Is plant training worth the extra veg time?

[Caliishigh]

Just wondering what's your view on training plants for higher yeild vs natural xmas tree shape as far as is the extra time to train worth the heavier yeild? What's your plan of attack when you do a run... and what kind of numbers are you achieving? Plz let's not play the my D is bigger game here this question is for knowledge and to know what numbers I should be looking at or aiming for as I just completed my first grow and don't know if my final weight of 11oz from 6 plants in a 5x2.5 is on par ...I ran 1 optic 2 for veg and ran 2 optic 2 side by side during flower so 400 true watts . In basic 2 gallon pots

 

[eyeballsaul]

Hey i think thats good for your first time with a 400w! Works out at 0.77g/watt, alot of posts i have read state that alot of people aim for 1g/watt but dont often acheive it.
Training will generally increase your yeild to an extent that it does pay off.
Id say fimming/topping your talking add 2-4 weeks extra for decent results.
LST couple of weeks at most extra, may not increase your time but just create a more even canopy.
The general principle is that lumens diminish quite significantly over a short distance using indoor lights, therefore the closer the bud is to the light within reason and not taking into account heat the larger the cola.
So you want as many colas as possible to be as close to the light as possible hence training.
I see an xmas tree shaped plant indoors as in efficient assumin that it is xmas tree shaped and the light is above.
However everybody has their own views, find whats best for you.
Mines recently have had about 6 weeks veg been fimmed and lst'd and then put under a scrog net.
That helps me position buds, keep the canopy evenish and when the buds do finally chunk up they have support which should increase the bud size and stop them falling over.
This crop ill be happy if i get 1g/watt in coco done on budget.
Next crop in rdwc with a larger budget id be aiming for atleast 1.5/watt.
There is alot to it my recommendation to you would be to take it one step at a time, youve done awesome for your first grow. As a beginner i would set my expectations at the 0.5-0.75g/watt mark a grow anything extra is a bonus.
Expirement with lst and if you are really struggling to get those side branches up fim.
In essence training can be very efficient and certainly worth while but one step at a time youve done good.

 

[hawse]

Always worth the extra time in my opinion. An even canopy is your #1 friend... Easily doubled my output...

 

[SheeshM]

Totally worth it IMO too, especially indoors. I follow a similar process as @eyeballsaul . One topping, some LST and scrogging and I still flip them about 8 weeks from dropping seeds. To me, the extra yield from training is worth the extra few weeks of veg.

 

[Caliishigh]

I did put in a good amount of work In trying to keep things as even as possible but was a lil tricky when every single plant is a different kind so i probably put more hours(i like to enjoy my time with them relaxing and the work I put on them was therapeutic itself.) into it than if I were working with the same strain ... I wanna do like a hybrid manifold where I would have only 2 - 3 levels of growth where I keep only nodes 2 thru 4 and go on as if I were doing a basic mainline on each set and see what kind of results I get compared to regular mainline trained plants. I had a few plants that I trained that way but never got to flower them due to stupid maintenance checking fire alarms here's some pics of them ...had to chop em down and put everything away in 24hours it was really shitty but it beats being homeless lol

 

[Merlin1147]

I just completed my first grow and don't know if my final weight of 11oz from 6 plants in a 5x2.5 is on par .

When you say “just completed”, is the 11 ozs fresh or dried?

 

[Caliishigh]

When you say “just completed”, is the 11 ozs fresh or dried?

Dried and cured

 

[Merlin1147]

In that case Awesome Job! for first time. Training/shaping is definitely worth the time unless you are running a SOG.

 

[Hydrotech364]

SCROG and SOG are all about training Bro!

 

[budman111]

Indoor gets more yield if you train for even tops for sure.

 

[3rd Monkey]

I never not train. Doesn't really add any veg time in my opinion, unless you mainline or run another front loaded process.

 

[eyeballsaul]

I did put in a good amount of work In trying to keep things as even as possible but was a lil tricky when every single plant is a different kind so i probably put more hours(i like to enjoy my time with them relaxing and the work I put on them was therapeutic itself.) into it than if I were working with the same strain ... I wanna do like a hybrid manifold where I would have only 2 - 3 levels of growth where I keep only nodes 2 thru 4 and go on as if I were doing a basic mainline on each set and see what kind of results I get compared to regular mainline trained plants. I had a few plants that I trained that way but never got to flower them due to stupid maintenance checking fire alarms here's some pics of them ...had to chop em down and put everything away in 24hours it was really shitty but it beats being homeless lolView attachment 4324511 View attachment 4324511 View attachment 4324517 View attachment 4324511 View attachment 4324514 View attachment 4324517

Man thats shit but they plants look awesome. Just do the same again and if u feel like it throw in a scrog net, those plants with a little bit of spacing out would be perfectly level, even in flowering if u keep on top of it u can do it.
You sound like youre willing to put in the effort, just remember whatever effort you put into your plants is a direct coorelation as to what you get from your plants.
Im like you i can spend hours messing about with them having a smoke, i weaved a 2.4x1.2 scrog net out of thick fishing line the other week, took about 6 hours lol.
I have also grown 13 different strains in a 1.2×1.2 tent before and kept it evenish.
If you have a few taller strains or phenos just put them at the corners. Light gets into the whole of the top of the plant, they are often my best yeilders.
Best of luck.

 

[Flowki]

Flat canopy is ultimately the best trade off between logistics and current technology. It's conveniently easy and suites hood/lens designs.

If you were using hps open hood, stadium when done right is more optimal but also a lot more micro management.

 

[Way2-High]

I just finished my first grow and did heavy training and topping. I got 6oz off one plant under my ghetto rig. Anyway I am growing a second plant in the same conditions, ferts, lights, soil etc and I’ll post here when she’s done with the results.

 

[NoobieNugs]

Hey i think thats good for your first time with a 400w! Works out at 0.77g/watt, alot of posts i have read state that alot of people aim for 1g/watt but dont often acheive it.
Training will generally increase your yeild to an extent that it does pay off.
Id say fimming/topping your talking add 2-4 weeks extra for decent results.
LST couple of weeks at most extra, may not increase your time but just create a more even canopy.
The general principle is that lumens diminish quite significantly over a short distance using indoor lights, therefore the closer the bud is to the light within reason and not taking into account heat the larger the cola.
So you want as many colas as possible to be as close to the light as possible hence training.
I see an xmas tree shaped plant indoors as in efficient assumin that it is xmas tree shaped and the light is above.
However everybody has their own views, find whats best for you.
Mines recently have had about 6 weeks veg been fimmed and lst'd and then put under a scrog net.
That helps me position buds, keep the canopy evenish and when the buds do finally chunk up they have support which should increase the bud size and stop them falling over.
This crop ill be happy if i get 1g/watt in coco done on budget.
Next crop in rdwc with a larger budget id be aiming for atleast 1.5/watt.
There is alot to it my recommendation to you would be to take it one step at a time, youve done awesome for your first grow. As a beginner i would set my expectations at the 0.5-0.75g/watt mark a grow anything extra is a bonus.
Expirement with lst and if you are really struggling to get those side branches up fim.
In essence training can be very efficient and certainly worth while but one step at a time youve done good.

So supporting lanky branches (instead of trying to make them support themselves) that grew up to the light will make the bud on the branch bigger?
I started with autos but got a bag seed that's growing that's a photo plant. It's now on 12 12 but got tall and wirey. Droopy with no bud at all yet.
It's my 1st photo... so I'll learn I suppose somehow lol.

 

[tylerdurz]

Is training worth it outdoors or indoors only ?

 

[NoobieNugs]

Is training worth it outdoors or indoors only ?

People do train outdoors usually in a cage to make it Bush outwards at the base rather than upwards.
It's not the same though. The sun is moving around the plant and so shadows shift and you can space them out out doors. The sea of green is like a lawn of buds at the canopy level all sharing equal amounts of the artificial light that struggles to reach the base of close knit plants.

 

[pulpoinspace]

i top seedlings once and then LST and accept a long ass veg time

clones i go straight into LST i like as short a veg as possible

 

[budman111]

I just finished my first grow and did heavy training and topping. I got 6oz off one plant.

Awesome for your first grow, you got green fingers for sure!

 

[Hydrotech364]

My last outdoor scrog had a family of frogs move in, then snakes. They love the canopy in the summer.
It's a jungle out there!