Low-stress Training (LST) | Cannabis Training

Better control over the canopy of your plant(s) means that you will have the ability to spread it out more evenly, which in turn means that your plant(s) get to benefit from more efficient light harvesting. More light harvested = bigger & better yield. So, yeah, Low-stress training 4TW! 🙂

The first post in this series covered a rather interesting cannabis training technique called topping – If you haven’t read this one yet, here’s a link to the article.

I am really inspired to write about low-stress training, the gains that growers can achieve by using this technique are undeniably significant, and personally, I find the process to be somewhat therapeutic in nature. It’s fun and doesn’t take much to get started – so, what are we waiting for, let’s go!

Cannabis Plant Training Technique #2: Low-Stress Training

Writing about low-stress training directly after the article on topping seemed like the logical thing to do, chiefly because of how well the two techniques work together. Typically, growers would first top their cannabis plant(s) and then proceed to apply the LST training technique once the plant has recovered.

In this article, I will be addressing the process of applying low-stress training to a cannabis plant without having topped it first, however, the principle remains more or less the same either way.

What is Low-Stress Training, And Why Do It?

Low-stress training or “LST” (occasionally referred to as the “bend and tie method”) is reasonably self-descriptive. In a nutshell, the cannabis plant would be trained using methods known to generate less stress compared to other more ‘aggressive’ training techniques. The ideal outcome of the training would be to produce larger yields and to optimize grow space.

The central concept behind LST is to tie down the main stem(s) of the plant which int-turn influences the side stems to grow directly upward in a more controlled manner. As a result, the smaller buds developing on the side stems are then transformed into main colas!

Another significant advantage that low-stress training provides (other than producing larger buds) is superior canopy control. Better control over the canopy of your plant(s) means that you will have the ability to spread it out more evenly, which in turn means that your plant(s) get to benefit from more efficient light harvesting. More light harvested = bigger & better yield. So, yeah, Low-stress training 4TW! 🙂

How To Perform Low-Stress Training On A Cannabis Plant

low-stress training, in theory, is mostly simple, however, should you choose to get “creative” with the execution (which is encouraged!) the complexity level is likely to grow accordingly. This next section will walk you through the very basic steps of LST, providing you with a foundation from which more inventive methods may be developed.

Necessary Gear

1 x Sharp Pair Of Scissors/Sheers.
*A Roll Of Plant Training Wire (Sometimes Called “Plant Ties”).
**A Hand-Held Drill. (Unless You Have Fabric Pots)

*If you don’t have any plant training wire at home, and you can’t get any from the local shops, then your next best bet is to have a look around online. If you really don’t feel like ordering online, for whatever reason, then you may be able to find some form of substitute lying around. Most variations of insulated wire would probably do the trick – I recommend ‘insulated’ wire because it is not ideal to have bare metal exposed to water and then touching your plant(s). Otherwise, some string could also be used, but it is harder to work with.

**A hand drill will make things much easier if you use conventional plastic pots, however, there is more than one way to work around the need for a drill in this scenario (get creative!), and furthermore, if you are part of the trend that are using fabric pots instead of plastic ones then you have even less to worry about.

Tyin’ Her Down!

The Primary Anchor Line

The first step I usually take is to create what I like to call an “anchor line”. As the name suggests, this line will serve the purpose of supplementing stability to our plant – a necessary contribution when accounting for what we are plotting to do once said anchor has been secured!

To create the primary anchor line, start by making a hole in the rim of your pot near the top. This hole needs to be “just” big enough for the training wire to fit through.

Next, thread the wire through the hole that you just made, then fashion a “loop” on the side pointing away from the pot by taking some excess wire and folding it over once to make the loop and then winding the end of the wire around the base of the loop a few times to secure it. The winding must both secure the loop so that it stays ‘loopy’ as-well-as thicken the base of the loop so that it cannot slip back through the hole.

Now, take the other end of your training wire (end pointing towards the plant) and loop it around the main stem, keeping the piece of wire horizontal whilst you do so. Once looped around the stem, make your way back to the edge of the pot, securing the end of the wire by tying it through the loop that you created in the beginning.

The primary anchor will assist by providing counter-resistance whilst we perform our primary bend on the main stem. With that mentioned, you must ensure that your anchor is firmly tied down and that there is sufficient tension as to help provide support to the stem when it (the stem) is bent in the opposite direction.

The Primary Bend

With our primary anchor securely in place, we can now focus on executing the primary bend on the main stem.

First, make a second hole in the rim of the pot, on the opposite side to your first hole. This hole will be used to secure the main stem, along with the use of a secondary piece of training wire.

Next, place a finger just below the point where you plan to bend the stem, directly beneath the area around which the training wire (primary anchor) was looped, on the opposite side to the anchor. This strategically placed finger will be acting as a more dexterous “backup support” during the actual bending process, thereafter the primary anchor’s support should be more than sufficient in maintaining support to the stem post-bend.

Now, carefully yet firmly begin to bend the cannabis plant’s main stem in the opposite direction to where the anchor is pointing. Continue to bend the stem slowly and delicately to the point where it is horizontally angled.

With the main stem now bent, you will need to secure it with an additional piece of wire which can be first looped over the stem and then through the second hole created earlier.

After all is said and done, your plant should now be bent over and secured in place, forming a horizontal line across the pot. You can then leave your baby to continue growing for a while until it is time to “bend and tie” again.

Your overall goal here is to keep the main stem angled horizontally so that the side stems will be influenced to grow straight upward, turning their little buds into main colas, as-well-as influencing the plant(s) to develop a more symmetrical canopy 🙂

Final Remarks

low-stress training can be extremely beneficial when growing cannabis plants. Growers can expect larger yields, better use of their grow space, and even increased potency levels.

LST is especially effective when combined with topping, which should be done before initiating the low-stress training.

This guide is remarkably basic! We recommend that you keep the fundamental principles in mind and experiment with different ways to tie down your plant(s), and even innovate more sophisticated means of bracing the plant(s) so that the spread/shape of the canopy can be better suited to harvesting larger amounts of available light.