The Main-Lining Thread

nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
I am getting a lot of requests to put a formal "main-lining" thread together to make it easier for ya'll to access, and reference....so here goes......


"Main-Lining"

definition. a form of training and managing canopy for cannabis.....to build a "hub" off of a single node creating a "manifold" for equal energy distribution from the root mass to the growing tops.


....it really is that simple....i am sure it has been done before, and a lot of folks do it, and probably even has a name, but I just call it "main-lining".....my theory being, on a plant from seed, if all branches came off of the same node on the trunk, they should all get the same amount of hormones and nutrients ...or energy, from the root mass.....like building a "hub"........make sense? I am all about an even canopy, of very similar sized stems, and colas.....like green lady soldiers lined up ready to kick ass and take names......no weak ones, no runts, no spindly ones.....just all solid and consistant......

.......so if they all come off the main stem, like spokes on a wheel, they should all be pretty much the same.....right?

....i started growing in a closet.....it was a 32" by 32" by 48" (tall)......and i was determined not to out grow my space.....i would grow 4 plants in 3 gal. nursery pots under a single 400 watt HPS......i learned very quickly that if i wanted to end up with something smokable, i had to learn bonzai techniques in a hurry to manage my heights......so i started in with LST (low stress training), and managed a very, very modest harvest my first few attempts.......as each run progressed, i would find myself getting really anal about properly managing my 32" x32" canopy where i would jam up to 48 colas in my tiny space, and strive to make the canopy as flat as possible......


…...... i began to reap some pretty respectable harvests.......of course i would be topping the main, and spreading out the footprint of each plant, but my finished colas were not very consistant overall as far as size and weight were concerned.....and i would still end up with a fair amount of "larfy" popcorn bud from the understory, which was undesirable for me because i, and my newly found patients, were primarily flower smokers........so i dug deeper........and soon found myself in a slighty larger grow space, in a completely legal situation, allowing me to openly work on my developing theories.........



........my next grow i topped the main, and left two nodes off the main trunk, built my bonzai type structure, managed my canopy really well, but still noticed a huge difference in the energy output of the colas originating from the upper and lower node, even though they were separated by a mere inch on the trunk.....they were similar, but still varied quite a bit.......i did however end up with a decent canopy, and harvest.....i was getting closer......

.....then it hit me, that single inch on the trunk separating the two nodes was the key.....so my next grow, i decided to build the entire structure off of a single node....
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nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
...after two weeks of flower, and 50-75% of the stretch is complete, the understory can be pruned (or not), and her giant, "re-bar-like" stems can be soft-tied to the ring.....on an 8 head, i usually leave two in the center of the ring, and 6 around the perimeter.....i also have run all eight around the outside, and enjoy that also....esp. in the summer, when i can benifit from a completely open center to combat the high humidity, and suseptability to mold...
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nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
.....the simple canopy ring, (made from a heavy duty tomato or peony cage) and soft ties, allows the grower to instantly modify the footprint of the plant simply by sliding the stem along the perimeter of the ring.....hells yeah!.....this can come in very handy, when "puzzle piecing" plants into a defined space!
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nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
.......so after all the bud is gone.....and there was a lot of it!......"8 heads" yielded 6.67 zips with zero larf on a 32 inch plant, "16 heads" yielded 7.31 zips with zero larf on a 27 inch plant!!!!......

........the main-lined plant still continues to give, and is a humble reminder of what can be accomplished when we quiet the noise in our heads enough to hear the secrets this plant unselfishly gives....much love and peace to all of you.......nugbuckets



....hey!....who snuck that last pic in?!!..... cindysid...guess we found our hacker!........;-)......after all....its not ALL about you guys!
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nugbuckets

Well-Known Member
Disclaimer #2

.....this method works the best with strains that display "single cola dominance"......like afghani's, and kushes....."balls on a sring"...."poodles"....strains that have minimal secondary branching common with sativa dominant varieties......that being said, i believe it can be used with all strains to optimize the energy distribution from the root mass.......Have a Dank Day!


p.s. it can also be done with clones....esp. ones taken very early off the mom when they are still in a symetrical growing pattern.....


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Budologist420

Well-Known Member
Damn put together perfectly, I can never thank you enough for changing the way I grow for the better, I have never had such even, bushy, perfect plants since I started using this technique, Nugbuckets I got all the respect in the world for you bro thanks for making us all better growers by sharing this awesome knowledge.

-Bud:leaf:
 

WyoGrow

Active Member
I am going to be working with about 32" of vertical space from shelf to light. Limited head room.... So far I've just assumed that would restrict me to undersized planters. But seeing how well your girls respond to training.... I think I can use a moderate sized pot and then train my branches to dip down below the level of the planter getting me back the vertical space used up by the planter. Does this sound feasible to you?
 
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