I tied twine to the plants several nodes down from the top(about 6 inches) and bent them over very carefully and tied to a stake that's a few feet away. They are about 3 feet tall now. I bent them less than 45 degrees. They have since straightened themselves out at the tip, so the first two feet of plant are bending nicely but the top isn't. I'm wondering if I should try tying the twine closer to the tip so that it's constantly pointed horizontal.

On another note, since this is stress to the plant would it then be more likely to become male?