Quote Originally Posted by richardskinner
I will try some of the things suggested, thanks guys! How and when do i LST "train the plant"... .. And topping, how and when?
LST (Low Stress Training) can be started as soon as the plant is about 4-5 nodes in height (as small as 6 inches) or even smaller, depending on how strong it is. Just anchor it from one side, near the bottom node, and bend her over, exposing the lower nodes. That will encourage her to put more energy into those parts of the plant, and give you more tops earlier on.

Topping can be a bit trickier, as you're actually cutting the top few nodes off the top (or the top of each seperate top) in order to get the lower 2 developing tops to take off. Topping also can help you maintain your total plant height, and it promotes a 'bushier' plant overall. You may also want to attempt to FIM instead of topping, which (if successful) will encourage 4 tops to develop instead of one. Topping can be done as soon as you see enough top growth. There's a ton of info on the internet about topping and FIMming - search these boards for a wealth of specific info on these methods. Good luck! :rasta:

In case you'd like to see a result of some major LST work...check out my Tangerine Dream journal in the below link. This is ONE plant in a waterfarm, LST'd through about 9 weeks of veg... needless to say, I did NOT expect to see this kind of result from a single plant under a 400w light, but the training is a big part of what allowed this kind of result!

Barney's Farm - Tangerine Dream - Waterfarm!