I have had a few people asking me about how I've been training my plants, so I figured I would make a thread that goes through each step. Most of my journals are just focused on if they are healthy or not, and pics of them every week.
I'll cover the two terms I will be discussing, and then it will be story time lol.
QUADLINING (I previously referred to this as a "double mainline") - Leaving just 2 nodes on when the plant has about 4-6 nodes. (I normally leave the 2nd and 3rd node on, but I see people on other sites leave the 3rd and 4th nodes on with good results).
MAINLINING - Leaving only a single node on when the plant has about 4-6 nodes.
Story time!
I started mainlining autos after seeing green75's thread on how to do it. He also has YouTube videos on how he does it, so if a video helps you get the idea better than pics, then YouTube green75 and I'm sure you'll find what you need for mainlining an auto.
My yields slightly improved using this technique. I was ranging anywhere from 2 to 5 oz per plant, and was pretty happy with it.
The reason I bring up mainlining an auto is because it is what brought me to quadlining an auto. On a previous grow I decided to leave an extra node on to see how the plant would grow. I ended up with 9.8 oz off one auto, and I was ecstatic.
I couldn't be sure if it was the strain, the seed, or the quadline that got me those results, so the next grow I did an experiment. My experiment seemed to agree with my guesstimate that quadlining indeed gave better yields than mainlining.
So far I have quadlined 3 plants. My yields have been 9.8 oz, 4 oz, and 24.78 oz (this last one was a freak of nature. I wouldn't expect a 1.5 lbs per plant every time lol).
It just so happens that I'm starting training for 2 of my plants, so what a good time to show everyone the process step by step.
I have already removed the first node (coytledons do not count as a node), and I took the coytledons off too. I have heard that you aren't supposed to take off the coytledons, but I have done it on every single plant and have never had anything bad happen to the plant because of it.
Today, I took the top node off of the White widow CBD. She's a bit bigger than the bubba cheese, and the timing seemed right to take the top node off. Once the 3rd nodes branches get a little bigger, I will start training them down. So all that's left on the White widow CBD is the 2nd and 3rd nodes. Eventually, a birds eye view of the plant will look like an x.
I use 14 gauge electrical wire to stake the branches down. Make sure they are long enough to grab hold of the coco, or soil if thats what you're using. Sometimes I hear them ripping through roots as they are going in, but it doesn't seem to affect the plants overall health.
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH TO BE GENTLE WHEN BENDING AND STAKING DOWN BRANCHES. Otherwise you might end up with a triline lol. Just lightly bend them back and forth until they feel more pliable. Then gently stake them down.
Here is where I am currently with these 2 plants. I'll update through the whole training period so people can see how it turns out.
Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
This is before any cutting on the White Widow CBD
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After taking the coytledons and the first node
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Before taking the 4th node
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After taking the 4th node
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Now it's a waiting game for a bit.
