Bending Vs Pruning

1. Pruning would be one of the last things you would want to do. The only time purning is a good idea is when you have an exceptionally bushy plant and the light can't get to the buds. Even then, most of the time you should still try to tie back fan leaves.

2. If you mean topping, I wouldn't suggest doing so. I have found that although I do get more budsites with toping the budsite from bending & tying seem to be larger and fuller and you keep the main colada which is usually a great size bud.

3. Bending & Tying is a very simple task, but takes a great deal of time because you have to bend & tie the plants almost every other day. The main goal is to train the plant into growing into a specific shape.

I usually start when the plant is about 6" tall and usually has 3-4 nodes showing. I usally take large yarn (it doesn't cut into the plant) and tye it about 2/3rds the way up the plant and then pull the top of the plant over almost to a 90 Degree angle. (If you have a stiff plant you may have to do this is a few steps each day to get it there) then I tape or tye the yarn to the side of the growing pot.

After a few days of this, the top will start to grow streight up again. I then adjust the first tye and then add another one to pull the top back over. I keep doing this method adding more tie locations as I veg. I Have found it to be good to completely untie them after about a 7-10 days of training and leave them untied for a day or too. This strengthens them even more. Then start the training again.

I stop the training after about 2 weeks into flowering and then let them go.

This process allows many of the secondary growth start to grow upward much sooner than normal creating really more of a bush instead of a single stalk plant.

I will try and get some pictures up that I have of this process in a day or so.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Later

JRF