LST, good for me?? The girls begin thear training (NEW PICS!)

[BONG0]

I have my whole crop starting a girorious training schedule, thies plants are 2 weeks and 5 days old. they are in a Deep Water Culture System. I started slight bending of the 2 largest plants a few days ago ive now bent over the entire crop, tere is allready huge side vegitation making it difficult to tell its on the side and not the top of the plant :D (see pics) .

I need any suggestions from my fellow green thumbed brothers and sisters of the grow. How does my tie job look? have i went too far? ect. ect. ect...

Hear are the pics of the whole grow, up close, from a-far and a shot of some towering seedlings below this post. :thumbsup:

[BONG0]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Cornelius]

i can't really tell what's going on in your pics. Just make sure you keep the top of the plant lower than the bend site while you are training. This will cause the most side growth as the plant's growth hormone auxin goes to the highest point.

Technical stuff:

Auxins are found in every known plant, bush, tree-you name it Auxin's are in them. Auxins are 1 of the 5 major hormones in plants. Why do most plants and tree's grow like x-mas trees? It's because of Auxins. Auxins are hormones that are present at day one of a plants life. Auxins promote stem elongation, inhibit growth of lateral buds (maintains apical dominance). They are produced in the stem, buds, and root tips. Example: Indole Acetic Acid (IA). Auxin is a plant hormone produced in the stem tip that promotes cell elongation. Auxin moves to the darker side of the plant, causing the cells there to grow larger than corresponding cells on the lighter side of the plant. This produces a curving of the plant stem tip toward the light, a plant movement known as phototropism.
Auxin also plays a role in maintaining apical dominance. Most plants have lateral (sometimes called axillary) buds located at nodes (where leaves attach to the stem). Buds are embryonic meristems maintained in a dormant state. Auxin maintains this dormancy. As long as sufficient auxin is produced by the apical meristem, the lateral buds remain dormant. If the apex of the shoot is removed by pinching or fiming, the auxin is no longer produced. This will cause the lateral buds to break their dormancy and begin to grow. In effect, the plant becomes bushier. When a gardener trims a hedge, they are applying apical dominance, as well as when a grower pulls a plant over. Calcium or the calcium pump is one of the main carriers of Auxins and other plant hormones. Pull a plant over, auxins relocate for a period of time, calcium helps in moving auxins to those sites. Pull a plant over to much for periods of time and Calcium is depleted. Therefore if you grow using LST methods it is best to suppliment with Ca. Your plant will grow without it, but it will take off if you add it. Growers look at a plant that has a problem, they think it is due to a MG. prob. A lot of time it is, but we neglect Ca. Look up Ca and the benefits it has and you will see where I'm coming from.

[harris7]

I always love the science end of things.
for serious

[BONG0]

Yes i do have the top lower than the bend, i will post larger pics later when i have my other camera, it takes better pics.

[harris7]

so what happends when you cut off the main growth tip (topping) it takes all the hormone with it. do you have to wait till more is produced?

I thought a hormone was produced in the main growth tip that was very mobial in the plant and it inhibited side shoot growth. Then when you cut off the growth tip. This hormone isn't produced very much and thus side shoots are no longer inhibited.

any comments?

[harris7]

ooo we agree

"Naturally occurring auxin is formed mainly in the apical shoot men stem and young leaves. It moves downward after its formation at the growing shoot tip, but massive concentrations of auxins in rooting solutions will force travel up the vascular tissue. Knowledge of the physiology of auxins has led to practical applications in rooting cuttings."