Trimming, feeding and a different version of LST

[Rye]

It was time to feed the ladies and give them a trim. I also started training them. Typically LST involves thing the plant and stems DOWN to make an even canopy and give the lower bud sites more light. I go the other way, I form my even canopy by bringing the lower branches UP, removing the bud and side branches on the lower part of those main branches and encourage the upper side branches to fill in where the lower would be.

I encourage the new growth by selective trimming and lots of leaf tucking, probably 3-4 times a day I’ll re-tuck the leaves blocking any bud site I want to stretch UP. Any time I have to trim or train the plant I make sure it’s on a feed/water day.

Here are some before and after pics and since close up of how I tie the branches UP.

Goldleaf

Blueberry×Bigdevil

By pulling the lower branches up and encouraging their upward growth I keep the WHOLE canopy even with the center cola. As it progresses i trim more of the center open and leave the outer leaves for energy production, so that as the buds form I have room around them for air circulation.

Just a different way to LST your plant.

[kmac03]

Seems less violent, that’s for sure.

[Rye]

It encourages what the plant already WANTS to do. But it takes patience and a general plan of where you want the branches and bud sites to end up. Looking from the top down I plan for each branch to end up in a specific space on a grid.

This is the end result.

You can see in this pic I used a piece of wire fencing for my grid, and encouraged each branch to a specific opening.

[Mrb53004 (Mike)]

SO you are trimming the apical bud? And on your node branches, are you restricting growth to only the 2nd, maybe 3rd node and removing the rest? Doesn’t that make the canopy tight /close, with not much breathing room? Sorry, did not see your 2nd pic until I wrote this. Looks like an alternate version of LST and the end result looks nice. Did you do any chiropractics?

[Rye]

No chriopractis that grow. Just regularly trimming and LOTS of leaf tucking to encourage the growth I wanted.

[Mrb53004 (Mike)]

But are you trimming the “APICAL” bud?

[Rye]

No. I dont trim any of the buds, other than to remove the lower ones.

[Mrb53004 (Mike)]

Then how do you get the Apical to not outpace the other tops. The main stem always gets more than the rest of the plant. How do you make symmetrical growth? I can see the result, I just do not know how you manipulate the plant without LST or other methods to make the lower stems catch up to the apical bud. AND - are you growing in straight Perlite?

[kmac03]

I’m just spitballing here, but I would think that the tension he created between the branches in the picture would force her to create the result, no? Just trying to educate myself, not questioning.

[Mrb53004 (Mike)]

We drink mother here but I LIKE IT HOT so, if you got, I desire.

[kmac03]

Fresh horseradish hot and cayenne okay?

[Mrb53004 (Mike)]

Okie Dokie artichokie…later peeps

[MDBuds]

@Mrb53004 when you do the vertical training like that it prompts the same response as tie down LST. The branches pulled up still compete for light and the ones on the dark side of the plant will stretch up for more light. So with vertical LST you tie it in and let the dark side stretch and turn the plant a little every other day so the dark side keeps stretching up until it reaches the Apical. Once all the side branches reach the top from light deprivation stretching everything will grow evenly.

[kmac03]

So, dark side meaning beneath the foliage right? The area that doesn’t receive the light?
Making sure the picture in my head is correct.

[MDBuds]

@kmac03 yes. The area of the plant that receives less light will stretch for more light. I have a perfect example in my tent right now. I’ll show you when my lights come on.

Another reason that branches on the dark side stretch more is that the auxins don’t like light and will build up in the plant roots and dark sides of the plant. That’s why most of the growth and stretching including bud mass is done during the dark period when the auxins and hormones flow freely and the plant is using the stored nutrients and exuding the waste.

[kmac03]

It so interesting, isn’t it? Our bodies do the same thing, just called differently. I mean, we don’t go to sleep in the dirt. On purpose, anyway. Haha! I’d love to see your examples.

[MDBuds]

@kmac03 here you can see it in action. Haven’t turned the plant for a few days so the dark side is stretching and the light side is staying where it was when I turned it. Don’t mind the lower foliage. She’s close to harvest and self pruning focusing on the buds and sugar leaves.

[kmac03]

This is much more to my liking. For now, anyway. Do you tie the branches like @Rye did?

[MDBuds]

@kmac03 I do with photos since they veg longer Haven’t tried it with an auto yet. I have tried some bonsai and tied down LST though. I just let this one grow and turned it every other day after some stretching.

[MDBuds]

@kmac03 here’s my bonsai one. She’s so tiny. Works much better with photos though.

And here is my tie down LST one with a slight bonsai bend.