HELPFUL diagram for everyone!!

Ok so i got a little on the bored side after work today and decided to make a diagram for everyone mostly the beginners..I know my 'paint' SUCKS but you get the idea..If you dont like it then look at the growFAQ which has plenty of tutorials as well but sometime illustrated pictures and colors are better lol. I know there are LOTS of posts and threads on these subjects but hey why not all in one..... Hope it helps!!!



#1 TOPPING

Alls you have to do is go a couple inches below the growth shoot at the top and take sterilized scissors and chop that baby off!! With in a couple days to week you should see two new stem gowths coming from each side of the stalk right below your cut. Like most of you know topping isnt always better but if you want to keep a lower profile or like many colas instead of one big one then toppings for you. Doing this will make your plant lower and more bushy and less noticable as a 'marijuana plant' to any wandering eyes.

#2 LOW-STRESS TRAINING (LST)

Low-stress training can provide many benefits including more bud sites which = more buds!!! As you can see the 'BLUE STRING' supports the bottom stalk one way from the plant uprooting itself and the other string you just tie down either to your pot or you could put a stake in the ground to hold it as well...In a day or so you should start to see the branches and growth shoots start to travel up towards the light thus creating a canopy so MUCH more light gets to the inside of the plant creating new growth shoots and possible bud sites. Make sure you take it nice and slow though because if you bend it too much it could break and make sure its not in flowering though because the stem gets more 'woody' and easier to snap, also too early in VEG because it will easily uproot itself and cause your prized beauty to DIE!

#3 PRUNING

Pruning should be done with the first signs of flowering. You want to get as many bud sites open and cleared up as possible to allow as much light in as possible. If you have a leaf that is obstructing the bud sites way to get light then cut it off(THE RED PARTS)..Not illustrated but you can do the same thing with branches. If you have a branch a that is covering up your budsites then it s doing nothing but blocking light. Always start from the bottom and work your way up. You should be happy with your results but dont go ape wild and just start hacking the crap out of your plant. Pruning takes time and planning so DONT RUSH IT!

#4 TAKING A CUTTING(CLONE)

Cloning is a great way to force flower your plant early so you are able to sex it or just get more buds! Alls you need is a healthy donor plant(mother, if your not trying to sex) thats a decent size maybe a foot or more and start taking some clippings. Just find one of the lower branches that looks appealing to you and just go about 4-6 inches below the growth shoot(RED LINES) and at a 45 degree angle with your sterilized scissors just make the cut. Theres no need to hack a whole branch off but you could if you know what your doing...Immediately put the cutting in a cup of water so no air buubles get in the cut and begin your method of cloning!

BELOW IS SOME LINKS THAT WILL HELP YOU OUT GREATLY AS WELL

TOPPING- GROWFAQ
LST- GROWFAQ
PRUNING- GROWFAQ
CLONING- GROWFAQ

nice

ditto: nice.

I'm still trying to get my head around the tactics of LST. I've been lst'n the twins but now there's no more room to open the plant up. Still not sure how to recognize a bud sight either but I think they look good. Can someone point me to any instructions on how to post a photo? Thanks

what i do is upload them on www.photobucket.com from my pictures documents on my computer then copy the img link and paste it on the post!...any more help just lemme know

Cheers, handy to keep

Simple and well done! One bit of constructice criticism would be to make #4 more obvious in where to cut the clone. I had to look hard to see those little red lines.

lol i was thinking the same thing but too lazy to edit it...i was kind of waiting for some one to say something about that to urge me to go and fix it..THANKS!!

DONE!! I think its a little better..any more help would be appreciated..

A LITTLE bored? Good job!

lol ok maybe REALLY bored... hey its a good help though

thats great!! it really helps new growers, you should get bored more often.

Yeah, get bored more often! How about a diagram showing different hydroponic methods? A single pic like you've done might really help some of the newer growers.

someone say make a hydro guide?


NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)



The principle is very easy to grasp. The plants are grown in a constant flow of nutrient enriched water. The water is spread out so as to flow in approximately 1-3mm of depth over a flat surface. This creates a film of water, which flows over the root system of the plant. This is not a rapid flow but enough of a flow that the water is in constant motion. Water is fed to the table via a submersible pump from the top end of the table.

As the water is pumped in at one end of the table, it slowly makes its way to the bottom of the table where it then returns back to the reservoir in which the pump is submerged. So you get constant exchange of the water in the reservoir being pumped from one end of the table then returning to the reservoir via the other end of the table.

Drip Irrigation



Very simple, a drip feed system on a timer, water drains back into the reservoir, the nutrient solution is aerated by an air pump attached to an airstone before it is pumped through. This is just a single plant system, it can be modified easily to fit large crops.

Flood And Drain aka Ebb And Flow



The picture makes it look overcomplicated, the nutrient solution is pumped into the pots, just below the top of the growing medium, for a predetermined amount of time. it then drains back through to the reservoir, and the process is repeated.

Aeroponics



Aeroponics is potentially, if mastered the most effective method of growing. the roots of the plant are suspended in a nutrient mist, this is achieved by buying a special mist pump thingy, which secretes your nutrient mist to the air, giving your roots the perfect amount of oxygen it needs, while also giving it the perfect amount of humidity and feeding in the form of your nutrient solution.

Bubbleponics



Simple and clever, a cheap version of aeroponics if you like. your plants roots are suspended in a bubbling nutrient solution, provided in the form of an air pump attatached to a circular air stone / a mass of airstones, to aerate the roots while feeding them.
This, again can be expanded on, but it is most commonly used for clones, to help them take root before planting.
the PPM and pH of a bubbler systems water is in a state of constant flux, so needs attention.

Pictures courtesy of 1-Hydroponics

hope it helps.

nice addition to the already treasure trove of knowledge

Hell yea...very helpful!! nice job

i love it very informative and accurate

Where did ya find those hydro diagrams by the way? those are pretty cool...

Pictures courtesy of 1-Hydroponics

Click to expand...

good site.

I grow in soil, all organic, & I still liked the info. Thanks.