Is Mainlining worth it?

potpimp

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
Jimdamick said:
I grow for a living so time is everything.
The only slow thing I do is I will veg for 5 weeks instead of 4, which I found to be needed for a good plant
I grow mostly Sativa which average 10 weeks minimum (my customers prefer them) so I have no time to waste.
I grow perpetual also, cycling 27 plants in a RDWC system in 3 rooms for bloom & 1 for veg.
Pain in the ass sometimes but I just love growing :)
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I just had to. :)
 

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RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
Jimdamick said:
I have a small space under my basement stairs, which I decided to use and fuck around with a plant there. I am using a GH Waterfarm with a 300 watt LED, which I figured would be like a blow job for one plant.
Anyway, I have always been intrigued by mainlining, and I have experience with Bonsai, and I figured the philosophy made sense to manicure the plant, and get 4 main colas. It seemed simple enough, just trim up to the 3rd node, and cut down from the 7th, and tie back the branches, and away you go.
Anyway, it took like at least a week to recover and my colas look like shit, maybe as good as some branch tips.
I am 5 weeks into bloom, and I am pissed off, as I wanted this plant to be a specimen, not a dog.
The plant itself looks really cool with the branch structure, but that's about it. It is a Berry Bomb, which I have grown before, and is great plant, usually.
So, this is my question. Has anybody else used this system, and what was the results? I'll tell you what, I'm never doing it again, just a standard topping from now on, because I personally think mainlining is not worth it.
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Clones or seed? Clones do not take to it well because something about their nodes are different
 
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RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
Jimdamick said:
I have a small space under my basement stairs, which I decided to use and fuck around with a plant there. I am using a GH Waterfarm with a 300 watt LED, which I figured would be like a blow job for one plant.
Anyway, I have always been intrigued by mainlining, and I have experience with Bonsai, and I figured the philosophy made sense to manicure the plant, and get 4 main colas. It seemed simple enough, just trim up to the 3rd node, and cut down from the 7th, and tie back the branches, and away you go.
Anyway, it took like at least a week to recover and my colas look like shit, maybe as good as some branch tips.
I am 5 weeks into bloom, and I am pissed off, as I wanted this plant to be a specimen, not a dog.
The plant itself looks really cool with the branch structure, but that's about it. It is a Berry Bomb, which I have grown before, and is great plant, usually.
So, this is my question. Has anybody else used this system, and what was the results? I'll tell you what, I'm never doing it again, just a standard topping from now on, because I personally think mainlining is not worth it.
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Not sure if my 1st response posted. If you're growing clones, you shouldn't mainline them. Or are they seed?
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
RonnieB2 said:
Not sure if my 1st response posted. If you're growing clones, you shouldn't mainline them. Or are they seed?
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Clone or seed wouldn't really matter if you want to mainline.
I did clones for awhile, but you have to make them off a good mother & I found it really was not worth it for the time involved.
I only do seed now which makes for a stronger & quicker plant in my opinion, plus I like variety which you won't get cloning 1 plant.
I have 7 strains running now from seed, which would be impossible with clones (I can't buy them where I live anyway).
I used to manicure/defoliate but after years of trial & error I just let my plants run as is now and they seem too like that
I don't even top anymore, I just LST the fuck out of them if they get too tall.
I prefer 1 large cola vs 2 mediocre ones anyway, plus every time you top it takes a week off from the finish time
It really depends on your style of growing though, I use 3 rooms with 8' ceilings using a RDWC modified GH Waterfarm system, so if your growing in a tent or closet, my methods might not work.
So I guess I'm just saying that don't like mainlining, but too each their own.
Peace out & try too stay safe :)
 
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RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
I was taught to never mainline a clone. if i remember correctly the nodes are different on clones vs seed. I cant verify this because I have never grew a clone. But it might be worth investigating. Since we both have different conclusions lol
 
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RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
I went back and found you can ml a clone but they dont take to it as well because of the nodes. Ive personally never done it. Ive LST, and topped, and removed a lot of leaves that were not getting a lot of light. I forget what thats called
 
Patito92

Patito92

Active Member
I'm not saying mainlining does not work, it's just that I've gotten same or better results with other, less complicated methods. The time I did it I was running RDWC so veg was pretty fast, but still the mainlined ones lagged a lot compared to the other, just LST'd ones. As I said, in my experience yield is not so dependant on training methods but pot size and efficient lighting. The best training method is the one that better suits your situation.
 
Patito92

Patito92

Active Member
Jimdamick said:
I grow for a living so time is everything.
The only slow thing I do is I will veg for 5 weeks instead of 4, which I found to be needed for a good plant
I grow mostly Sativa which average 10 weeks minimum (my customers prefer them) so I have no time to waste.
I grow perpetual also, cycling 27 plants in a RDWC system in 3 rooms for bloom & 1 for veg.
Pain in the ass sometimes but I just love growing :)
Click to expand...
Yes, same situation here, I don't even look at yield per plant or per grow, but rather yearly yield, and try to balance things out to get the best results. That's why I don't ussually grow pure sativas, too long flowering time, too much stretch. Instead I like hybrids or sativas with short flowering like Power Plant.
 
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RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
Thats a great point. This is my first indoor grow. I have 1 coco/perlite 1:1 container and 1 Fox Farm Ocean, coco blend. I want to see which performs better. The Fox Farm ocean is 60/40 mostly soil. Using advanced nutrients and Humboldt nutrients
 
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RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
DollarBill$ said:
plants started from seed will have leaves opposite one another. If not mistaken clones leaves are staggered growing upwards. I think I have that right. Someone may want to research this.
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I think you're right and it has something to do with the nodes not being symmetrical or something like that
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
DollarBill$ said:
plants started from seed will have leaves opposite one another. If not mistaken clones leaves are staggered growing upwards. I think I have that right. Someone may want to research this.
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There is no difference in the plants besides the root system.
Seed will have a tap root, while a clone's root system will grow laterally, spreading out from the plant's stem.
 
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MTD78

Well-Known Member
Mainlining should only be done on a node that is perfectly in line with its partner as long as they are perfectly inline … not the slightest staggering, or it will not distribute nutrients evenly. This is why seed is the way to go …because when you involve cloning, you already have interrupted the plants natural growth development and tinkered with the plants psyche a bit so it could take some time before it reverts back producing even nodes again. On some strains this would also effect bud development.
 
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MTD78

Well-Known Member
Mainlining is the best but nobody wants to do it the correct way… takes lots of time and patience
 
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MTD78

Well-Known Member
Two months already and still not even close to being done
MTD78 said:
Mainlining is the best but nobody wants to do it the correct way… takes lots of time and patience
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these are at 2 months
 

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MTD78

Well-Known Member
These are at 2 months of veg have about 2 more months maybe to go still ….the end result is the last pic and that is only one plant
 
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MTD78

Well-Known Member
I’m using Gorilla Glue 4, because of the ability to form skyscraper size buds with barely any leaves to trim. You have to research the strain first off, and it should be seeds from a strong mother. Not all strains work well with mainlining indoors.
 
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