered faster? Is it becasuse of the roots development at that point?
Click to expand...

I'm just guessing here but I think the reason to top at the third and not higher is that it allows for a wider, stronger base. So the higher you top the farther the nutes are traveling to reach the main colas. The reason for letting it grow to 5 or 6 before topping is that the plant is older, wiser, and stronger, and the thought is that equals less recovery time. I doubt there are any scientific studies backing it up, just anecdotal evidence.
 
#13
Topping at the third node, then topping the top two nodes that grow out in the spot where you topped it after they grow out to two nodes will give you 8 top cola buds if done right. Topping it above the third node and then topping it again gives the bottom branches a chance to catch up making them into top cola producing stalks.
 
#14
Not to split hairs, but that wouldn't technically be mainlining from what I gather. That's just topping three times, which will give you 8 colas but there will still be some noticeably larger than others.

With mainlining you cut off all growth underneath the 3rd node when you top it, this way all the nutes are spread out evenly at the "manifold" you create at the 3rd node. Then you top again, and once more after that.

http://www.growweedeasy.com/mainlining-nugbuckets
 
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#15
Onetwothree said:
Not to split hairs, but that wouldn't technically be mainlining from what I gather.
Click to expand...
Not to split hairs either but you are implying there is a mainlining standard growers and plants should follow, while it is just something made up by a grower who got bored and decided to play with his plants. Fun for pics and all, but that's about it. It's not an ornamental plant. The site you linked to should be called growweedovercomplicated. I suggest to learn about plants in general instead and keep it simple.

There are many ways to achieve the same effect, some faster than others. Veg till 5th node or longer, then top it to a point where you get the X best branches. If they are not fairly equally tall, you can pinch and bend some or use some wire to pull the larger ones down.
 
#16
Onetwothree said:
Not to split hairs, but that wouldn't technically be mainlining from what I gather. That's just topping three times, which will give you 8 colas but there will still be some noticeably larger than others.

With mainlining you cut off all growth underneath the 3rd node when you top it, this way all the nutes are spread out evenly at the "manifold" you create at the 3rd node. Then you top again, and once more after that.

http://www.growweedeasy.com/mainlining-nugbuckets
Click to expand...

I was just stating what I thought was the reason for mainlining and lst, to get more cola buds. I do alot of lst, mainly bending fan leaves out of the way, all to give light to the lower colas.
 
#18
Hey guys.
mainlining
p1030105-jpg.566399

p1030102-jpg.566396

p1030104-jpg.566398

Lst/top
p1030103-jpg.566397

a week from flip if you guys wanna follow my link.
 
#19
Niiiiice. I'll follow along for sure. Where's the thread? (On on mobile right now, if the links in your signature I can't see it :) )
 
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