Training
Topping, LST, SCROG, SOG, mainlining, defoliation.
Defoliation and lollipopping: what to remove, when, and the evidence
Lollipopping strips small branches and leaves from the shaded lower third at or near the flip; defoliation removes fan leaves that shade bud sites or block airflow. In a controlled study on large plants, neither defoliation three weeks before harvest nor lower-branch removal changed flower or cannabinoid yield per plant, and defoliation improved cannabinoid uniformity. Stripping within reason doesn't hurt yield, but in the founder's experience tucking helps more: tuck and train first. Whether tucking beats stripping, and whether defoliation raises cannabinoids, is an open GenetixBay trial question.
FIM: pinching most of the tip for multiple tops
FIM removes roughly 70–80 % of the newest growth at the tip instead of cutting cleanly above a node. When it works, three to five shoots grow from the same point; when it doesn't, you get one or two, like a sloppy top. It is less predictable than topping and has no controlled research behind its yield claims.
HST and supercropping: controlled stem crushing
Supercropping pinches and gently crushes a green stem until the inner tissue softens, then bends it over so the tip sits lower. It is used to tame tall shoots in late veg and early stretch. Done right the stem forms a firm knuckle in a few days. Stem snapping gives better buds in the founder's long experience: *Grower practice*, house-endorsed, though no controlled study has measured a potency gain yet. Every cultivar responds differently.
LST: low-stress training
Low-stress training bends and ties stems outward and down so the plant grows as a flat, even canopy, without cutting anything. It is the safest training method, suits autoflowers, and works with topping and SCROG. Start in early veg, adjust ties every few days, and stop bending hard once stems lignify in mid-stretch.
Mainlining and manifolding: building a symmetrical plant
Mainlining (manifolding) tops a young plant down to the third node, removes all lower growth, and then tops each arm repeatedly to build a symmetrical hub feeding 8 or 16 evenly matched colas. It produces a very even canopy at the cost of 2–4 extra weeks of veg. It is grower practice with no controlled studies; the closest research found double pruning increased yield per plant.
SCROG: screen of green
SCROG uses a horizontal net 20–40 cm above the pots to spread a few plants into a flat, even canopy: shoots are tucked under the net through veg and early stretch, then allowed to grow up through it. It suits small rooms and plant-count limits, at the cost of longer veg. Fill about 70–80 % of the net before flipping, since plants stretch to fill the rest.
SOG: sea of green
Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.
Topping: cutting the main tip for more colas
Topping removes the main growing tip above a node so the two shoots below take over, breaking apical dominance and producing a flatter plant with more main colas. Top healthy plants with 4–6 nodes, cut just above the chosen node, and allow 5–10 days of recovery before flipping to flower. In one controlled study, pruning twice (at transplant and at the switch to flower) gave the highest flower and cannabinoid yield per plant.
