August 15, 2020
No matter the size of your garden/indoor grow tent, small or big, outdoor or indoor, training your medicinal plants is a sure ritual that will greatly increase the quality and yield of your medicinal plants. The training is meant to change the chemical balances in the plants to produce better results. A medicinal plant's maturation is dictated by a plant hormone called auxin. Auxin is concentrated at the top of the plant, which causes the plant to focus its growth upwards through the main stem. Training methods are used to reduce the concentrated upward development and encourage the growth of level cover.
What is the most suitable way to train medicinal plants for enhanced performance? Well, there is no singular preferred training technique. But there are two major methods to train medicinal plants, namely Low-stress training (LST) and High-stress training (HST).
Low stress training (or LST) is an artistic growing technique comparable to bonsai. The stems and branches are gently manipulated and tied into place, creating a level canopy and dramatically changing the shape of the medicinal plants without causing it any stress. By doing so, multiple bud sites can develop due to their exposure to more light and, thus, the opportunity to develop more auxin. As a result, bud sites on lower branches will develop in size and quantity. LST is also useful for plants that are getting too tall for your setup, or need to be reduced in height to maintain discretion. Low stress training is ideal for small spaces and thrifty growers, also appealing to those who work with auto-flowering strains, as this method places essentially no stress on the medicinal plants.
High stress training (otherwise referred to as HST) is a process that involves breaking or removing parts of the medicinal plants in order to optimize the growth of the crop. When done correctly, the yield of your crop can be exponentially increased. This type of training is most common in large outdoor grow operations, and should only be applied to plants that are in the vegetative stage. Once a medicinal plants is flowering, any exposure to extreme stress may be too much to withstand and the plant is less likely to heal itself. The same goes for plants that are weak and sick; HST should be performed only on healthy medicinal plants.
Combining LST & HST For Bigger Yields
Every grower wants a bountiful harvest, and one of the surest ways to achieve this is using the combination of the Low-Stress Training (LST) and High-Stress Training (HST) on the medicinal plants. If using just one of these techniques can guarantee a maximum result, then why won't you try using both methods. You can apply the process of the HST for all your outdoor plants and immerse your indoor plants with the LST technique. What it will do is assure you a bumper harvest at the end. It is important to note that If you are planning to apply these methods to your plants, vegetative growth will be increased for about a month. And it is advisable to skip training methods during the flowering stage.
A combination of both High and Low Stress training can be done to increase yields with photoperiodic plants. We recommend beginners to start training autoflowers with LST techniques, as you get the hang of it you can evolve to experimenting with HST on autos.
Try not to overdo it, you can always train more but you can’t take after the damage’s been done. Remember the goal is to have a better harvest than the last one while improving your growing skills and keeping your plants happy and healthy.