1. Topping
2. Low Stress Training (LST)
3. Supercropping
4. Defoliation (Strategically Removing Leaves)
5. Lollipopping
6. Sea of Green (SoG)
7. Manifolding (aka Main-Lining)
8. Screen of Green (ScrOG)
9. FIMming
10. Monster Cropping

Bonus: Fluxing

Every Cannabis Grower Should Use Plant Training Techniques

As a cannabis grower, your goal is to get your plants to produce a lot of high-quality buds as efficiently as possible. A key tactic to increasing cannabis yields and bud quality is to “train” your cannabis plant when it’s young to grow wide and flat so that it produces a lot of fat top buds in the flowering stage.

The goal of all cannabis plant training techniques is to grow wide flat plants with many big top buds. Fill your grow space with top-shelf weed!

Cannabis Plant Training Benefits

• Bigger yields
• Denser buds
• Increased bud potency (higher THC)*

*In our side-by-side experiments, trained cannabis plants produce buds that have higher THC levels when tested at the lab.

Today’s cannabis plant training tutorial is all about showing you how to use free techniques to get more and better quality buds from your current setup.

Achieve better marijuana bud quality and increase THC levels with these free plant training techniques!

1.) Topping

Topping is the #1 most important, easiest, and most effective cannabis plant training technique. If you must choose only one technique, do this.

“Topping” means cutting off the growing tip (“top”) of the main stem to encourage the growth of two or more secondary stems. A grower typically “tops” the plant when it’s a few weeks old. The purpose of topping is to break the apical dominance of the cannabis plant (reduce the tendency to grow one main trunk) so it naturally grows with many branches. Topping a young cannabis plant helps encourage it to grow wide and bushy with many tops for buds to grow.

Topping means cutting off the top of a cannabis plant when it’s a few weeks old.

The result: plants naturally grow more bushy, even if you don’t do anything else.

Topped cannabis plants naturally grow wider and bushier.

The result is many tops on each marijuana plant, and each of those top stems becomes a main bud.

2.) Low Stress Training (LST)

Low Stress Training (often called “LST”) is a fancy way of saying “bending and tying down branches”. The goal of LST is to get the plant to grow in the shape you want, typically to create a more even and horizontal canopy so the plant produces many buds instead of just one. Training cannabis plants to grow flat and wide also helps deliver more light to more top buds, increasing overall yields and bud quality.

This is another technique, like topping, that can definitely be used by itself to increase yields without doing anything else.

Learn More: Low Stress Training Tutorial

Cannabis plant before low stress training.

A cannabis plant after low stress training. Branches were bent down and away from the middle of the plant, then secured with plant twisty tie.

At harvest, the cannabis plant has many big buds instead of only one. (Here’s the full grow journal)

3.) Supercropping

The main purpose of “supercropping” is to gain total control over the height of unruly cannabis plants by being able to bend even the stiffest of branches without breaking them. I’m not sure how it got its name (perhaps just because it helps make super harvests?) but the supercropping technique involves pinching and bending the stems until they break internally, but not externally. After the stem can be bent, the branches get secured where you want them to stay.

In addition to height control, supercropping causes the plant to form a knuckle at the bend point, which, as a bonus, may increase the flow of nutrients and hormones in some cases. This technique may also potentially increase the potency of buds by slightly stressing the cannabis plant in a “good” way. However, be careful to follow the tutorial to make sure you don’t accidentally break the skin and potentially kill the branch.

Learn More: How to Supercrop Plants to Control Height

Supercropping is a technique to safely bend branches at an extreme angle without “breaking the skin”. This gives you a lot more control over plant height.

4.) Defoliation (Strategically Removing Leaves)

“Defoliation” means removing fan leaves, and should be done in a strategic way to get the best results. The main goal is to remove big fan leaves that block light from reaching the bud sites early in the flowering stage. This helps the plants grow into a better structure, improves airflow, increases light penetration, and overall enhances bud development. However, this technique should be done with caution as over-defoliation can stress or stunt the plant, and works best if you follow our defoliation tutorial.

Learn more: Cannabis Flowering Stage Defoliation Tutorial

Defoliation means removing fan leaves in a strategic way during the early flowering stage. Strategic defoliation for cannabis plants is typically done on a specific schedule after flowering is initiated.

When done properly, strategic defoliation results in bigger, longer buds. In our cannabis defoliation experiment, defoliated plants also produced more THC!

5.) Lollipopping

The “lollipopping” technique involves removing the lower branches and leaves that receive little light and produce small buds. Essentially, you turn the plant into a lollipop with no leaves on the bottom. Removing the bottom leaves and bud sites that will never get light helps the plant focus its energy on the upper buds. As a result of lollipopping, the topmost buds typically grow bigger and denser.

Before and after lollipopping cannabis plants. The left plant was lollipopped, and the right plant has not been lolliopped yet.

This was done right as the grower initiated the flowering stage. Notice how all the leaves have been removed from the bottom of the plant and light now reaches the floor.

Lollipopped cannabis plants produce big buds that go deeper down into the plant. Notice how the bottom branches are bare.

Lollopopped plants tend to produce bigger and better top buds, with fewer small airy lower buds that typically are not that potent anyway.

Learn More: How to Lollipop Your Cannabis Plants

Useful Specialty Techniques

These techniques are useful in many situations, but unlike the tactics listed above (which are useful for every cannabis grower), these techniques may not be the best choice in every situation for every grower’s goals.

6.) Sea of Green (SoG)

“Sea of Green” (also known as “SoG”) is about creating a sea of buds with a bunch of little plants. Many small plants are grown together in close proximity, then forced to start flowering early. Since plants stay small, growing with the Sea of Green technique reduces the vegetative time, allowing for both quicker harvests and more harvests in a year. This technique works best for cannabis strains that have a dominant main cola, and for grow spaces where it is easy to reach all the plants including plants in the middle or back. Although Sea of Green is surprisingly efficient as far as the yields for the time and electricity used, it’s not suitable for growers with legal plant limits, and tends to take more work compared to growing fewer plants.

Learn More: How to Make a “Sea of Green” in Your Cannabis Garden

Grow many small cannabis plants for a “sea of green” and initiate the flowering stage when plants are still tiny (this size).

Each cannabis plant will grow one main bud and fill your space with weed.

7.) Manifolding (aka Main-Lining)

Originally called main-lining, this technique has come to be called “manifolding” because that is more descriptive, and also because “main-lining” has another meaning in the drug world. Manifolding involves topping the main stem multiple times when the plant is still small to create an even number of main colas that grow from a single manifold. This process creates a symmetrical and balanced plant where each main bud receives equal amounts of nutrients and light.

Note: Autoflowering strains cannot be manifolded because their vegetative stage is too short. Learn more about how to train auto-flowering cannabis strains.

The manifolding process is a neat way to learn about training cannabis plants and also ensures an excellent harvest of many big buds. In my opinion, every dedicated cannabis grower should try manifolding a photoperiod plant at least once, even if just for the experience. It’s not necessarily the most scalable or efficient plant training technique, but is definitely one of the most fun!

Manifolding is a training regimen that causes the entire plant to grow from one main “manifold”. Manifolds are fun and interesting to make!

Example of a manifolded cannabis plant at harvest.

8.) Screen of Green (ScrOG)

“Screen of Green” (often abbreviated “ScrOG” – no relation to Sea of Green technique despite the similar names) refers to using a screen or net to support and train the branches to grow flat and wide. The branches are woven through the screen as they grow, creating a flat and uniform canopy that maximizes light exposure and bud production. Creating a screen of green can be useful in some situations, but personally, I believe it’s often less work to use other techniques on this page to create wide flat plant canopies. Once a cannabis plant is woven through the screen, it’s stuck in place unless the screen also moves, which can be inconvenient. Also, if you use wire as part of the screen, it can be difficult to cut all the buds out at harvest.

Learn more: Screen of Green Tutorial

Create a screen (best to use string instead of wire to make it easy to cut away from plants at harvest).

Example of a cannabis plant growing in a screen.

(Less Useful) “Hit or Miss” Techniques

These cannabis training techniques are not consistent and should generally be avoided, or at least considered experimental.

9.) FIMming

“FIM” stands for “F*ck I Missed” 😂 Essentially, this technique is similar to topping, but instead of cutting through the main stem, a small portion of the top of the plant is left behind. FIMing was “discovered” when someone messed up while topping their plant. When done in just the right way, this can result in four or more secondary stems growing from the same node. The downside is it often doesn’t work as intended. While topping consistently splits one stem into two, FIMing can result in 1, 2, 3, or 4 final stems. If you want 4 main stems, it’s better to top the plant twice than FIM it.

FIMing means removing 80% of the top node and hoping it results in 4 main branches (inconsistent and not recommended).

10.) Monster Cropping

The “monster cropping” technique involves taking clones from a flowering plant and reverting them back to the vegetative stage (“re-vegging” the cannabis plant). A re-vegged clone often grows strangely, with multiple branches and bud sites, creating bushy and monster-like plants. Some growers think this can be an easy way to make the plant grow many buds, but in my experience, re-vegged plants grow slowly for a long time compared to seeds or regular clones. Almost any other technique on this page to make plants bushy gets faster and more consistent results.

Learn More: What is “Monster Cropping” a Cannabis Plant?

A “monster cropped” plant. Note: a cannabis grower will likely get better results with almost any other technique on this page.

Bonus: Fluxing

Similar to manifolding except more complicated and with more steps. This gets similar results as manifolding but takes more time so it’s best for growers who enjoy the process of training and experimenting with vegetative cannabis plants. Typically, you’ll get the same results for less effort by manifolding a cannabis plant instead.

Fluxing is essentially a more complex version of manifolding.

Fluxing gives similar results to other techniques on this page that take less time.

Learn More: What is “Fluxing” and How Do You Do It?

Start training your cannabis plants today using the techniques in today’s tutorial!

Grow many buds at the same time…

…and enjoy your bountiful harvest!

The post 10 Most Common Cannabis Training Terms: In Order of Usefulness appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Growers often ask me for examples of training a cannabis plant for better indoor yields. A plant that’s trained to grow wide and flat in the vegetative stage produces more buds indoors than a natural-grown plant. Especially with smaller grow lights or a short setup.

One popular way to create a flat cannabis canopy is a ScrOG which stands for “Screen of Green”. Basically, it means training plants to grow flat along a screen or net. Grow flat cannabis plants like this awesome scrog picture by Graeme.

Traditional Screen of Green (ScrOG) – Plants get trained along a screen or net in the vegetative stage, to make a canopy “table” (this beautiful ScrOG grown by Graeme).

This flat plant shape maximizes yields under indoor grow lights by filling the entire grow space with buds. But is there an easier way to achieve the same result?

Although the result is excellent yields, “scrogging” takes a bit of work.

In addition to having to make (or buy) the screen and set it up in the grow space, the process of threading plants through the net can be time-consuming.

On top of that, once the training process begins, plants can’t be moved independently. With their stems woven through the netting, plants are basically “stuck” on the screen until harvest. This can make it difficult to water plants and/or access the middle.

Nebula’s Faux Scrog: Bigger Yields Without a Net

Today you’ll learn my technique to make a faux “scrog” without a net. Get the same results with less effort.

The resulting plant was less than 20″ (50 cm) tall at harvest and look at all those buds!

Today I’ll share an alternative method to achieve similar results. This method of training plants to grow wide and flat gives the same table-like outcome with less work and allows you to still move and access individual cannabis plants as needed. Here goes!

Nebula’s Faux Cannabis “Scrog” Technique

1.) Remove tops as plant grows

I cut off the top of the main stem (also known as “topping” the plant) after about 5 sets of leaves (5th node). This breaks the apical dominance and causes the plant to grow more wide and bushy instead of growing in a Christmas tree shape. There isn’t a perfect or best time to top a plant, though most growers do it above node 3-6. Topping above the 5th works well every time so that’s what I do.

As the plant grows, make sure to cut off the tops of any stems that start getting taller than the others. This simple system (let’s call it the “top any tall stems” training regimen) ensures no stem gets significantly taller than the others while creating multiple branches. This works well with any photoperiod (not auto) cannabis plant, including asymmetrical clones like this one, which aren’t great candidates for more structured techniques like manifolding.

Pay attention as the plant grows. If any stem seems to be getting taller than the others, cut off the top.

Other than that, I didn’t do anything but spread the plant out and let it grow wild.

2.) Bend stems until plant is flat

Wait until the plant has grown several branches so you have something to work with.

This Pineapple Chunk clone was topped multiple times and has been growing wild. Ready for training! (I’m using this setup)

The idea of this step is simply to bend all stems over and away from the middle of the plant. The goal is to eventually fill up the tent with a wide flat canopy before initiating the flowering stage.

Time to force it flat!  Stems were bent over and tied down.

I got a spool of plant twist tie and cut off pieces to hold all the branches down in place

I used Fiskars scissors to poke holes in the fabric pot and threaded through the twist tie. Another option for securing twist tie is a safety pin, but they can rust over time.

I bent over every branch until the plant was essentially flat and spread out

Top view

3 days later the plant has grown into its new shape. It almost fills the tent already!

Quick Setup Summary (in case you’re curious, though this technique works in any setup): HLG 65W (4000k version) LED grow light in a 2’x2’x3′ grow tent (0.6m x 0.6m x 0.9m). Using the Flora trio + CaliMagic as nutrients and supplements. Complete setup list here.

Time to let the plant grow a bit bigger and spread out more.

3.) Flatten plant every 1-2 weeks until it’s the desired width

8 days later the plant looks like this

Top view

I again bent over and secured the tallest branches to be flat

Here is the top view. Notice how much more plant coverage there is in the tent after the plant has been spread out and flattened. The entire tent is going to be a sea of buds at harvest!

Repeat the step of flattening as many times as it takes to fill the grow space.

4.) Initiate flowering with a 12/12 light schedule

Since I’ve achieved the desired coverage, I initiated the flowering stage by putting the grow lights on a 12/12 light schedule immediately after the last picture.

Faux Scrog in action! Here’s what the plant looks like 14 days after it started receiving 12/12.

The emerging buds help you see just how many bud sites have been created!

5.) Wait until harvest

At this point, there’s nothing to do but respond to signs of trouble, water the plant as needed, and wait for harvest.

At harvest, the plant is still less than 20″ (50cm) tall and produced over 3 ounces off a small 65W LED grow light. Not bad!

The post Nebula’s Screenless SCROG Method: Bigger Yields Without the Net appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Ready to harvest more than 1 pound of top-shelf cannabis right from inside your home? Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Turning that dream into a reality is fully within your grasp, and I’m going to show you exactly how to produce a pound of top-shelf weed indoors. Harvesting a pound (that’s an eye-popping 16 ounces) of your own top-shelf cannabis is about more than just the weight. It’s also about independence from buying, the delight of sharing your crop with others, and the freedom to have so much weed you never run out, with enough left over to make your own goodies like edibles, extracts, and tinctures.

Our first 1-pound indoor cannabis harvest based on this tutorial (600W HPS grow light).

And our first 1-lb harvest after switching to an LED grow light (600W LED grow light).

One key to growing a pound of good weed indoors is you have to give your plants the right growing environment. A large tent sized at 4’x4’x6.5′ (1.2mx1.2mx2m) is a manageable size that provides an ideal place to consistently produce your 1-lb cannabis grow.

Here are some examples of grow lights that would be suitable for this size grow tent:

• Spider Farmer SF4000 LED grow light – (uses 450W) – Yields just under 1 pound
• Mars Hydro FC-E4800 LED grow light (uses 480W) – Yields over 1 pound per harvest
• 600W HPS (Uses 600W) – Yields up to 21 ounces or 1.3 lbs
• HLG Blackbird 600W LED (600W, dimmable) – Yields up to 24 oz or 1.5 lbs. Recommended choice – this LED light was designed specifically to achieve high yields in a 4×4 grow tent.
• 1000W DE HPS (Uses 1000W) – Yields up to 35 oz or 2.2 lbs, VERY hot, you will need cooling.

Example Plants Grown in This Size Tent

Cannabis plants grown in a 4’x4′ grow tent under a 600W HPS.

Six plants under a 600W LED grow light in 4’x4’x6.5′ (these are only on day 38 of flowering).

Two Hydroponic Plants under a 600W HPS in 4’x4’x7′ grow tent – Yielded 23.09 oz at harvest!

Those are just a few examples. Many of you have written in asking for more tutorials about growing large amounts of weed in the home environment. We have heard you loud and clear! Here’s the proven strategy we’re covering in today’s cannabis tutorial that will teach you how to yield 1 lb or more of top-shelf cannabis in a single large grow tent:

Overall Strategy

1.) Start with a high-yielding cannabis strain – Learn how to find the right strain.

2.) Get your supplies – Here’s an example of a complete shopping list for a 4’x4′ grow tent that gets great results with cannabis.

3.) “Top” plants at a young age – Cut off the top of the main stem when seedlings are a few weeks old.

4.) Train plants to grow flat and wide (like a table) in the vegetative stage.

• Simple Way: Either use plant twist tie to hold down branches…
• Using a Net: Invest in a Scrog net and install it to be half the final desired height of your plants. Any time a stem grows above the net, tuck it back underneath until you’ve filled the entire net

5.) Initiate the flowering stage, then…

• Defoliate – Follow a strategic defoliation schedule
• Not too hot, not too humid – Maintain a good environment while buds are forming.
• Keep plants healthy – Avoid bugs and nutrient deficiencies.
• If using a net,  add a second net and arrange buds to fill the entire net as they grow.

6.) Harvest at the right time.

7.) Dry and jar buds properly.

This is just a super basic outline. Check below for more details and step-by-step instructions!

How to Grow 1 Pound of Weed: Step-by-Step Instructions

1.) Start with a high-yielding cannabis strain

Learn how to find the right strain (regardless of what your goals are).

Some strains naturally yield much more than others. Choose high-yielding strains to maximize your harvest weight.

Autoflowering Strains vs Photoperiod Strains: Which is better for cannabis yields?

Although many auto-flowering strains are high-yielding, and produce fast harvests under 3 months, you don’t have as much control over plant growth patterns and size as you do with photoperiod strains. That’s because autoflowering strains start making buds after about 4 weeks, even if your plants aren’t as big as you need them to be yet. Cannabis plants about double in size after they start flowering, and if your autoflowering plants are too small at that point, they’ll stay small until harvest no matter what you do. Especially for beginners, it can be difficult to consistently harvest 1 lb per harvest with auto-flowering strains because even a small problem at the beginning of the grow can stunt your plant size.

On the other hand, photoperiod cannabis plants are much more forgiving if you make mistakes early on. You have all the time in the world to get your plants to the exact right size and shape before you initiate the flowering stage. As long as you set your plants up right before they start flowering, and keep them healthy, you’re pretty much guaranteed a 1+ lb harvest following all these steps, which is why photoperiod strains are recommended if you’re not sure what to pick.

Autoflowering strains 

Pros

• Faster – Ready to harvest in under 3 months. Can’t beat the time to harvest! If speed is most important, then auto-flowering genetics are the way to go.
• No special light schedules – You don’t have to worry about light schedules, light leaks, or anything like that. Just give the plants 18+ hours of direct light a day and that’s all you really need to think about when it comes to light. Check on your plants any time.

Cons

• Early mistakes can dramatically hurt yields – Can’t make mistakes in the seedling stage. Autofloweirng plants start flowering after about a month even if they’ve been sick and are still small. That means early mistakes like overwatering your seedlings will stunt autoflowering plants for life, so only choose autoflowering strains if you’ve got a great handle on taking care of plants for the first 4 weeks of life.
• Less consistent yields – More difficult to always get 1 lb per harvest, due to the shorter life period as well as the fact that it’s easier for plants to end up smaller than you want.
• Fewer strain choices – Autoflowering strains are “boutique” specialty genetics and you typically have fewer options when it comes to autos.

Photoperiod strains <– Recommended for this cannabis high-yield tutorial

Pros

• Early mistakes are forgiven – Even if you make mistakes early on, you have time to let your plants recover and get them the optimum size and shape to guarantee a 1-lb harvest.
• Consistent 1 lb harvests – With photoperiod strains, even a total beginner can produce a pound of weed in their first harvest as long as they just make sure to follow all these instructions.
• Bigger selection – Most strains are photoperiod strains, which means you have a much larger selection to choose from.
• Excellent bud quality – Although you can get some incredible autoflowering strains these days that have bud quality equal to photoperiod strains, on average photoperiod buds not only look and smell nicer, but also have higher THC levels.

Cons

• Takes longer – Average grow time with photoperiod strains is 4-5 months from germination to harvest day. This is about 1-2 months longer than most autoflowering strains.
• Special light schedules – In order to get photoperiod cannabis plants to make buds (start “flowering”), growers give plants 12 hours of complete darkness a day to simulate that winter is coming. This is easy to do in a grow tent by putting your grow lights on a timer. However, the downside is you can’t check on or care for your plants during their 12-hour “lights off” period every day so you don’t accidentally interrupt their beauty sleep.

I recommend growers follow this tutorial with photoperiod strains just to increase the chance you get a full pound or more. However, auto-flowering strains can work if you’re desperate to harvest within 3 months and are willing to make sure to take extra good care of your plants while they’re still young.

Examples of excellent high-yielding photoperiod strains (these are all feminized seeds, which means every plant with be a bud-making female plant)

• Blue Dream by Seed Supreme – Enormous yields every time. A true commercial producer and one of the higher-yielding strains I’ve grown. Buds are sweet-smelling with relaxing yet “social” weed effects that have given in the status of “party favorite”.
• Platinum Cookies by Seed Supreme – Excellent yields and the bud quality is out of this world. The purple-tinted buds tested at 25-27% THC when we grew it and the effects were a crowd favorite. This strain tends to get tall, but responds well to bending and supercropping to keep it short and flat. It has a 12-week flowering stage, which is a few weeks longer than average, but the yield and bud quality are worth 2 extra weeks in my opinion.
• Kushberry Moonrocks by MSNL – Great yields, pretty purple color on buds, averages around 28% THC, only a 10-week flowering stage. Effects are relaxing but POTENT. Definitely a strain meant to be enjoyed at home.

2.) Get your big-yield supplies

Here’s an example of a complete shopping list for a 4’x4′ grow tent that gets great results with cannabis using the HLG Blackbird 600W LED.

Here are other examples of grow lights that would be suitable for this size grow tent, using otherwise the same setup as above:

• Spider Farmer SF4000 LED grow light – (uses 450W) – Yields just under 1 pound
• Mars Hydro FC-E4800 LED grow light (uses 480W) – Yields over 1 pound per harvest
• 600W HPS (Uses 600W) – Yields up to 21 ounces or 1.3 lbs
• HLG Blackbird 600W LED (600W, dimmable) – Yields up to 24 oz or 1.5 lbs. Recommended choice – this LED light was designed specifically to achieve high yields in a 4×4 grow tent.
• 1000W DE HPS (Uses 1000W) – Yields up to 35 oz or 2.2 lbs, VERY hot, you will need cooling.

Any of these grow lights will grow thriving cannabis plants in a 4’x4′ grow tent.

Other hints for getting the highest yields in your setup:

• Grow with coco (or hydro) – Coco and hydro tend to produce better yields than growing in soil on average. The grow medium that tends to produce the lowest yields is super soil (“just add water” soil). However, yields aren’t the only important thing when it comes to growing, and you can achieve 1 pound in this setup even with super soil if you make sure to maximize everything else.
• Use synthetic nutrients – Along the same line, cannabis plants tend to produce the highest yields when using synthetic or mineral-based nutrients. Adding organic nutrients can definitely increase yields vs not using any nutrients, but they are not as easily available to the plant as man-made nutrients. Some great cannabis nutrient systems are mostly organic with just a few key synthetic ingredients to get the best of both worlds, like Fox Farm trio for hydro. But fully synthetic nutrients like General Hydroponics Flora trio get the best yields of any nutrient system we’ve tried in side-by-side grow experiments so far. If yields are your #1 goal, I highly recommend the GH Flora trio – just follow the instructions on the side of the bottle at half strength, maintain a pH of 5.5-6.5 pH at the roots, and you don’t have to worry about nutrients.
• Don’t ignore heat – Young plants don’t mind the heat, but if it’s regularly above 85°F/30°C in the grow space while buds are forming, it will harm your yields by making buds grow more loose and airy.  Heat also greatly increases the chance of getting bud rot or mold in your buds. Luckily, a good exhaust fan venting air out of the tent goes a long way, which is why I included in a powerful exhaust fan in the recommended 4×4 setup. However, if the whole room is warming up above that temperature, adding more fans won’t help. At that point, you should vent the hot air directly out a window or install an AC. At that point, you won’t need to worry about heat and can focus on other things.
• React quickly to plant problems – If you notice a nutrient deficiency, see signs of bugs, or catch sight of any other unexpected plant symptoms, pay attention! Check our free plant doctor tool and correct the cause of the problem as soon as possible. Most problems can be dealt with easily at first, but they get harder and harder to fix the longer they go on without intervention.

Once you’ve got your garden set up, start your seeds and lets start growing!

• How to germinate your seeds directly in the grow medium, as pictured below (here’s a germination tutorial for hydro).
• How to water cannabis plants.

Plant your marijuana seeds and keep them warm during germination.

The result? Cannabis seedlings pop up a few days later.

3.) “Top” plants at a young age

Wait until the seedling has about 6 sets of leaves, then cut off the top of the main stem.

Wait until your plants have grow about 6 sets of leaves (6 “nodes”).

Cut off the top of the plant through the main stem. You want to remove the top node completely.

After topping 4 plants, I had 4 little tops. Cutting off such a small amount of plant doesn’t seem like it would make a huge difference to your yields, but this is one of the most important steps to take as a grower indoors to maximize yields. As a result of this simple act, the plant will stop growing with only one main stem, and instead naturally grow more bushy and wide with multiple stems. These bushy cannabis plants will be covered in buds instead of only having one main bud, giving you the “sea of buds” you often see in pictures.

These 4 plants were just topped.

These are the 4 tops from the 4 plants. Such a small amount removed, but it will dramatically change the future growth of your plants.

Now that their tops have been cut off, these plants will never grow the same again. After being topped, they naturally grow bushier with multiple bud sites instead of growing with just one big bud. As a result, you increase the amount of yield you can produce per plant.

Learn more about topping cannabis plants.

4.) Train plants to grow flat and wide (like a table) in the vegetative stage.

Method 1: Bend down branches and use plant twist tie to hold them in place.

• When any branch gets taller than the others, bend it down and away from the center of the plant.
• Tie the stem directly to the plant container using plant twisty tie to hold it in place.
• You’re done when they’re all the same height and about 1.5′ tall from the top of the plant container. At that point, move to the next step.

Full tutorial on how to use plant twist tie plus bending to grow plants wide and flat like a table.

The goal of any training when growing indoors is to force your plants to grow flat and wide like a table. This ensures all the parts of the plant are about the same distance from the grow light. This shape will dramatically increase your yields once buds start forming because it allows your plants to use “every last drop” of light to make buds.

Method 2: Use a “Screen” (get trellis netting and train plants to grow under the net)

Invest in a 4×4′ Scrog trellis net (get two because you may want a second one later) and install it to be half the final desired height of your plants. In a 4’x4′ grow tent, a good final height for your plants is about 3′ tall. So install the scrog net about 1.5′ feet above the tops of your plant containers. Any time a stem grows above the net, tuck it back underneath until you’ve filled the entire net.

Keep tucking branches under the net as plants grow.

Continue until the whole net is “filled” with a canopy of living plants. This net just has a few spots left before it’s completely filled and ready for the next step.

5.) Initiate the flowering stage, then…

In order to get plants to make buds (start “flowering”) you need to give plants 12 hours of complete darkness a day. This is typically done by putting your grow lights on a timer set on a 12/12 light schedule.  Since your plants are in a grow tent, when the grow lights are off, your plants are in complete darkness so they can enjoy their “beauty sleep”.

Note: Don’t check on your plants during their 12-hour “night” period because exposing them to light at night even a few times can disrupt budding and revert plants back to the vegetative stage. Keep plants totally in the dark when the grow lights are off.

Defoliate – Follow a strategic defoliation schedule.

It doesn’t seem like defoliation (removing leaves) should improve cannabis yields, but this is a “hack” that has proven to be remarkably effective. Not only does strategic defoliation increase your yields (when done properly), it also increases the overall bud quality including the THC percentage and density of your buds. We confirmed this at the lab in our defoliation side-by-side experiment with clones. There are many great defoliation schedules, but here’s one that works well to increase yields and is followed by many commercial growers.

Example of a great defoliation schedule (most common defoliation schedule for commercial cannabis growers)

First Defoliation: 3 weeks after 12/12

Remove all the big fan leaves from the plant about 3 weeks after initiating the 12/12 light schedule.

• If a leaf is the size of your hand or bigger, remove it.
• If the stem is at least 1″ long, remove it.
• Make sure to leave at least a few fan leaves on each main stem

Second Defoliation: Do this 4 weeks after the first defoliation

• Repeat the same process
• Focus on making sure all bud sites get direct exposure to the light and aren’t covered by leaves
• After this, don’t remove leaves unless the plant is getting overly leafy, causing leaves to lay on each other and create wet spots
• It’s okay to tuck leaves to expose buds

After defoliation, you should be able to see light from the grow light hitting the floor (if the floor is in shadow then remove more leaves).

Read the full defoliation tutorial.

Other flowering stage tips

• Not too hot, not too humid – Maintain a good environment while buds are forming.
• Keep plants healthy – Avoid bugs and nutrient deficiencies.

Leaves should appear green and healthy for most of the flowering stage. It’s normal for leaves to start turning yellow or looking rough the last 1-2 weeks before harvest, but before that, it’s a sign of a problem. If you notice discolored leaves, don’t ignore it. Do something! Your yields will thank you.

If using a net…

• Once you initiate the flowering stage, stop tucking your stems under the first net.
• Let the stems grow above the net. Each stem is going to develop into a main bud (sometimes called a “cola”).
• Are the colas getting too close ot the light or starting to fall over?
  • If the stems are wavy and falling over, or if some stems are growing taller than others, install a second net about 1 foot above the first one.
  • This is not 100% necessary, but can be helpful if your stems stretch a lot after initiating 12/12 (a second net helps you arrange buds to make sure they fill the entire grow tent).
  • Use the grid to stabilize your colas where you want them.
  • If a stem is getting too close to the grow light, tuck it under that second net.
  • Try to ensure your buds are all about the same height as each other and the same distance from the light.

Regardless of the exact method of training, the goal is to get all your buds about the same distance from the grow light. This maximizes yields.

6.) Harvest at the right time.

Harvest at the right time. Here’s a quick guide.

Not Ready

Baby buds (budlets) look like a ball of white hairs. These buds have many weeks to go!

If your buds are all white hairs, they’re just getting started. Expect much more fattening from here.

Watch out for pollen sacs!

If you started with feminized seeds from a trustworthy breeder, you should never see pollen sacs. But just in case, if you see pollen sacs instead of white hairs, it means your plant is growing male flowers and should be removed from the grow space immediately. Why toss male plants? Male flowers don’t contain much THC and their pollen causes nearby buds to grow seeds.

Immediately remove any plant that grows pollen sacs instead of white hairs. Learn more about male plants.

Still Not Ready

As the marijuana plant buds get closer to harvest, they thicken, and those white pistils start to darken and curl up. You’ll notice your buds are slowly getting thicker and denser. However, if you still have a lot of straight white pistils, like this bud, it means you still have a few weeks to go.

Ready to Harvest!

You’re in the ready-to-harvest window for cannabis when most of the hairs have darkened and curled in.

A bud is ready to harvest when most of the hairs darken and curl in.

Check out tons more pictures of ready-to-harvest buds from different strains!

Learn how to use a magnifier to look at buds for even more precision.

7.) Dry and jar buds properly.

Buds aren’t smokable directly off the plant because they’re mostly full of water. You need to dry and cure buds if you want to get bud quality like what you’re used to buying.

The simplest way to dry buds is to cut off the branches and hang each branch upside down until the buds are dry. Best done in a cool space.

Learn how to dry buds and cure them perfectly.

Time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Conclusion: Summary of Key Steps for 1 Pound Yields in a 4×4′ Grow Tent

Growing over a pound of cannabis in a 4’x4’ grow tent is an achievable goal for any home grower (even a beginner) when following my strategic plan.

Here’s a recap of the key steps covered in this guide:

• Start with high-yielding strains – Choose stable, fast-growing strains that are known for their heavy yields.
• Get the right equipment – Invest in a quality grow light, tent, fans, etc. sized for your space. If you get good equipment, especially a good grow light, your equipment will do most of the work for you.
• Top young plants – Cut the main stem early to promote bushy, wide growth.
• Train plants to grow flat like a table – Use bending and tying down (or a trellis / scrog net) to “train” plants and create a wide even canopy that fills the entire grow space. Do this before you initiate the flowering stage.
• Initiate flowering at the right time – Switch to 12/12 when plants are 1/2 the final desired size.
• Strategic defoliation – Remove large leaves to “hack” the plant’s natural plant processes and force it to grow in a way that produces bigger, denser, and more potent buds. Best when done on a specific schedule. For example, a common schedule is to defoliate heavily at the beginning of the flowering stage, and then defoliate again 3 weeks later.
• Control environment – Avoid excessive heat or humidity, and give plants lots of airflow. Luckily, if you started with good equipment and set up your grow space properly, you won’t have to worry about the environment.
• Stay vigilant – Catch issues early and take corrective steps. Don’t ignore problems!
• Harvest at peak maturity – Harvest buds at the right time.
• Dry and cure buds – Dry buds in a good environment, then jar and cure them for a few weeks. This is crucial to achieve professional quality bud!

Follow these steps carefully throughout the grow and you can expect to harvest over a pound of dense, high-quality buds from a 4’x4’ grow tent setup! With some experience under your belt, yields of 1.5 pounds or greater become possible!

You might enjoy the following cannabis growing tutorials…

15 ways to improve cannabis yields

How to increase bud density

How to increase THC of buds (make buds more potent!)

The post How to Grow 1 Pound of Weed Indoors (Proven Method) appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

GrowWeedEasy.com teaches you the secrets of cannabis home grow.

• Start Here: How to grow weed
• Get Seeds: Safe seed sources
• Sick Plants? See the plant doctor
• When to Harvest? Harvest guide

Get cannabis seeds at Seed Supreme or see our full list of our favorite cannabis seed banks.

Growing weed is easy when you know what to do, but most “how to grow marijuana” tutorials leave you feeling like you need a degree in horticulture.

GrowWeedEasy.com only contains useful cannabis grow tips, tactics, and lessons from actual home growers with years of growing experience.

Even a total beginner can consistently produce top-shelf weed by following our step-by-step home grow tutorials. 100% written by humans who care.

Want a proven path to great weed?

Enroll today in Home Grow Masterclass. Get years of experience distilled into instructions you can follow.

Growing cannabis isn’t like a regular house plant, but we spent years figuring everything out so you don’t have to. Since 2019, we’ve led hundreds of students from all over the world to a great harvest.

The key to consistent harvest results is simple: follow a proven system developed for home growers by home growers.

Skip the trial and error. We’ll walk you through each part so you harvest a sea of fat, dense, beautiful buds at home that smell great. 

If you ever get stuck, we’re here to help.

Learn How To Grow Top-Shelf Weed at Home!

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Who Made GrowWeedEasy.com?

Grow Weed Easy.com was started in 2010 by home growers Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside. Together, we built a free online “encyclopedia of cannabis home grow” with 650+ expert home cannabis cultivation tutorials about every aspect of growing weed.

GrowWeedEasy.com is now the biggest and most comprehensive source of free home grow information in the world.  We show you how easy it is to grow your own marijuana at home.

The GrowWeedEasy.com Ethos

Our Goal: You grow as much top-shelf weed as possible, with as little time and effort needed to grow your desired yields and cannabis bud quality.

Whether you’re a total beginner who wants to start growing cannabis indoors for the first time, or an experienced grower who wants to upgrade your skills to Pro level, this website was built for you.

Looking for a complete harvest system?

If you want dense, beautiful, great-smelling weed, our new digital book gives you our complete harvest system. Follow the straightforward instructions and massively upgrade your next harvest. A few small changes can make a huge difference to your results.

Get our fool-proof harvest system.

You may be asking yourself these common growing questions:

“How do I grow marijuana indoors?”

Read this guide on how to grow marijuana indoors. Or check out this article to learn what materials you need to get started growing your own marijuana!

Luckily, it’s really easy to get a cannabis seed to sprout!

“How much money will it cost to get started?”

If you’re considering growing weed, it costs as little as $300 to get started growing or a bit more for a semi-automatic, high-yielding bubbleponics grow system. See examples of yields to expect, electricity use & startup costs for different setups. Read this article to see even more growing styles with different price ranges.

“Where can I get marijuana seeds?”

Check out our How to Buy Marijuana Seeds Online Guide (with delivery to every state of the USA) to safely get your hands on good genetics. Starting with good seeds lets you choose the looks, smell, and effects of your buds!

Learn where it’s safe to buy cannabis seeds online (2026 update).

What do good cannabis seeds look like?

Learn about the best marijuana beginner strains and how to research and find the right strain.

Cannabis buds are generally green, but can also be pink or purple with certain strains.

“How much will electricity cost each month?”

If you’re just growing a few marijuana plants for personal use, it will cost you $20-$100+/month for electricity, depending on what grow lights (electricity) and nutrients you use. On average, I’d say a hobby-size grower might pay about $50/month to grow, but it depends greatly on your setup and local electricity costs! How much will electricity cost each month?

“How can I increase my marijuana yields?”

We have quite a few techniques to choose from or combine! See some of our most popular pages:

• Super Cropping – A simple technique to bigger yields
• Simplest Guide to Growing Short & Bushy Marijuana Plants
• LST (Low Stress Training) – Training your plants can easily double your harvest!
• Or check out our page on the controversial defoliation technique

Even More Ways to Increase Cannabis Yields

1. Increase Light Intensity (plus choose right light for desired yields & possibly add CO2)
2. Manipulate How Plants Grow (a free way to yield more bud indoors)
3. Provide Right Nutrients (low Nitrogen in the flowering stage, and remember sometimes less is more!)
4. Control Growing Environment (let the growing environment work for you)
5. Harvest Plants Properly (most importantly, don’t harvest early!)
6. Lastly, it’s important to remember that the strain has a major effect on yields!

Two small cannabis plants can yield several ounces of premium weed!

“How can I grow weed privately?”

Read guide on growing weed indoors without anyone knowing. But remember the most important factors to stealth growing: “No tell, no smell, no sell.” Never tell anyone, not even your best friend, that you’re growing. Be on top of preventing smells, and never ever sell cannabis. Breaking one of those 3 principles is how 99% of growers get found out!

“What if my plants get sick?”

The most common issue a grower runs into is a pH imbalance. Barring that, your marijuana plants likely either have a nutrient deficiency, heat or light stress, or are being attacked by some sort of marijuana mold, pest or bug. Whether you call it weed, cannabis, sinsemilla, skunk, pot, marijuana, or something else, the plant known as Cannabis Sativa is a hardy weed in the wild and can actually be easy to grow indoors at home when you know what to do.

Growing Medical Marijuana

“Medical marijuana” has become a household name. The body of evidence for medical marijuana in the treatment of cancer and other illnesses is growing every day. And for those who need medical marijuana, growing weed indoors is the perfect way to ensure a safe, regular supply of buds, for cheap.

In fact, when you grow weed indoors for personal use, you often end up with way too much. If you catch the growing bug like I did, and if you start enjoying the process of tending your cannabis garden just for the sake of gardening, you’re going to have to find a way to press, cook, freeze, and concentrate all your extra buds. 🙂

As you probably know, both medical marijuana and recreational cannabis have been decriminalized or legalized in many places around the world and weed is becoming legal in more places every day! Yet there still aren’t many simple indoor “how to grow weed” guides for beginners (even for those who legally grow, such as medical marijuana users and those who live in places where marijuana is legalized for personal use).

If so, I know how you feel. It can be hard to weed out all the bad information on the internet and find well-researched, free tips or instructions on how to grow your own cannabis. That’s why Grow Weed Easy.com aims to be a simple online resource that explains from start to finish what you need to do when growing cannabis so you can learn how to grow cannabis with great yields and potent buds, even if you only have a small grow space like a closet or even a computer case.

We’ve grown cannabis out of closets and have gotten ounces of buds and you can too. Grow Weed Easy.com covers many popular cannabis cultivation topics, including:

• A comparison between different cannabis grow lights including experience-based information about LED grow lights
• A page that teaches you the basics of how to grow weed
• Detailed how-to weed growing tutorials
• How to start growing weed tomorrow  (simplest cannabis growing guide!)
• Grow 4 oz with a 100W LED <– An Easy Way to Start Growing!
• Our famous grow guide that teaches you how to grow weed using bubbleponics (hydro).

Start Growing Weed Today!

Grow Weed Easy is run by a panel of experienced cannabis growers, including the founders Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside, who originally teamed together to bring you GrowWeedEasy.com. Due to the demand for more marijuana growing information, we’ve also started an inbox magazine all about how to grow weed, with additional tutorials, tips, and tactics sent to you each week. Simply sign up to start getting free expert growing articles delivered to you! All the information available at GrowWeedEasy.com is completely free and we regularly update the site and make new additions.

Looking for a growing book?

If you are interested in doing a bit of reading or would like to know more about the science behind marijuana hydroponics or horticulture, I strongly recommend viewing our page of Marijuana Grow Book Reviews. Read reviews of marijuana grow books. We would love to hear about your experiences with growing cannabis. Whether you are a pro grower already or are just starting your first plant, we have learned so much from our readers both beginners and masters! If you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, or just want to ask some questions about your marijuana grow, please contact us!

Happy Growing!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside

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The post Grow Weed Easy – Learn How to Grow Cannabis Tutorials appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

In addition to the search bar, this link guide helps you navigate through the Grow Weed Easy website. Learn about growing topics you won’t find anywhere else! This is a shortened list of all our cannabis growing tutorials, as the website has over 500 articles and tutorials!

Full List of EVERYTHING on GWE  ← Over 500 Articles & Growing Tutorials!

Start Here – Beginner Grow Guides

• Complete Beginner’s Guide
• How do I start growing my own weed indoors? (get help choosing your setup)
• How to Grow Weed in 10 Steps
• Simplest Cannabis Grow Guide Ever!
• How Long Does It Take to Grow Weed? (Marijuana Growth Timeline)
• 3 Steps from Beginner to Legendary Grower
• Complete New Grower’s Shopping List

Cannabis Life Stages

• Germination
• Vegetative Stage (Getting Bigger)
• Flowering Stage (Making Buds)
• Harvest

Choosing…

• Best Type of Nutrients
• Choosing the Best Grow Light
• Soil vs Hydro
• How Many Plants Should I Grow?
• What Part of the House Should I Grow In?
• What Setup Should I Get?
• Best Strains for Beginners
• Where to Get Seeds (including the U.S.)

Common New Grower Topics

• How Much Will Electricity Cost?
• Stealth Growing: How NOT to Get Caught Growing Weed
• What Equipment Do I Need?
• Germinate Your Seeds
• 7 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I First Started Growing Weed
• How to Save Money When Growing Weed
• How to Store Weed Properly (so it never loses smell or potency!)
• Ask Questions & Get Answers From Real Growers! (In Our Free Growing Community)
• Cannabis Grower’s Glossary

Problems & Symptoms

• Cannabis Problems Guide
  • How to Help Yellow Seedlings
  • How to Fix Yellow Cannabis Leaves
  • How to Fix Curling and Clawing Cannabis Leaves
  • What Causes Dry or Crispy Leaves?
  • What Causes Brown Spots on Cannabis Leaves?
  • What Causes Bananas (“Nanners”) on Cannabis Buds?
  • Is This Nutrient Burn on My Marijuana Plant?
  • What causes red stems in cannabis plants?
• Diagnose Your Sick Plant
• Bugs & Other Cannabis Pests
• How to Prevent Nutrient Deficiencies
  • Which Nutrient Deficiencies are Caused by pH? (picture guide)
  • How to Stop Flowering Stage Nutrient Deficiencies
• 7 Reasons Why Cannabis Plants Grow Slow
• 5-Step Remedy That Fixes 99% of Grow Problems
• All-Natural Pesticides – Safe Up to Harvest!

Plant Training (Indoor Tricks for Bigger Yields)

• Simplest Plant Training Guide Ever!
• How to Control Height of Indoor Cannabis Plants
• Complete Plant Training Guide
• Breakdown of Techniques​
  • Low Stress Training (LST) Tutorial
  • Topping vs FIMing Tutorial
  • LBH’s Famous ScrOG Tutorial
  • Supercropping: Magic Technique to Control Cannabis Plant Height
  • Sea of Green (SoG) Tutorial
  • 12-12 from Seed – Flowering Plants Early
  • Nebula’s Manifold Tutorial
  • How to Manifold Clones
  • Nebula’s Bud-Based Defoliation Tutorial
  • Alternate Defoliation Tutorial ​
  • What is Re-Vegging / Monstercropping?
• How Can I Train an Auto-Flowering Plant?
• 7 Unfortunate Plant Training Mistakes

Grow Mediums

• What’s the Best Growing Medium?
• Soil vs Coco vs Hydro
• Basic Soil Guide
• Organic Soil Compost Guide (Super Soil) – Just Add Water!
• Coco Coir Guide
  • Coco Coir: The Most Flexible Cannabis Grow Medium
• Hydro/DWC/Bubbleponics Guide
• “True” Organic Growing vs Just Using Organic Nutrients
• Can You Use Miracle-Gro?

Nutrients

• Which Nutrients Are Best For Growing Cannabis?
• Soil Nutrients
• Coco Coir Nutrients
• Hydroponic Nutrients

Grow Lights

• 5 Best LED Grow Lights 2025 (Yields, Speed, & Bud Quality)
• Compare Types of Cannabis Grow Lights
  • Fluorescents (T5s) – Good for Seedlings Only (not powerful enough to produce potent buds or big yields)
  • CFLs (Spiral Bulbs) – Not Recommended (LEDs are much better)
  • LED Grow Lights – Recommended for Most Home Growers
  • MH/HPS Grow Lights – Good Alternative to LEDs, But Run Much Hotter
  • CMH / LEC Grow Lights – Good Alternative to LEDs, But Run Much Hotter
  • Plasma / Magnetic Induction Grow Lights – Not Recommended (poor cannabis growth)
• How Does Light Spectrum Affect Marijuana Plants?
• How Far Away Do I Keep My Grow Lights?
• You Can Actually Give Plants Too Much Light?!
• Grow Light Upgrade Guide: Yields & Potency Explained
• Cannabis Grow Lights: What’s the Best Size?

Best LED Grow Light Articles

• 5 Best LED Grow Lights 2025 (Yields, Speed, & Bud Quality)
• LED Grow Lights: Too Much or Not Enough Light?
• LED Grow Journal: Mars Hydro TSL-2000W vs Spider Farmer SF-2000
• LEC vs LED Grow Lights: Side-by-Side Cannabis Grow Journal
• Nebula’s Auto-Flowering Grow Journal (Topping vs Natural) – cannabis plants are grown under LED grow lights

Environment

• Create the Perfect Growing Environment
  • Temperature Tutorial
  • 5 Secrets to Heat Control
  • Control Humidity for Better Buds
  • How to Use Reflective Walls to Increase Yields Indoors
  • How to Make Plants Grow Faster with CO2
• Where’s the Best Place in the House to Grow Your Plants?
• How to Control Odors
• How to Set Up an Exhaust
• How to Set Up a Grow Tent for Better Yields (and Stealth)

Plant Care Tutorials

• Cloning
  • How to clone weed in a cup of water (easy!)
  • How to make cannabis clones with an aero cloner
• Intro to Plant Training for Bigger Yields Indoors
• How Often to Water Plants
  • The Easiest Way to Water Plants & Remove Runoff
• How (and When) to Transplant Cannabis
• Male vs Female Plants
• When to Harvest?
• Drying & Curing

How to Improve…

• Yields
• Bud Quality
  • 7 Environment Effects on Bud Quality
  • The Secret to Excellent Bud Quality
• THC Levels
• CBD Levels
• Smell/Taste
• Density
• Bud Color (How to Grow Pink or Purple Buds)
• Glitter (Make Buds Sparkle with More Trichomes)
• Bonus: What Determines Yields?

Buying Seeds

• Where to Get Seeds
• How to Find the Right Strain
• What are “Feminized” Seeds?
• Which Breeders to Trust?
• Photoperiod vs Auto-Flowering Cannabis Strains
• Bag Seed vs Hype Seed: Is it worth it to buy cannabis seeds?

Recommended Strains

• Best Autoflowering Cannabis Strains for Yields & Potency
• List of Sugar-Dusted Strains (Heavy Trichome Genetics)
• 10 Cold-Resistant Cannabis Strains
• 14 Heat-Resistant Cannabis Strains
• Which cannabis strains stay short? (Best strains for small spaces)

Auto-Flowering Strains

• Nebula’s Guide to Cannabis Auto-Flowering Strains (Photoperiod vs Auto-Flowering)
• Should I “Top” or Train an Auto-Flowering Plant?
• What’s the best light schedule for auto-flowering strains?
• Nebula’s Auto-Flowering Grow Journal (Topping vs Natural)

Edibles

• Decarboxylation: How to Decarb Your Weed (crucial step for just about every edible recipe)
• Best Weed Butter Recipe
  • How to Make Great Brownies with Weed Butter
• Canna Caps
• How to Make Cannabis Gummies (Weed Gummy Bears)
• How to Make Cannabis Tinctures
• How to Make Hash Oil (aka Cannabis Extract Oil, Rick Simpson Oil, or RSO)

Extracts (No Solvents Used in Any Recipe)

• Solventless Extraction Showdown – Bubble Hash vs. Dry-Ice Hash!
• Dry Ice Hash (Made with Dry Ice)
• How to Make Bubble Hash (Made with Ice Water)
• How To Make Your Own Homemade Rosin (dabs)

And Lots More!

• How Long Does it Take to Grow Weed?
• Vegetative vs Flowering Stage (Long Days vs Long Nights)
• Germination & Seedling Mistakes
• Simple Guide to Plant Training
• What’s the Best Pot / Container?
• Perpetual Harvest
• What Determines Yields?
• 5 Time-Savers for Busy Growers
• Breeding Techniques
• 7 Gift Ideas for Cannabis Growers
• Grow Journals
• How long can I store nutrient water?
• What is High-Frequency Fertigation?
• Where is it legal to grow weed in the USA?
• See EVERYTHING on the Site!

Safety & Preparation

• Fire Protection in the Grow Room
• Electrical Safety Tips & Tricks
• Prepare Yourself for Growing Emergencies
• Stealth Growing Indoors: How to NOT get Caught Growing Weed

Just for Fun

• Weird or What? Cannabis Mutations & More!
• Creatures on Cannabis (Cute Photo Gallery)
• 10 Gift Ideas for Cannabis Growers

Submit Pics

• Submit Trophy Pictures of your Plants!
• How to Take Better Plant Pics
• How to Fix Yellow HPS Pics

Want More?

• Complete List of EVERYTHING on GWE  ← Full List (Over 500 articles & growing!)

Thanks for visiting! We hope our website helps you find the growing tutorials you were looking for. We’ve written hundreds of growing marijuana articles and unfortunately we can’t fit them all on this page, so we encourage you to use the search bar on the right side (or top of the page for mobile users) to search for articles you don’t see here.

Happy growing!
Nebula & Sirius

Use this “Navigation” page to find the pot growing topic you’re interested in, or click here to see every single page on the website!

The post Link Guide to Growing Cannabis Tutorials appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Two of the most common questions from new cannabis growers are, “How much weed can I expect in my setup?” and “How can I improve yields?”

What’s the maximum amount of weed you can produce with your setup? Discover the answer today.

If you’re thinking about growing cannabis for the first time, you probably want to know what yields to expect. You don’t want to invest time and money if you won’t be happy with the results.

That’s where the “limiting factor” comes in.

In nature, a limiting factor is the key environmental condition that restricts a population size. For example, the maximum population of rabbits in an area is limited by the number of local foxes. The more foxes (which prey on rabbits), the fewer rabbits.

When growing cannabis, a limiting factor is something that restricts the amount of bud you can harvest. For example, a couple of large plants could yield over a pound of weed with a high-yielding strain under a 600W LED light. But if you only grow one plant in a tiny Solo cup, the small size of the plant becomes a limiting factor because tiny plants can only produce a few ounces of weed even in perfect conditions.

What cannabis yields can you expect to harvest from a specific grow light or setup? Plant size and coverage under the light are common limiting factors. Big, wide plants can produce more weed than little ones.

It is tough to guess exactly how much you’re going to harvest even with detailed information because the environment, strain, and your growing experience make a huge difference. However, this article helps you identify the limiting factor in your setup and estimates what yields to expect if everything goes smoothly.

This article covers how to estimate and improve yields based on your setup. However, you and your actions are ultimately the most important variables.

How This Works

The next session shares the 5 aspects of a grow setup that have the biggest impact on your yields: grow space, grow lights, container, strain, and plant training. Although all five of these aspects affect your yields, we only use the grow space, lights, and container to give you an expected weight range for yields. I’ll explain that part a little later.

There are two very important things to keep in mind about this info:

1. Each grower’s skill drastically changes the amount of bud harvested from a grow. This guide is meant to give you an idea of what ballpark figures to expect; they’re not set in stone.
2. Each estimate is a relatively large range, for example: 1oz – 10oz. The low end of that range (1oz) assumes the grow didn’t go well, the plant was unhealthy, or you’re using a low-quality grow light. Conversely, the high end of the range (10oz) assumes the grow went great and you’re using reliable equipment.

Let’s get started!

Grow Space

Your ‘grow space’ is the area your plants call home. This could be a grow tent, a cabinet, a closet, a PC case, a room in your house, or the great outdoors. Basically, it’s the area that physically limits how big your plants can grow (with walls, fences, etc.).

Note: If you can grow outdoors, I’m jealous!

Grow tents are an easy way to create the perfect cannabis grow environment

Stealth (Tiny tents, PC cases, tiny cabinet grows, etc.)

• Height of at least 3 feet (60 cm)
• Expected yields: Up to 2oz

Space buckets used to be pretty popular but the yields tend to be poor

Remarkably spaces like this 2’x2’x3 grow tent can produce quite a bit when set up with a quality mini LED grow light (here’s a tutorial to copy this setup), but typically tiny spaces only produce a few ounces.

Small Tents & Larger Cabinets – up to 10ft² (1m²)

• Larger than a PC case, but not much larger than a 2‘x4’or 3’x3’ area (0.6mx1.2m or 1mx1m)
• Space must be taller than 4 feet (1.2m)
• Expected yields: 3oz to 16oz

This 2’x’2’x4′ grow tent has a little extra height compared to the one above, giving you more flexibility to use slightly bigger grow lights. This 100W LED light produced just under 5 oz in a mini hydro tub.

Many closets and grow cabinets are in this size range. Often the main thing that limits your yields is the height of the space (because short plants tend to yield less).

If you don’t completely fill the space under the grow light, it will reduce your yields even if you have a lot of space. All that empty space is wasted.

I personally use a 2’x4’x6′ grow tent (0.6m x 1.2 m x 1.8m) when I grow. It can accommodate up to a 400W grow light and can fit in the corner of the room. It also looks a bit like a portable clothes wardrobe, adding a bit of stealth. I like that with this size, you can easily reach all the plants, yet still produce 16 oz (1 pound) or more in the right conditions, like this harvest under a 315 LEC grow light. Learn how to copy this setup.

This was grown under a 250W grow light in the same tent

3’x3’x6′ (about 1m x 1m x 1.8m) is another common size for grow tent. The square shape is better for some grow lights but my condo has very small rooms and this size was harder to fit because it sticks out further into a room.

Hobby Level – 10ft² – 25ft² (1m² – 2.3m²)

• Larger than 3’x3’ (1mx1m), but no larger than a 5’x5’ space (1.5mx1.5m)
• Taller than 6 feet (1.8m)
• Expected yields: 7oz to 2lbs

A 4’x4′ grow tent (1.2m x 1.2m) that’s at least 6.5′ (1m) tall will accommodate bigger lights up to about 600W. Here’s a 600W LED harvest (example 600W LED setup here) in a 4’x4′ tent, producing over a pound.

This 600W HPS produced 1 lb 4 oz of buds, and we didn’t even use all the space. HPS grow lights are considered old-fashioned and get hot unless you vent the heat out a window, but provide amazing cannabis yields and bud quality. The biggest advantage of this type of light is an HPS is much cheaper to start with than an equivalent 600W LED.

Large Tents/Rooms/Etc. – Anything bigger

• Larger than a 5’x5’ (1.5mx1.5m) tent
• Taller than 6.5 feet (2m)
• Now we’re nearing the ‘grow operation’ size, so the yields can vary by a wide margin as the tents turn into rooms
• Expected yields: 2lbs+

This is beyond the size of most hobby growers.

Outdoors

• Outdoor yields vary wildly depending on the grower, container size, and the amount of growing space available. The hours of direct sunlight a plant gets each day also plays a huge factor!
• Expected yields: A few ounces to many, many pounds

Grow Lights and Yield Estimates

I’m going to give several examples with pictures, but here’s the general formula we use to determine what yields can be expected for a new grow light. This is not exact in any way since every grow light is different, but it’s a good place to start if you’re looking for a ballpark figure.

T5s and Other Fluorescent Lighting: 0.25-0.5g/watt
HPS, LED, LEC: 0.5-1g+/watt

When talking about “watts”, I mean the number of watts being pulled out of the wall by the light, not “equivalent” numbers. You’re interested in actual power draw. It’s also worth noting that the Sea of Green technique can utterly destroy these numbers and get far bigger yields.

Light Size

Your grow lights provide the energy for your cannabis plants to grow big, strong and potent! Your grow bulbs produce light, your plants turn that light into energy and that energy fuels the growth of leaves, stems and buds. Generally, more light grows larger plants, but there is such a thing as too much light!

Stealth lighting (less than or equal to 100W)

• Usually consists of a smaller LED panel, or occasionally a T5 fluorescent grow light  (Choose LEDs if possible! They get better yields per watt and make less heat.)
• Expected yields: A few grams to 3.5oz

Recommended: HLG 100 R-Spec – Use from seed to harvest and yields 2-5 oz on average.

Smaller lighting (100W – 300W)

• Usually consists of LEDs, as it’s difficult to find an HPS in this size
• Expected yields: 4oz to 14+ oz (350W can yield up to 16 oz in exceptional conditions)

Recommended:

• Spider Farmer SF-2000 LED grow light – a cheap-yet-high-quality cannabis 200W LED that doesn’t get hot and yields 5-11 oz on average.
• Mars Hydro TSL2000 LED – a bigger 300W LED that gets a bit hotter but yields 8-14oz on average.

Medium lighting (300W – 600W)

• At this size, your options for indoor grow lighting are LED, LEC (also called CMH) or HPS
• Expected yields: 5oz to 22oz

Recommended: HLG 350R – Yields 8-14 oz on average (up to 1 lb as long as you manage the heat). Check out this setup.

Recommended for cool grow rooms: 315 LEC grow light (gets hot but yields up to a pound).

High-powered lighting (600W – 1000W+)

• Can be LEDs, but is generally HPS lighting, especially once you get over 600W. Commercial growers use multiple 600 or 1000W HPS lights which means the potential yields can vary greatly.
• Expected yields: 10oz to 2lbs+

Recommended: Get a 600W LED like the HLG Blackbird (designed specifically to grow cannabis in a 4’x4′ grow tent) that yields up to 1.5 lbs per grow. Check out this setup.

Recommended for a cold grow room: Check out a 600W HPS grow light in action. These lights yield 10-21 oz on average. HPS grow lights get hot but the buds come out super dense and sticky, plus they’re much cheaper than an equivalent LED. Check out this setup.

Container

Think of the container for a cannabis plant like a hard hat. It protects the most important parts of a plant – the roots – just like hard hats protect our most important part: our brain!

And just like a hard hat (or any hat, really), it’s uncomfortable to wear if it’s too small. Similarly, cannabis plants don’t like spaces that are too small for their roots. Limiting the size of a plant’s container has a direct effect on the maximum size of the plant, and thus, its maximum yields.

Note: Container size is a major limiting factor to final plant size in soil, but DWC/hydroponics containers are not counted in this group. Although root space matters in hydroponics to some extent, the rules aren’t the same and larger yields can be obtained from a relatively small root space.

Hydroponic tubs can accommodate bigger plants for the container size compared to soil or coco.

Solo Cup (drinking cup)

• Solo cups are great for stealth or people that aren’t ready to start purchasing equipment to grow. Expect plants grown in these to be tiny!
• Expected yields: up to 1 oz per cup (

Plants in tiny containers typically stay on the smaller side, which limits the possible yields

Very Small pots (1-2 gallons)

• Often used for the Sea of Green (SoG) technique, or as an in-between container during the transplanting process. This can also be a good pot size for someone trying to limit their plant’s growth via purposely making them rootbound.
• Expected yields: up to 4 oz per pot

The size of your plant matters. Small plants will yield small even in a bigger pot.

This Ultimate Auto produced just under 4 oz, which is the most I’ve ever yielded on a single plant out of a 2-gallon container

Small pots (3-5 gallons)

• For mid-size grows, and smaller grow tents.
• Expected yields: up to 8 oz per pot

These plants in 5-gallon pots yielded about 12 oz between them. If the 5 oz plant on the right (highest-yielding strain) had been allowed the whole space to itself, I think it would have easily yielded 8 oz. Pot size is important, but the more plants growing in a space, the smaller the average yield per plant.

This plant was grown in a 5-gallon container and yielded about 8 oz

Medium/Large pots (8-10+ gallons)

• This group consists of pots that are more than 8 gallons in size, or plants that are planted in the ground with a ton of root-room.
• Expected yields: up to 1 pound per pot

The sky is the limit for plant size when you give roots plenty of space to grow combined with a lot of light.

Strain

Over the years, cannabis cultivation has evolved into a lucrative niche for cannabis strain breeders, which has led to high-potency, well-tested and high-yielding strains available to growers all over the world.

However, you should always take breeder-specified yield amounts with a moderately-sized grain chunk of salt as some breeders tend to overestimate the capabilities of their products. That’s why in this section we’re sharing our results as opposed to just what the breeder says.

Important: Yields aren’t everything. Some strains are bred to be high-yielders while others are bred to be potent or look/smell/taste great. Before you dismiss a strain due to estimated yields, be certain to research the effects so you don’t pass on something great!

Strain makes a huge difference when it comes to yields! These two auto-flowering plants were grown from seed to harvest in the same setup. The differences come purely from genetics! One yielded a little over an ounce while the other yielded several ounces!

Low-yielding strains

• Autos that finish fast and small, ‘short’ strains, and certain ‘boutique’ strains can belong to this group.
• Expected yields: 0.5 oz/plant to 3.5oz/plant
• Translation: You can expect lower amounts than ‘normal’ with these strains. If we could make yields into simple numbers, we’d consider this group to produce 80% (0.8) compared to average yielding strains based on the median yield.

This special edition Mandarin Cookies strain produced surprisingly small yields overall. At harvest, I told myself I’d never grow the strain again.

However, the potency and effects of these buds became my favorite of all the strains I’ve ever grown. I stopped caring about low yields because the results were worth it! Yields definitely aren’t everything.

Average-yielding strains

• Many photoperiod and autoflowering strains fall into this category
• Expected yields: 1 to 7 oz. per plant
• Translation: Consider this the baseline for a ‘normal’ yielding plant. In our book, medium strains are what we’d consider 100%, so we give these a strain factor of 1.0 based on the median yield. You can grow any photoperiod plant as big as you like so you could definitely yield more, but we’re talking about a typical-sized plant.

Pineapple Chunk produces average yields but the buds are exceptional.

I’ve grown this strain several times and the results are consistent. It’s easy to grow and buds come out excellent even in poor conditions. Here’s a closeup of what the buds look like.

High-yielding strains

• High yields equate to higher sales for breeders and so these strains tend to be popular. Many strains nowadays fall into this category… or at least claim to. Remember to research and stick with good breeders.
• Expected yields: 2 to 8+ oz. per plant
• Translation: These strains were bred to produce lots of bud, so they typically yield from “a bit more” to “YAAAAAAAAAY!!!” If we could make yields into simple numbers, we’d consider this group to produce 120% (1.2) based on the median yield.

The highest-yielding strain I’ve ever grown has to be Wonder Woman by Nirvana. Classic smell and effects from huge dense buds!

Training

Training is like putting your plants on an exercise regimen! This involves you training the plant into a shape that squeezes bigger yields out of your indoor grow lights while also allowing you to produce bigger yields in a smaller space. You might not be able to turn a naturally low-yielding plant into a 2lb plant, but you can definitely make that little so-and-so tougher and more productive than it used to be!

Unlike the other sections, training doesn’t limit your yields to a certain amount. Rather, it builds on the traits identified in the other sections; it’s like a bonus!

No training (consider SoG to increase yields)

• 100%; Not training your plants means there will be no positive or negative effect on yields

Light training (simple LST, single top/fim)

• Light training can make for much better use of your indoor grow lights. You essentially are getting more out of the same amount of resources.
• Up to 150% extra yields per plant

Simple plant training helped this grower produce excellent yields under small, weak CFL grow lights. Training maximizes yields for any indoor setup.

Heavy training (ScrOG, Manifolding, defoliation, etc.)

• Heavy training can offer the largest return on your investment, but it also tends to be time-consuming as well as the most dangerous for plants and/or taxing on the grower. Some heavy-training methods can drastically reduce yields or even kill plants when done incorrectly. However, these same methods in the right hands can dramatically increase the amount of bud harvested.
• -100% to 200%. In other words, ranges from dead plants to harvesting twice as much bud. It’s a gamble for beginners but with a little experience, it becomes free extra marijuana (the best kind)!

Intense training (such as manifolding) can take extra time…

…but you will be rewarded when you do it right!

Using This Information

Alright, so let’s see this information applied to a few hypothetical cases! We’ll tell you about a made-up growing setup, then we’ll determine the limiting factor of their setup by locating the lowest maximum. The result is an estimate of what a grower could expect to harvest in an ‘average’ grow.

Find the Limiting Factor (lowest number)

• Grow Space
• Grow Lights
• Container

Examples:

Jim is growing cannabis in a 3-gallon pot in a 4’x4’ tent with a 216W T5 light.

• 4’x4’ tent range group range: 7oz to 2lbs
• 216W T5 light group range: 15g to 9oz (1.9oz in this case)
  • Note: This light is a T5 (which gets an average of 0.25g/watt) and pulls 216W out of the wall. Jim can expect about 54 grams or 1.9oz from these lights.
• 3-gallon container group range: Up to 10 oz.

In this case, Jim’s lights have the lowest maximum and are therefore the limiting factor. Jim can expect to grow about 2oz in good conditions or more with successful training. But in order to get significantly higher yields to match the other limiting factors in his tent, Jim would need to upgrade his grow light setup.

—–
Robert has some plants growing in solo cups inside a PC case with 150W of CFLs.

• PC case (stealth) group range: Up to 1oz
• 150W CFL light group range: 15g to 9oz (1.3oz. in this case)
  • Side Note: These grow lights are CFLs (which get an average of 0.25g/watt) and they pull a total of 150W out of the wall. Robert can expect about 37.5 grams or 1.3oz from these lights.
• Solo cup group range: Up to 1oz

Robert’s small container and case slightly limit his maximum yields, but overall, this is a good match (though he could go for a smaller light)! Robert can expect to grow as much as 1oz in good conditions.

—–
Kayla is growing plants in an 11’x9’ room, in an 8-gallon DWC container with a 300W LED (pulls 300W out the wall, which is it’s ‘actual power draw’.)

• 9’x9’ grow area group range: 2lbs+
• 300W LED light group range: 15g to 9oz (5.2oz. in this case)
  • Side Note: Because an LED gets an average of 0.5g+/watt, and this particular model pulls 300W out of the wall. Kayla can expect about 150 grams or 5.2oz
• 8-gallon container group range: up to many pounds, especially considering it’s hydro

Kayla has the space and container for a massive grow, but her lights will hold her back. She can expect as much as 9oz in good conditions, but bigger lights could yield her much more!

—–
Stephen has his plants in a 3-gallon container in a 2’x5’ tent under a 100W incandescent bulb.

• An incandescent bulb?! Bad, Stephen! Go to your room, stare at this picture for 5 straight minutes and think about what you’ve done!

—–

Check Out More Examples of Cannabis Grow Setups with Estimated Yields!

Hopefully, this guide has helped to shed a little light on where your yields come from. Again, strains have a major impact on your yields, but until we have more reliable information, it’s best to go with strains you like and judge their performance yourself. Also, don’t forget that good training is like a potential bonus that can increase your yields in addition to our estimations!

Finally, remember that this article is just a bunch of general guidelines. We’ve seen growers with numbers that totally break our efforts at categorization and we wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, we challenge any growers reading this to smash our numbers and force us to rethink averages! Good luck and enjoy your harvest!

Jump to…

Compare Different Grow Lights

What’s the Best Pot? Containers Explained

Indoor Training Tactics for Bigger Yields

How to Find the Right Strain to Grow

5 Example Grow Setups with Estimated Yields

The post Fix Your “Limiting Factor” to Increase Yields & Bud Size appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

What isn’t there to love about training cannabis plants? Training is fun, it gets you more involved with your plants, it helps maximize your grow space and lights, and it burns a calorie or two in addition to dramatically increasing yields!

But there is a dark side to training. It shows up when newer or possibly misinformed growers attempt to train their cannabis plants, but end up stunting their growth or generally doing them more harm than good. This can come from accidents like breaking stems, but sometimes it’s a fault in the way the technique is being used.

Today, we’re going to show you how to avoid making plant training mistakes that will slow down the growth of your cannabis. Instead, you can be sure you’re using the right technique the right way at the right time!

ScrOG Mistakes
ScrOG – short for ‘Screen of Green’ – is a method of growing cannabis where a screen is placed in between the plants and the light. The plants are kept under the screen during the vegetative stage and guided through the screen by the grower during flowering to influence neat rows of colas equally spaced from each other.

Most Common Mistakes

First Time Grower 
ScrOG can be a tough method, even for growers who’ve been doing it for a while. It isn’t just a question of knowledge, ScrOG takes much more time and physical work to keep the plants arranged the correct way. If you’re just looking into growing for the first time, I would leave the ScrOG technique for a few grows down the road.

Foul: Improper Use of ScrOG Net!
If you’re like me, you’ll see the ScrOG net in action and be hypnotized. From the outside, it looks like you set up a net and just let the plants do their thing. Unfortunately, doing ScrOG this way nullifies its benefits and will actually make for a tougher grow since there will be a useless net in the way.

When using the ScrOG net, one of the most important aspects is to keep your the plants in an even canopy and below the ScrOG net until the 2nd week of flowering (minimum). Topping will give more colas and make them easier to train under the net; topping is pretty much mandatory for ScrOG really shine.

Manifolding/Mainlining Mistakes
Manifolding (another name for the ‘Mainlining’ growing technique) is like topping taken to the extreme. Manifolding involves topping your plant three separate times for a total of 14 cuts. This is to accomplish something similar to ScrOG, but without a net; it makes for 8 colas that are spaced apart from each other in addition to being equidistant from the main stem.

Most Common Mistakes

Wrong Medium
Manifolding is a great technique and I enjoy using it personally, but it doesn’t perform the same in all mediums.

Although we learned the original Mainlining technique from Nugbuckets who was an avid organic soil grower, many growers claim it adds too much time to the vegetative period. This is due to the fact that manifolding requires a lot of recovery and growth time due to all the topping.

Hydroponic setups generally experience much faster vegetative growth than soil, so this method is much more viable in mediums like coco or DWC. In particular, plants grown in DWC, hempy buckets, or similar mediums are great at demonstrating the power of manifolding.

First Time Grower
This is another technique that can give a new grower a lot more responsibility than they expected. In addition to having to make quite a few cuts on your plant, LST is almost necessary at a vulnerable time for the plant. This means there isn’t much room for error though there is plenty of opportunity for a wrong snip or bend.

If you’ve never grown cannabis or feel apprehensive about having to top so many times, try growing a plant and top it just once. If you feel confident and/or experimental at that point, try topping the plant again or top a side branch for practice.

Topping Too Early
When growing a cannabis plant and trying a new technique, the excitement is palpable! Unfortunately for us, even fast-growing plants don’t grow fast enough to quench our gardening thirst. This can lead to ‘over-care’ (aka ‘Too Much Love’) or starting techniques prematurely.

When topping a plant for manifolding…actually, when topping a plant at all, make sure to let it grow 6 nodes before cutting anything off. You can certainly do it earlier, but topping after your plant has grown six nodes means it will be stronger and won’t need as much time to recover.

Keep the ‘Low’ In ‘Low-Stress Training’
Cannabis plants are pretty hearty, but a young plant can easily be decimated by the strength of a human, even if they’re trying to be gentle! When using LST on a cannabis plant, the difference in strength it takes to bend a stem versus breaking it is minuscule; in some cases, the breaking point is indistinguishable based on resistance alone.

This means you have to be super careful when utilizing LST on any cannabis plant, especially when they’re still young since their stems break much easier. If you’re feeling nervous when doing LST on a young plant and feel it might break soon, try splitting the LST session into multiple days. This way your plants will have a chance to recover and have a smaller chance of breakage on the next bend.

Defoliation Mistakes
Defoliation is the act of purposefully removing fan leaves from a cannabis plant to expose more nodes/bud sites to a higher amount of light. To make it short, defoliation takes back space and light taken by fan leaves and instead makes both things available for parts of the plant that can actually grow bud.

Most Common Mistakes

Defoliating Outdoors
Defoliation – amongst other things – is meant to help growers capitalize on two things in short supply: grow space and light. When it comes to growing indoors, this is a constant battle since indoor space is usually limited and grow lights give off a finite amount of light. Although a 1000W light can give MUCH more light than a plant needs, the area to which that light can reach is very limited…unlike the sun!

Defoliation is meant to help solve problems that many outdoor growers never face in the first place. If you have the room and privacy to grow in a backyard, you likely aren’t worried about how to cut down on the amount of space your plant uses. And since the sun has amazing penetration and power, there isn’t much need to try to open up the plant; it’ll grow tons of buds regardless. In short, defoliation isn’t of much use to outdoor growers.

First Time Grower
I hate to do this again, but it’s just as true with defoliation as it is with manifolding or ScrOG. If you try this on your first grow, you’re lowering the chances of success and thus you being happy with your first attempt. It’s always a good idea to tackle a grow once on easy-mode, and then try your hand at some advanced techniques.

Plucking the Wrong Leaves
Defoliation is meant to open up the plant so more light can get in. This is accomplished by removing some of the fan leaves, and the fan leaves only! Pulling sugar leaves, or growth tips can mean less bud, lost bud, and slower growth for that part of the plant.

This is a picture of a fan leaf:

Remember that this is the only type of leaf you want to remove when attempting defoliation. Also, keep in mind that the removal of leaves shouldn’t be random. Before you pluck one, try moving the leaf to the side to see if it lets light through to a growth tip or a part of the plant that could use it.

Pulling Leaves Too Early
Younger plants, especially those grown in hydroponics under a metal halide, tend to take on a shorter and bushier look than if they were grown otherwise. When you see what looks like a little shrub packed with cannabis leaves, your instinct may be to pull some, but you’ll need to make sure to factor in the age and health of the plant before moving forward.

Even if the plant looks bushy, make sure that removing leaves will actually benefit another part of the plant.

Also keep in mind that your plant should be in full-on vegetative mode, meaning that it’s growing at a pace that makes recovery easy. If you pull leaves from a plant that’s sickly, small, has only a few leaves, or is just plain bad at recovering, you’ll be waiting for days or even weeks before your plant bounces back from the procedure.

Are there pitfalls you’ve run into when trying to employ training techniques? Have you found something that has saved you time and effort and can possibly do the same for your fellow growers? Let us know!

Jump to…

LBH’s Famous ScrOG Tutorial

Nebula’s Manifold Tutorial – Main-lining Cannabis

Cannabis Defoliation: Removing Leaves to Increase Yields

Super Cropping Marijuana: Simple Secret to Bigger Yields

The post Don’t Make These Plant (Advanced) Training Mistakes! appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Overview of ScrOG Process

Make Your Screen

• Screen Materials
• How to Make Frame

Vegetative Stage

• Topping Your Plants for ScrOG
• Step-By-Step Tutorial (with Pictures)

Flowering Stage

• Use Tucking to Complete the ScrOG

Frequently Asked Questions

Reader Examples

Introduction to ScrOG (Screen of Green)

“ScrOG” has become a term used for the “Screen of Green” cannabis training technique.

The purpose behind Scrogging is to manually change the plant’s natural growth patterns by putting all the buds on an even layer. This is accomplished by bringing the low stuff up (by getting screen good and low) and bringing the main cola down (by stopping it via topping) to the canopy.

The rough pics below illustrate my point.

Group A – Scrog Examples

This diagram shows the structure of a proper Scrog

These plants have all been scrogged

Group B – These are NOT Scrog!

This diagram shows the common structure of cannabis plants under screens which have not been properly scrogged.

The following picture has a beautiful undercurrent, but this is not a Scrog. Skeletal support at best, but again, not an example of a real Scrog.

Now to break down the main cola and get the plant growing horizontally, I suggest trying my 4-way LST and ScrOG setup method…

Overview of ScrOG Process

Scrogging, or screen of green, is a form of LST (low stress training) where the main goal is to maximize the footprint of your light. With standard, Christmas tree style plants, you can only lower the light until it’s close enough to the top cola. ANY bud from there down is getting less light. With a traditional setup, the lower each bud is on the plant, the less light those buds get.

The scrog process is done by dividing, or breaking down the main cola, in conjunction with raising all the lower bud up to the canopy.

We grow the plant horizontally until we are a few weeks into the Flowering stage.

This is a key point as many attempts at Scrogging turns out to be merely a skeletal support structure for standard plants, not real Scrogs.

A Scrog is when you bring those arms up and run them lengthwise under the screen. All those would-be popcorn buds become real buds because they become part of the canopy and receive direct light.

Lower buds are brought up to the screen or the screen is lowered, allowing them to become a part of the canopy.

This is only a few weeks later, with more than a month left in the flowering stage

Now that you’ve learned how Scrogging works, are you ready to start using a screen during your next grow?

Make Your Screen

Screen materials

I have tried pretty much most of the standard things you can use for screen. Below are the 4 main ones used, listed in my order of preference.

1.) STRING – The very best. Laces up quick and easy and you just snip, snip, snip come harvest time. Throw it away and lace up a new one.

2.) Twine/hemp cord – Pretty much the same ease of use as string but you get hairs in the buds from fraying.

3.) Plastic fencing – works well but is kinda sloppy looking.

4.) Chicken wire/fishing line – The 2 worst

Chicken wire is terrible because the buds actually grow into it and you have to “cut” your harvest out. Snipping up chicken wire into a bunch of smaller pieces sucks, you get poked a lot and is an overall nightmare compared to string. Does it work as a screen? Quite well, but chicken wire sucks to remove.

The fishing line is also bad news as it can cut a stem, arm etc, very quickly and easily. Consider it to be “sharp”. I have only used 12 lb to test, I imagine something in the 30+ range might work pretty good though. Avoid any “braided” fishing lines especially.

This is my version of a screen that is both easy to work and re-usable forever. I simply lined a square of 2×4’s with eye hooks

How to Make Frame

Making the frame is simple, simply get some lumber and measure it out. Make a square frame with 2×1 or 2×3 and then add eye hooks, every 2.5″ inches

I tie the cable ties loose around the screen. You want to anchor it but not restrict its growth in any way

Mounting

Many build feet for their screens. This somewhat limits you.

I like having screens where the height can be adjusted either by a peg system or some other ingenious way.

I use shower curtain rods for mine and they work well, but you have to get used to not leaning on the screen or disaster can be right around the corner. To me, it’s worth it not to have legs in the way. It allows more room for “under canopy” cleaning and maintenance.

How secure are these shower rods?

You have to get used to not putting pressure on them but they were handy because of all the extra room for cleaning by not having the 4 legs on the screen. I don’t have any problem with the plants lifting up the screen.

I have a set height now, 4″ above the bucket lid, so I just built in stops to rest it on, works great.

The shower rods were great too though…cheap, effective and adjustable. Like I said though, the key is to get that screen real low and I think at 4″, I’ve maxed that.

Do you have to build the screen to the exact length of the closet? 

Yes, but it’s not THAT exact. It has about 5 inches of play side to side.

This is a quick vid I made to show folks how to maximize a small space, back when I was still learning to scrog (not that you ever stop learning…). It shows how the curtain rods are used.

Vegetative Stage

So now that we are all laced up and ready to go, let’s talk about a key element to Scrogging: Veg time.

Topping

Topping is a cannabis plant training technique that splits a main cola into two.

The topping we are doing here is strictly to spread the plant out horizontally and to do that, you need to split that man stalk into 2. That’s why we are topping here.

By topping, we create more of these arms to spread out across the screen.

That, to me, is the whole point of a Scrog.

If I didn’t top, I’d have 1 cola higher than the rest, thusly, limiting my light height.

By topping, that main cola gets pided (divided) down so all the buds are all level on the screen, allowing you to get that light right down on them for nice, even coverage. The expanse of the footprint will limit your height before heat does. (I have a/c lights)

The above plant was topped once. This gave me 2 arms to run under the screen, split like a V at the base where I topped the plant.

I normally build a plant using my 4-way LST tutorial. I grew this one out specifically to illustrate how to run a branch horizontally under the screen. It will have 2 main colas, large, not XL as it was pided once already.

One more topping (4-way) and that pretty much pides the main into 4 med to med/lrg buds. Perfect.

As I said, this one was grown specifically so you could see how to grow an arm horizontally. This plant, if you wanted to name it, got “2-way” LST, which basically means it was only topped once. I run 4 plants under a 4×4 screen and top twice (in hydro) (4 times when I ran soil).

Top any more and you’ll get MORE…SMALLER buds.

4-way LST – Building the perfect plant for Scrogging

This style of LST (low-stress training) is meant to increase canopy square footage, not so much to make a plant fuller or bushier although that is definitely another side benefit. This style of LST is very good for ScrOG grows.

This method is not possible without topping and is not for auto-flowering strains or clones. Topping and 4-way LST go hand in hand and it really does help if you have a plant of good genetics, but it works on any and all plants.

Put simply, what we are doing is taking a plant that wants to grow straight up as 1 main arm and splitting it so it becomes 4 main arms and then we train them to grow horizontally, symmetrically, in preparation to go under the screen. This ensures a proper scrog where you maximize the footprint of your light to cover a perfect blanket of bud.

First thing you do is plant a seed.

Wait! 
Can this technique be used for clones? Or just seeds?
Where can I buy seeds?
Learn how to germinate seeds

After your seed has sprouted, you will have a young marijuana seedling.

Like this:

Let your seedling continue to grow until the first set of full leaves have formed (5-leaf in this case).

When the 5th leaf set starts to come up between the 4th set be prepared to begin topping, let them (5th set) get about 1/4-1/2 inch and then squeeze the base and pluck them, both at once and this is what will be left with.

Soon, you’ll see the new growth.

The 2 new main branches will grow and thicken.

Now let it grow out a bit. During this time, I like to keep a fan right on the plant, lots of movement, building that main stem nice and thick and you’ll soon have a top view like this.

Now, normally, this plant would consist of 1 main with 2 secondaries coming out the sides. By topping it, we create 2 mains and by LST’ing those down, we allow those secondaries to come up and be full blown colas. So, the 2 mains you create from topping, plus the 2 secondaries gives you a “4-way” plant. You can clearly see above, how this plant is now “symmetrical”

For the next step, you’ll need 4 “U” shaped spikes. I used clothes hanger wire like the one below (or anything that will hold down the 4 arms like you see in the pics, remember, get creative, be resourceful, making your grow your own isn’t a bad thing)

Gently fold down one of the 4 mains and spike it in place. When you do the other 3, make sure there is equal pressure on all 4 so the main stem isn’t getting pulled in any 1 direction.

You want that center stalk to be straight up and down. The arrows below show where the clothes hangar spikes are.

In a day or so, she’ll look like this

Now it’s time to do some topping again. All those nice new sprouts coming out of the middle of each arm……pull ’em! Everything DOUBLES again!! (below)

I personally stop here. I am leaving the rest of this tutorial up so people can see what you get if you keep topping.

One thing we need to understand is that when you “top”, you are dividing that main cola into 2 colas. They will not be of the same size the original one would have been but that’s ok, the 2 will weigh more than the 1 because of the increased leaf surface area getting direct access to the light. (explained better in the scrog tutorial below)

Based on the size of your ScrOG, stop topping and give plants a week before switching to 12/12.

But for scrogging purposes and the size of my screens, this is the point where we stop topping and give them a good week before switching to 12/12. From there, we continue on with the Scrog tutorial.

Additional topping CAN be of benefit to the few out there who are EXTREMELY limited height wise, but be warned, each time you top, you divide again so each time, you decrease the size of the buds.

Now let’s explore how the plant develops if you continue to top past the previous picture

First, you let it grow for a bit. Keep topping now about every 3rd set on the new stuff.

Let her start to grow vertically a bit. When she has a little height, LST again!!

I should have used the 6 or 9-gallon feed bucket for this plant. It’s shallower but wide. With this plant, I used the rim and the soil to anchor her down for the 2nd round of LST.

Here are some shots showing her vertical growth and a few close-ups to show how I used the rim and soil to spike her.

This time around, there should be 12-16 branches to fold down (remember, you’ve been dividing / “piding” and piding and piding)

And here is what she’ll look like when she’s all bent down

And here she is a few hours later, already recovered.

Now below is an illustration of how the growth changes exponentially with each topping and lst treatment. The 2 combined to build a plant that is low in height and full.

Before the 2nd LST, 18-19 bud sites

and AFTER the 2nd LST, the plant has 29-31 bud sites

Question: I broke a branch, what do I do?

I broke a stem doing this today =/ but that’s ok. What’s the best way to repair this? So far, I just gave it support and now I think I’m going to try Zip tying it.

Answer: I like to use duct tape to mend broken stems. Either that or just make it a cutting (clone) and move along! Good luck!

Question: What would happen if I FIM’ed rather than topped at the beginning stages of growth (In terms of bud production)?

Answer: Not much difference. You would get 2 more tops but I wouldn’t do it on purpose. If you top the plant, as described in this tutorial, the middle of the plant will fill the extra space with all those minor arms coming up.

Question: Is it too late to top?

My plants have been vegging for 4 weeks already… Is TOPPING still necessary? All my plants are far past the 5th leaf they are more like on the 10th leaf. Is it too late for me to top my plants? Can I do the scrog without topping or should I just not do scrog with this grow?

Answer: It’s not necessary but highly recommended to top. You can top any time during veg but to follow this particular technique, you need to do it as early as possible. You CAN still scrog but you’d probably be better off just growing it out and trying with the next one.

Question: How long should you spend in the vegetative stage when growing under a Scrog screen?

Answer: Veg time varies greatly mainly with method, and how well your plants respond to the topping/training process in your setup.

With Hydro, it’s much shorter. I used to veg 6-8 weeks in soil and now in hydro, that’s cut in half.

Here’s a general rule to follow: the screen should be no higher than 8” above the medium or plant base. You then fill your screen during the stretch by tucking (that’s coming) all those arms into the empty voids.

Important: In Scrog, the screen should not be more than 8″ above the base of the plant. Instead of letting plants grow tall, you must use tucking to “fill in” your screen during the flowering stretch.

The truth is, the length of time spent in the vegetative stage is something you just have to play with to really learn. You need to gain the experience of actually running a screen that could have taken more plant to fill (needed more veg time) and also running one that is too crowded.

Once you get these experiences under your belt, you’ll really have a feel for veg time. You must tailor the veg time according to how many plants you’re growing and how big the screen is. Sorry I can’t help more on this category, but this is the one you have to do to learn.

This is where the first part of the tutorial ends. Get them under the screens and check out my Scrogging Method tutorial below. This is a cumulative step-by-step Scrog tutorial with advice from a few of the gurus. Now that it’s been compiled, you can see the golden standard for those looking to scrog properly.

Believe it or not but the majority of the screens out there now are not scrogs, they are skeletal systems for standard plants. What we do is highly different and very specific with an amazing result. With Scrog, it really matters what you do in the flowering stage!

Flowering Stage

We grow the plant horizontally until we are a few weeks into the Flowering stage. This is important!

Until A Few Weeks into the Flowering Stage, Use Tucking to Keep Plants Growing Horizontally Under the Screen

This is a key point as many attempts at Scrogging turn out to be merely a skeletal support structure for standard plants, not real Scrogs.

Tucking

Tucking is easy but takes care. ALWAYS TUCK SLOWLY AND CAUTIOUSLY

This is what I mean by tucking:

While those arms are stretching, you allow each one to grow up and through a square in the screen. I like to get them about 2”-3” above the screen and then I GENTLY, pull it below the screen and move it to the next square away.

You continue to do this all throughout the stretch, …continuing until about 2-3 weeks into the Flowering Stage.

Remember, you are controlling where that arm is going by moving it 1 square at a time. You can change your mind tomorrow if you see the need for it.

The screen takes constant manipulating until the last stretch is over but once it’s done, so are your Scrogging duties.

To obtain maximum control don’t be afraid to add more bondage if needed. Zip ties are awesome and can be easily cut out with Fiskars pruners later.

This is the final result, what you are looking for. You want a 6-8″ bud above the screen when the stretch is done.

At this point, your Scrogging duties are over! You just let your beauties finish flowering.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Which Strains Can Be Used?
• ScrOG & Hydro
• What Size Plant Containers?
• Perpetual Harvest
• Clones

What Strains Can I Use?

Question: Do you find that certain strains work better with this method? Like maybe Sativas due to their tendency to stretch?

Answer: It can be done with either, but the stretchers just make for a little more work.

I also like to control just what stretches and how much. By trimming very specific fans about a week before the flip depending on how they look. When you trim both fans at a node, you drastically limit its ability to stretch so if I’m running something with high sativa tendencies, there will be more lst, supercropping, and defoliation in preparation for the screen

Another tip…If you have some “not so planned for” stretching and it wants to now go towards an area of the screen that is already too full, you can redirect it by zip tying it to the actual screen itself in a few spots and send it in another direction

ScrOG in Hydro?

Question: It seems like a lot of people use Scrog with their hydro setup. What do I need to know about Scrogging in soil?

Answer: A key element to scrogging in soil is that you do need access to the dish under every pot for testing runoff, etc.

That’s one of the many reasons I switched to hydro. Watering them isn’t hard at all but testing the runoff in the back 2 plants was a pain in the ass (running 4 in a square, in a closet, so access to the front of screen only)

I’m sure there is a decent way to do it though, just a matter of getting creative. Right away, I’m thinking if all the plants were elevated a bit on a table, maybe 10″ off the floor, you could somehow fabricate a runoff drain for each pot or something like that…

Question: What’s the best way to tie plants down in a hydroponic setup?

I noticed this grow is in soil but I saw you mention that you have switched over to hydro. I grow in bubbleponics and wonder if you have any tips for holding the plant down (spikes won’t work so I was thinking string and tape). Also, do you have any other hydro specific tips (in addition) on how to shorten veg times.

Answer: Let me explain…

I’ve done hydro for a few years as well and found a few things that work.

The beauty of any LST type training is you can get creative as all hell. In hydro though, I always would put the plant under when it was about 5″ above the screen (height wise).

To get the plant in there I would lift the screen and drop it in the bucket and then have someone else inch the screen down as I would tuck. If you have multiple plants, do them all at once.

At 5″ above the screen, I had the perfect amount to fill a 3.5 x 3.5 screen after the stretch.

Many hydro setups are different…problem solve that shit. I was running 4 smaller plants per screen so my options were limited. Single bucket setups with independent screens… you have many options.

Grow ‘Em Up!!

What Size Container?

Question: What size pot do you like to flower in? I know I like a large pot with a nice diameter for a wide canopy spread.

Answer: Let me explain how I do it, and I’ll also share how other growers do it.

First, remember, I do it a little differently than many scroggers, I like to get the screen as very low as possible and grow out all that understuff whereas most scroggers go a bit more vertical, trim the underbrush and max out just the tops.

With my method in mind, when I was in soil, I used 7 gallon deck pots (the plastic square pots for your deck at Lowes that you put a potted plant inside so you can take it out and bring inside if needed) and then went even lower when I found some 7 gallon horse feed buckets that were much shallower and wider, like an oil change catch pan, kind of, little higher on the sides.

In hydro, currently, I’m very limited with height, we came up with this method by tossing around ideas to squash the plant down and reduce height and not yield. The resulting yields were just a big benefit.

Running 3 flowering screens, 4 plants per screen, avg 3-5.5 per plant, we have more than enough meds to keep myself and (currently) 4 patients supplied.

So, in hydro I am currently using 3.5 buckets w/ 1/2″ plumbing in a closet with slanted roofs (3rd floor) but if I had room and were looking to really max out my numbers or space, I’d be in 5gals at least, if not 18g rubbermaids and 1″ plumbing. I’ll go as big as my space allows, if I were outdoor, I’d be in 350g smart pots.

More roots – more buds.

Can ScrOG Be Used for Perpetual Harvests?

Question: Do you run perpetual harvests with this method?

I do perpetual harvests, and I’m not sure if that would work with this method… You’re definitely right that more root = more bud! I’m diggin on the 7-gallon for the greater training possibilities. I totally agree it all depends on space though, everything is built around the space.

But since I do perpetual, I don’t screen anything. I just super crop and LST each plant individually. The last 7-gallon I did I got about 4 quality zips which is just fine by me. If I can dial it in and duplicate those results every time, I will be happy.

Answer: I run perpetual also, allowed 12/12 so I run 3 screens, 4 plants each, each offset by 4 weeks.

2 of the screens get 400W each and the third screen is longer and gets a 600W on a mover. 4 per plant is a perfect balance right there and damn skippy if ya ask me.

Sometimes you’ll get a strain that pumps it out, sometimes you’ll run one that spits golf balls, either way, you learn from each and every run. The 600W w/ a mover is the cat’s meow though.

I’m on run 3 with it and the gram/watt has gone up with each run, can’t wait to see where it tops out. Looking at hopefully 22-24 ounces for those 4 plants this run, that’ll be a personal best for me indoors.

Can ScrOG Be Used with Clones?

Question: Can this technique be used for clones? Or just seeds?

I understand that the method you detailed here is specifically for seeds.

What would be the best way to get clones ready for a Scrog grow?

I saw your reply to another post that said clones have a different plant structure, so would it need less topping maybe or something completely different?

I’d totally be down for seeds but clones are a lot easier and cheaper for me to get. I’ve seen other Scrog grows with clones, but I like your style and want to know your input on it.

Also, how do I know where to top a clone (since the nodes aren’t symmetrical)?

Answer: This 4-way LST method is for “from seed” only. No clones or autos.

This exact method is only possible from seed like you read and if I were to give any advice about scrogging ANY other way, I would redirect you to the scrog thread by woodsmantoker in the advanced section of Rollitup.

Lots of different methods are discussed but the standard scrogging style is the main body of the discussion and some of those guys have it down quite well.

I do grow clones once in a while but don’t have a rhyme or reason to how, I just get the plant to a size I want and then just get it under the screen and start pulling arms through the holes.

Nothing fancy or specific but again, some guys have their ways, and their results are, quite frankly, better than mine when I attempt to grow their style.

4-way LST (as explained on this page) is the way for me with screens but if you don’t have beans and clones are available, don’t hesitate to get your hands wet there first. You’ll want to try both ways eventually anyway.

Note from grower Shwagbag: 

Clones are a feel, you have to play around and go with the flow. Once you do it enough it will be a cinch!

There is basically no exact method to using clones for me. It’s mostly going with a feel and giving them a “haircut” from time to time.

Hope you don’t mind if I share a couple pics since you get this question a lot…

This clone was supercropped constantly, topped several times and given a few “haircuts” to keep growth even and consistent.

She’s a Bubble gum clone (topped, super cropped, LST with a paper clip and a little haircut to promote more consistent growth).

How I start my clones

She will stay in this 6″ pot for a bit longer.

End of Veg Pics

10 Days into Flower

Comment by LBH: That plant came out perfect for a Scrog screen! I didn’t mean you can’t scrog with clones, just that you can’t do the 4-way LST method exactly as I’ve described in this tutorial.

If anyone else out there is going to use clones in a screen, take the time to veg them up like this right here and you’ll be happy with your results.

For me, the time involved in veg, being a perpetual, a clone only gets to be one nice arm by the time I need to move it to the screen. With the 4-way LST, I can move them to flower a little quicker with similar to same results

Reader ScrOG Examples

From Shwagbag: Here is a Pure Power Plant a few days before chop using pretty much the same method.

Here is a different PPP (Pure Power Plant) before chop during her flush.

Some of the dried PPP

From wallnutmonkeys: Here’s a pic of my result. It might be a bit crowded… I will try to have fewer but bigger tops for my next one

Jump to…

Sour Kush ScrOG Grow in Pictures

Plant Training Techniques: Topping & More

Which Grow Light?

Supercropping: Simple Secret for Bigger Yields

The post LBH’s Famous ScrOG Tutorial appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Once a grower is able to successfully take a plant from seed (or clone) to harvest, a common new goal is: “How can I do it better?”

The answer: efficiency!

Although cannabis is a weed and has an easy time growing, it doesn’t do so in an efficient manner for indoor growing.

Cannabis naturally tends to grow in the shape of a christmas tree which works great outside with a sun that moves through the sky. Yet inside the lights stay in the same place so it unfortunately means that parts of the plant are getting much more light than the others.

Although you can grow great bud this way, it wastes a great deal of the usable light you're paying for. That’s where “Cannabis Training” comes in!

Cannabis training is when growers use established or improvised techniques to alter the natural growth pattern of a marijuana plant, usually to increase efficiency and yields when growing indoors.

There are already many methods available to train your plant, and growers are experimenting with new techniques all the time. In fact, there are so many methods available that many people get confused or intimidated and opt to not try any of them.

But you're not one of those people! Instead, you're reading infomation on how to take advantage of these techniques to get the most out of your cannabis plants!

Below, I’ll give you my cheat notes on some of the most popular methods of training plants. We'll be reviewing:

• LST (Low Stress Training)
• Topping
• Fimming
• Manifolding
• Defoliation

LST (Low Stress Training)

What It Does:
Low Stress Training – or LST – allows growers to change the actual shape of the plant by slowly bending the stems downward in a deliberate fashion. The stems will then grow vertically again, but now they will be better placed to allow light to contact more bud sites.

How To Do It:
Anyone who has done LST will agree that it’s an art in its own right. The basics are to use twistie-tie, twine, or something similar to tie to a stem. Next, the other end of the twistie-tie/twine/etc. is anchored in such a way as to bend the stem downward. This can be accomplished by tying the twine/etc. to the pot/bucket the plant is growing in. The stems are meant to be pulled away from each other to maximize growing space. Think of spreading out the stems from the middle like a star. LST is most effective when done in combination with topping, fimming or other training methods that break apical dominance (the tendency to grow in a christmas tree shape)

Who Should Try This?
Indoor growers of all skill levels can and should try LST. If you're doing a small grow or just trying to maximize on your indoor grow lights, LST will become a must after you've tried it once!

Pros:

• Drastically increases yields when done correctly
• Manages height of plants; makes shorter plants with more buds!
• Makes much more effective use of lights
• Works amazingly with topping/fimming

Cons:

• Growers can snap stems by bending too much at one time, or by trying to bend woody older stems instead of flexible new growth. If you ever snap a stem, tape it up immediately and it will heal!
• Can take more time than some other training methods since plants will likely need to be LST’d multiple times (per branch)

Learn more about LST

Topping

What It Does:
Topping is a method used to essentially force the cannabis plant to have two slightly smaller main colas instead of the single normal one. Main colas almost always have the highest concentration of buds (by weight), so yields are noticeably increased by making two of them, even if nothing else is done besides topping.

How To Do It:
Not only is Topping easy to do, but it only takes seconds and is totally done afterwards. To top your plant, you’ll need to wait until it grows at least 3 to 5 nodes. To finishing topping, simply cut off the newest node right above the leaves of the node below. You can also cut down further on the plant if you need to make it shorter.

Who Should Try This?
Like LST, topping is a great starter training technique and can be attempted by growers of all skill ranges. I would suggest topping after you've grown a single plant (just to see how it works), but you can try it on your first plant if you're the adventurous type!

Pros:

• Super easy to do
• Increases yields by a noticeable amount
• One cut; do it once and it’s done!
• Works amazingly with LST

Cons:

• Can be intimidating to cut off the top of a plant

Read more about topping

Fimming

What It Does:

Fimming is like topping in that it forces the plant to grow extra colas. However, while topping will make the plant to grow two main colas, fimming usually creates 4.

How To Do It:

As with topping, a grower should wait until their plant has at least 3 to 5 nodes before going through with fimming. When ready to fim your plant, firmly pinch the leaves of the newest growth between your index finger and thumb. You can also cut the new growth instead of pinching it. See the picture to the below for a detailed look.

Who Should Try This?
Fimming can be tried by all growers as nothing really happens if it isn't done correctly. Go for it!

Pros:

• Super easy to do – you can't really mess this one up
• Noticeable increase to yields
• Works extremely well with LST
• Pinch it once, and the work is all done

Cons:

• None! In the worst case (if not fimmed correctly), you’ll have a plant with a few weird looking leaves that still function.

Learn more about FIMing

Manifolding

What It Does:
Manifolding is a modified way of topping a plant multiple times to get it to distribute energy equally to all nodes. When done correctly, all remaining branches will get a equivalent amount of energy from the roots, and as such, grow to a similar size. The point of manifolding is to create 8 symmetrical main colas.

How To Do It:
Before attempting mainlining, growers should be very comfortable with topping as it involves topping the same plant multiple times. Below is the abridged version of how to mainline a plant.

Please note that these steps are just to get you acquainted with what’s involved in mainlining, these are not complete steps!

1. Wait for the plant to grow 6 nodes.
2. Top to 3rd node and remove extra growth
3. Let each new cola grow 2-4 nodes
4. Top to the 1st or 3rd node (whichever is more symmetric)
5. Let the new colas grow 3 nodes
6. Top to the 2nd node

At this point the plant will have 8 symmetrical colas.

Who Should Try This?
Manifolding is definitely an advanced technique, and we'd strongly advise growers to only try manifolding when they're very comfortable with growing plants. Manifolding can work in most mediums, but it shines brightest in hydroponics since the recovery time is dramatically shortened. It is not a good technique for small plants, since the plant needs to be at least a few feet tall to get the benefits of manifolding.

Pros:

• Equal distribution of energy makes for a hearty, good looking plant
• No small, larfy buds. All energy goes into long, huge colas
• Makes for efficient use of growing light
• Very noticeable increase in yields when performed correctly

Cons:

• Time consuming
• Involves lots of cutting on the plant (topping) which will increase total grow time
• Doesn’t work with fimming
• Not good for small plants – plants should be able to grow to at least a few feet tall after being manifolded in order to take advantage of the 8 colas (otherwise it's probably a waste of time)
• Not for beginners!

Read more about manifolding

Defoliation

What It Does:
Defoliation is a controversial technique that involves removing fan leaves to increase energy spent on bud sites. Defoliation is also thought to limit the amount that a plant will grow vertically.

How To Do It:
To defoliate a plant, a grower would use their hands or scissors to remove fan leaves from the plant. These are the leaves that grow right under the bud site and have a long stem with just a single fan leaf on it. It's important to note that this is typically done early in the flowering stage, and only on healthy plants with an abundance of light.

Who Should Try This?
This is another advanced technique, so you should only try it if growing cannabis feels easy, but you want to get more out of your grows. Growers who want to defoliate should be in early flowering (though it can be done in veg for height control) and using lights with enough power to penetrate to far into the canopy once the big fan leaves are gone.

Pros:

• Easy to do.
• Higher yields (more light to more bud sites = more bud)
• Creates more space between branches for bud sites to capitalize on.
• Tends to shorten the overall height of plants.
• Decreases chances of White Powdery Mold

Cons:

• A bit scary/dangerous; one wrong cut can remove future buds
• Defoliating gives you less room for error, and any deficiencies will hit bud sites first
• Some growers claim defoliation actually stunts plant growth instead of helping
• Sirius: I picked up defoliation after Nebula covered an article about its benefits. Since then, I defoliate in every grow and I’d definitely stand behind it as a valid way to increase efficiency and yields when done right.

Read more about cannabis defoliation

Even though we’ve gone through all these training methods, there are still more techniques to train your marijuana plants. In fact, there are two that are VERY popular that were skipped to keep this article from getting too lengthy.

If you want to find out more about them, check out our articles on:

ScrOG (Screen of Green)

and Super Cropping

Jump to…

LST (Low Stress Training) – How to Grow a Short Sativa or Haze

Topping & FIMing

Nebula's Manifold Tutorial – Main-lining Cannabis

Cannabis Defoliation: Removing Leaves to Increase Yields

The post Quick Guide to Marijuana Training Techniques appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

A friend of mine actually built the bucket from scratch and gave me the plant (a clone) already vegged in the bucket.

In my last grow, I used a soil hybrid, and heavily LST’d the plant. This time I was fortunate enough to be given a plant already in a DWC bucket.

I built a custom ScrOG setup for my tent.

You can see what she looked like at harvest (pictured to the right)

Jump down to the full supplies list (with pictures) so you can create this exact setup for yourself

Strain: Critical Hog

Growing Area: 2′ x 2′ Grow tent

Grow Lights: Combination of 150W HPS & 130W (true power draw) LED

Nutrients: I used the full line of General Hydroponics Flora series including their Floralicious Additive, but without Flora Nectar

Here’s the GH Flora Series Expert Recirculating Nutrient Schedule I followed.

Temperature: Temps were in the upper 80s when the lights were on, probably as low as the 50’s some nights when they’re off. I’m in CO, after all!

Humidity: Humidity was usually around 45 – 55%, really didn’t have to worry about it while growing. However during drying, I actually had to bring in my humidifier to make sure buds didn’t dry too fast.

Air Circulation: As you can see from the setup list, I had one ionizer air filter circulating air down low, and a small clip fan up top between the colas and lights.

Jump down to the supplies list and create this exact setup for yourself

Veg Time

I want to say the plant was vegged for about a month. It came from a clone a friend gave me. I tend to flower plants on the early side. Next time I will probably let the plant veg a bit longer to fill up under the screen more.

Watch colas fatten up from week 5 of the flowering stage until harvest!

(HPS and LED both turned on)

I have an LED that pulls 130W from the wall in the rear of the tent and a 150W HPS in the front. That’s why it’s pinker in the back and more yellowish towards the front when the HPS and LED lights are on.

The nug in the back right and the nug in the front left are the two main colas.

Here’s the same plant in normal light – watch from flowering day 42 to harvest

More Pictures and Info!

Day 42 of Flowering

View full photo album: http://imgur.com/a/P2ryf

The plant was just transplanted to a custom made DWC bucket.

The nug in the back right and the nug in the front left are the two main colas. It was topped during veg. But the one in the front left is bent over a lot more, so that’s kind of why it looks smaller. It’s just squished under the wire. But I’m really curious how they turn out. During the last grow, I rotated the plant daily. This time it’s stationary, throughout.

Day 57 of Flowering
View full photo album: http://imgur.com/a/GnlCy

A week or so ago, when the plant was transplanted, I snapped the main stems a little (where it’d been previously topped). I immediately used some string to pull the break together a little bit and poured some agave nectar in the break to help seal things up. She never really showed any signs of stress, though I’m sure it stunted some bud growth.

Day 59 of Flowering

View photo album (many closeups of clolas): http://imgur.com/a/dkFI4

Day 66 of Flowering

View photo album: http://imgur.com/a/qnek1

Day 76 of Flowering
View full photo album: http://imgur.com/a/m5zEp

Day 82 of Flowering

View full photo album: http://imgur.com/a/bxWwZ

Harvest time! Day 83 of Flowering

View full photo album: http://imgur.com/a/aVdEu

This Critical Hog plant flowered about 83 days. The flowering period for this strain is 8 – 14 weeks. I wanted to shoot for a longer flowering period to get more of a couch lock, stoney high. I work a graveyard shift and this should help put my ass out, lol. Critical Hog is supposed to be a heavy indica.

Why are the roots brown?

Getting ready to trim her, she’s covered in buds!

Drying/Curing:

Drying/curing in CO is a little different from what I’m used to, coming from a more humid/sea level area. I noticed my first few grows up here, the bud dried out much faster. I was originally thinking 12 days hang time, but had to take them down after 6, and I thought that was pushing it.

For this grow, I decided to bring in my humidifier for the drying process, and it was the right choice.

Harvest Weight: 127g total yield or about 4.5 ounces!

Here’s a pic of just one Critical Hog nug. This one was 7g of the total 127g!

Answers To Your Questions

Why are the roots brown?

Full Question: What color are your nutes? I noticed your roots looked a little brown. I started using Aquashield for my DWC and it got rid of all brown roots and is leaving me with awesome healthy root systems.

I sometimes use Jungle Juice AN and that can turn my root colors brown, but not to the extent of yours.

As soon as I started to use Aquashield (renamed to Hydroguard) and added more air stones my roots are white as can be!

–powdertoastman420

Answer by scootter82: I use the just about the full line of General Hydroponics Flora series. The brown colors appear after using their Floralicious additive.

I’ll definitely be upgrading my airstone. It said it was rated for 5 gallons, but I’ve realized it’s just way too small for the bucket I use.

Note from Sirius: It’s hard to say without a closer picture, but it appears scootter82 experienced a bit of root rot (judging by some of the spotting towards the top of the root formation). In Colorado, root rot is much less of an issue to deal with, but I would definitely suggest that anyone growing in DWC use beneficial bacteria. Aquashield (now Hydroguard) is by far my favorite, and the price is great, too!

Do you have advice for a soil grower who wants to try DWC?

Full Question: I’m an experienced grower in soil but new to DWC and wanting to try it, need some advice. I have grown successfully in soil for a while now but want to try hydroponics but I don’t know much about the specifics of it. I want to build my own system instead of buying a retail system as it is much cheaper that way. What size reservoir, pump and air stone would be suitable for 4 plants? Also some suggestions on pumps would be nice and where to purchase them and any other tips you guys might have, thanks!

–Dongerding

Answerby scootter82: DWC is soo much easier than soil. I switched over from soil to DWC two grows ago and don’t think I’ll be looking back. That is, unless it’s a special one-off grow. I might actually try a micro, flower-from-seed grow pretty soon.

I’d suggest starting off with a one bucket DWC system. They’re real easy to build and maintain. I can leave my bucket for a week without so much as checking on the plant and it’ll still be fine. On my last grow, I used a 5-gallon dwc bucket, custom built. I had one small air pump/stone I picked up from PetSmart. I pretty much used the cheapest parts I could find and it still worked out great. I’m doing some upgrading of parts for the next go-round.

I also do like growing in soil, but I think my problem is that I want to be very controlling of the nutes and I couldn’t seem to get that right with soil. I had to keep to a very strict watering schedule because I tended to over/underwater in the beginning. Then I didn’t realize you needed to test the ph runoff. Just seemed like I always needed to adjust something and it was harder to correct my mistakes in soil. In a DWC I just drain and refill. I’ve spent too much time researching for one technique and not enough on others, lol. Kudos to you for being able to get all your nutes from your soil mix! Plus, it always seemed like I was needing to go out of town right near harvest time, when growing in soil, and I still am. At least this way I don’t have to worry so much.
Does that air purifier really help fix the smell?

Answer by scootter82: lol. Not at all. But it has an air ionizer on it that will (I assume) help prevent mold and bacteria from forming.
What does she smell like?

Full Question: Curious about anything with hog genetics. I’ve never had them but am interested in all strains that smell horribly offensively awesome 🙂

–hitchuwithjitsu

Answer by scootter82: It is terribly strong! I only have one plant growing in the basement and it stinks up the whole house! I’m actually in the middle of finishing my exhaust system.

Can you tell me more about your ScrOG setup?

Full Question: A quick question regarding your SCROG: how do you thread the fishing line (at least I think it’s fishing line) through the tiny holes in the PVC pipe? Sticking it in and hoping it comes out the other hole seems kinda impractical. Or maybe it’s one of those things that are easier in practice than when you think them over… Thanks!

-GeorgeLuni

Answer by scootter82: I drilled the holes straight through the PVC and used bailing wire to run through them. The wire is super sturdy so it was pretty easy to make it through. All in all, the scrog cost about $30 to build, and that includes the $12 cost of buying the pvc pipe cutter w/line guider/holder/thingy. Bought everything at Lowes.

Have you ever grown with JUST LED grow lights?

Jump to…

How to grow marijuana in DWC / Hydroponics

How do I deal with root rot?

Stealth Growing: How to NOT get noticed Growing Weed

Soil vs Hydroponics: Which is better?

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