Katatawnic
Well-Known Member
Hiya AK, I'm just going to quote from my GJ though; much easier than typing it all over again.
Seems to be a preference thing, and quite varied. Some say to wait till the plants are 8-12" tall so they're really strong, while others say they start as early as a couple/few weeks along while they're more flexible and easier to tie down. These four were started with LST when they were 4 weeks old; they're 8 weeks along now, and I feel very confident in saying there's been a lot of growth in the last month from doing this!
My 2 NL seedlings will be transplanted to their full size pots by this weekend, and are 3.5 weeks along now. Once they're in those pots, I'll be starting the ties. (Hmmm, so far I've got a 4 wk. theme going! lol) Topping certainly isn't necessary with LST, that's for sure! These babies are bushy as hell with literally countless bud sites, and about 4" at their tallest limbs! But I'll probably top one of the NL seedlings, to do a side-by-side comparison for future training preferences.
I wasn't even trying to go for height control, as I've easily got 5.5' of vertical grow space. I just wanted to increase my yield. But I haven't had to raise the lights even one inch since I started tying these babies.... talk about stealth and ability to grow in very tiny spaces!
Keep in mind, too, that most people who LST their MJ end up trimming quite a few leaves at the bottom (including those who don't lollipop normally); otherwise there's likely to not be enough air circulation down there, which of course can lead to nasty molds or bugs, etc.! I've done a lot of tucking leaves so that the new growth shoots have lots of light to get as big as they can, but have run out of places to tuck one more leaf!
ANYHOOO, I first posted the beginning of the LST on my girls currently in flower on post #59 of my GJ. Feel free to skim through (yeah, I know I'm quite wordy, but at least there are details in there!Much thanks, Fro!One of these years I might write up a "tutorial" (so to speak) on LST. Not so much "how" to tie the plants; that's the easy part.
Many people think that LST's benefit is allowing for light to penetrate as many potential bud sites as possible. While this does happen, it's really only a "bonus" to LST; a side effect. The initial effect is, like toppping, redistributing the auxins (growth hormones) from focusing mainly at the top of the plant to the lower branches. This is the main reason for the sudden growth of the dormant bud sites, because the redistribution of the auxins basically "tricks" the plant into thinking that the lower branches are now all "main" colas. Of course, the main main cola won't be as large as it would if left alone, but you do end up with more buds that are of higher quality and less popcorn buds. This is why even tying the plant down just once will cause so much more growth from the secondary branches, giving a higher overall yield.
Sometimes you can fool with Mother Nature, so long as you play by her rules while you're at it.
), and any questions you've got can go from there. There are many threads on LST, but unfortunately on RIU I've only found "how to tie" type of threads, not what it does. Even "ready for flower" as yours are now, LST will still increase the amount of bud sites on your plants, or at the least increase the popcorn bud sites to perhaps medium size/quality; although they won't be "main" cola types this late into your grow, unless you choose to veg longer. My plants are now 25", 26", and 15" tall. (The shortest is my indica.) Had I not tied them, they'd be close to twice their height now.
OOPS, after rereading your post.... if your problem is width (you said "bushy") rather than height, LST (tying, not cropping) is still a very good thing to do.... you can tie the main branches down just slightly to allow more light penetration, or you can tie branches up (i.e., from the top of your grow space) to keep them from spreading out too far. But you'll also want to lollipop your plants if they're too bushy, whether you choose to LST or not. I just lollipopped mine the other night.... I didn't want to do it, ever, but had no choice. I just updated my GJ a few moments ago, with before/after photos of the pruning session.
OK.... blah blah blah!
Let's continue our convo on my GJ or somewhere else, so we don't hijack this thread. 
Point being, I also give them all I can, RE: money as well as my given environment that I cannot change.
I'm at RIU for growing, not to be an entertainer. Until I was forced into early retirement a year and a half ago, I was paid to perform and entertain; and supported myself and my kids doing just that. If you want to pay for my services, I'll be glad to entertain you.