The coveted target is a giant biscuit jar full of drugs, right? It all starts with the vegetative phase of the cannabis plant. In this phase, there are a few methods you can use to increase yields and just get the most out of your plant. So how do you grow a monster plant?
Target in the growth phase
The growth phase is about making the plant grow as big as possible. To get a really big plant, you should first let it grow for 2 months. During this time, the cannabis plant is pruned and trained to become like a bushy square instead of a Christmas tree. Why is this actually done? The plants contain auxins, a hormone that makes them grow straight up. At the top of the plant, these auxins are found in particularly high concentrations. By levelling the top, the auxins are distributed in such a way that the plant sends more energy to the many side shoots instead of just concentrated to the headbud. In addition, space is often limited in height when growing indoors and it often makes sense for the plant to develop more in width rather than in height. This also allows for better illumination of the buds and ultimately higher yields.
Prune the plant in the growth phase - Topping
Pruning the main shoot is one of the most important points. You should wait until the plant has at least 4-5 pairs of leaves. You can also do it later, when the plant has already become bushier, but you should not wait too long so that the plant does not grow so tall. When pruning the main shoot, also called topping, the very top young main shoot is cut off: see 2nd picture. By doing this, the two side shoots below will grow more evenly instead of forming a dominant main shoot:
When a plant has grown for a while, it can be pruned a second time. This will make it even bushier.
At this size the plant should be pruned for the first time:
For the topping, cut off the very top tip:
Here is the plant after a few days of topping:
The same plant a few weeks after topping. It has become a bushy and beautiful plant. By now it is already starting to get too tall and it is time to tie it up and train it:
Low Stress Training (LST)
Now it is time to start with low stress training (LST) to bring the plant further into shape and to get the best results in the end. LST is a way of training plants without stressing them too much. When talking about LST, it usually means tying down/bending or holding branches to get more light to individual flowers and overall improved illumination. Auxins are distributed more evenly in the uppermost part of the plant. This results in many smaller buds instead of one very large headbud, which is also more susceptible to fungal diseases due to its size. When pruning, you can minimise this risk at the same time by not creating giant buds, but many smaller, but also large flowers. Thin side branches at the very bottom of the plant as well as leaves in the lowest part of the plant should be removed so that all the strength goes upwards and a beautiful "plant ball forms". The Super-Cropping method can also be used to shape the plant at this stage.
Here is an example of how best to trim a plant:
Branches can also be carefully bent to the side without bending them, they will always straighten upwards:
And already after a few days you can see how the two main shoots grow upwards again and get lots of light:
When the plant has got a good shape, has fitted ideally into its intended space and all shoots are sprouting vigorously upwards, it is time to send the plant into flowering to get many thick buds after a few weeks. With a net (ScroG net), string or lattice, the plants are now further trapped and shaped so that all branches receive as much light as possible and the plant develops more in width and less in height. In time you will get a better feeling for how to do this most skilfully for each individual plant when you see the result for yourself.
See also our article on Super Cropping to learn even more about yield increase and plant training methods.
