Hey guys, I’m new to growing having a great time. I was wondering if I could ask for some advice when it comes to training. I’ve topped my plants but I’m not too sure what to do next. I’ve tried watching videos but it’s difficult for me to understand. Any help would be appreciated thank you.
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If there is one technique I wish I learned earlier it’s the “bent coat hanger” technique
Instead of topping your plant, around day 14 or so above ground you want to take a coat hanger or similar “firm but bendable” bit of metal and curve a little hook in one end.
With this you will bend over the top allowing the laterals to raise up and at that point you just keep re bending the top down and over as it grows to bush it out.
Much less stress on the plants and FAR superior results!
@420autoflower pioneered the technique as far as I know. He is not currently active on this site, but if you go to his Instagram, any of his posts on the old forum site, or any of his posts on Reddit.
There is a virtual treasure trove of information to be had.
Pictures for example
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Welcome @Bluntforceone !
Tie em down…don’t worry about how much you are bending it ..try to keep the top flat.
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Hey there @Bluntforceone ! Welcome to the forum.
I’ll try and dig up some easy pics for ya. Might make it a bit clearer. Gimme eh 12 hours or so!
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Tuck those 2 big top leaves down to let light reach the branches below.
Whats your humidity? Humidifier looks to be quite high.
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Hi there, the humidity at the moment is at 60%
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I agree with @Simply_nuggets , tying the top down around the second to third week will give you much better results than topping, especially with autoflowers, also if you want to train an even canopy without the use of a net, than you can train the branches by using the same bent hangar method or garden staples, which are essentially the same thing. You will want to stop trading it low and wide when flower kicks in so all those buds can grow into colas! Also don’t be afraid to remove any leaves when they are blocking budsites or overlapping each other. Good luck and keep posting the progress!
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I will take a note that I really appreciate your advice from everyone with the plants I’ve already topped is it still advisable to bend them or just let them go straight?
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You can still train the branches out, you’ll have to wait and see how the top came out if you still want to bend it over.
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Welcome @Bluntforceone
Best hobby ever!
Make sure to drop by the live stoners chat.
I agree with the others. Bending or supercropping get better results. But since you already topped, wait for the branches to get a bit longer and tie some down so that no branch is taller than the others. Try to keep them as even as you can.
Last grow I compared topping with supercropping the same strain and the supercropped plants were taller and bigger. (These were from seed so phenos might be at play)
Bending is going to be more beginner friendly.
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Hey @Bluntforceone - These might be helpful. I usually top mine and then pull the main branches out with some wires or ribbons.
The small ones that pop up, once they are long enough you can pull them out as well. I will sometimes bend these down along the stem of the fan leaf
Once it is long enough a little clip here where the red is.
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@Bluntforceone Welcome to AFN 
Your done training…
I have tried many many styles of growing and training. If you are willing to put in the time and effort @420autoflower has an intensive training program for Autoflowers grown in rock wool that will produce 2+ pound plants. He constantly opens the center and lays out all branches flat. It yields massive plants with big yields. It requires a lot of space and a lot of work.
In my many different styles of growing The yield for my space is nearly constant among all of them. The limiting factor has always come down to cubic feet of grow space and light. My space is 4’x6’x8’. I grow 6 plants at a time. I have grown lazy over the years and I like to have a variety of strains to dab. I grow hydroponically because I have a bad back and cannot lift a pot of soil, pumps do all of my heavy lifting. I top my autos above the fourth unless a plant is really fast I will top above the 5th node. That is the end of my training. In late flower I will remove lower leaves that restrict airflow from underneath. I average 5 or 6 oz. per plant x 6 plants = ~35oz per grow
These are autos topped only:
These are photos with manifold training:
With time calculated in the grows the yields per square meter were very similar.
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This I need to learn
My opinion is to leave them alone now and enjoy watching them do their thing. Pretend you don’t own a pair of scissors for a while and let them veg.
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Did you top them because height is an issue?
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When I started I wanted to do too much for my plants, to their (and my) detriment. I had to take a step back and get out of my own way.
I think it was a good idea for me to watch a plant grow up naturaly without training, to patiently observe what it wants to do. After that things like training began to make more sense.
There’s no end to learning and problem solving with cannabis cultivation. Your results will surely improve grow after grow.
Stick with this community, we help each other along.
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