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1. What Cannabis Trellising is and How to do it

It is the goal of any cannabis farmer to get the most out of their crop. They make every effort to ensure that the plant has the best possible genetics and thrives. To increase yields, they use a variety of training methods.

When it comes to cannabis training, is it better to employ various methods or stick to one that works best for you? That question will depend on your personal experience and knowledge base. Play around with different ways to get a sense of what to anticipate.

Trellises are one of the most popular solutions for even tomato growers. Like ScrOG, cannabis farmers utilize horizontal trellising, the same technique. In addition, you can experiment with vertical trellising, much like growing tomatoes.

Cannabis trellising: what’s it all about? A great approach to raise yields, then? The information you’ll discover about cannabis trellising is all right here. No matter where you grow your plants, you’ll be able to construct a sturdy trellis at the end of the day.

What is Cannabis Trellising?

Trellising, a method of raising plants, dates back to Roman times. This approach was vital to growing plants vertically during the time. However, it has now evolved into a style of architecture and art.

Trellising has grown into a sophisticated method throughout the years. Structures are used to support and arrange the plant’s canopy. You wrap a square net over a frame created around the plant to create a trellising system.

The net serves as a guide for the branches, ensuring that they develop uniformly and get enough exposure to both air and light. Trellising may be used to produce cannabis vertically or horizontally. The branches are supported vertically in vertical trellising by mesh frames around the plant. It is the most popular method for growing plants outside.

On the other hand, a horizontal trellis allows you to develop a screen of the canopy on top — where all the branches have equal exposure to light and air in an interior setting. Better and larger buds result from this more significant exposure to the sun. Alternatively, it is known as ScrOG.

How Can Trellising Cannabis Help?

Cannabis proliferates. It forms an inverted cone with all of its branches pointing toward the sun as it matures. Smaller buds might result from a lack of light, air, and space in the canopy due to this bundling of branches.

Consider a holiday tree. In contrast to the upper branches, which get all the light, the lower ones don’t. Like cannabis plants, they all have the same structure, but you can train them to develop in various ways.

There are several ways to keep your vines from clumping together, but trellising is one of the most effective. In essence, it instructs the plant on where to develop.

Trellising allows your cannabis plant to have more room, light, and ventilation, producing larger buds and avoiding rot or mold on those buds. You can support larger buds and branches, which helps prevent them from snapping.

Training Methods to Complement Cannabis Trellising

Even though trellising is a great way to boost yields, other methods may augment it. You can use trellising in conjunction with the following techniques:

Topping/FIMming

Cannabis trellising may benefit significantly from both Topping and FIMming. Both approaches are, in essence, identical, but for a few minor distinctions. Topping cannabis, for example, entails snipping off the plant’s tops using a pair of scissors. Pinching off the tips with your hands is required for FIMming. In contrast to Topping, FIMming lets you remove just 70 to 75 percent of the tip, which is significant. So, FIMming is less stressful for the plants, but the outcomes from both methods are almost identical.

To boost the plant’s quantity of colas, you use Top or Fim. Tobacco plants often produce one large, towering cola or bud that dominates the others. However, when you top or FIM the tips, the colas split into numerous.

LST

One of the most effective methods for increasing crop yields is Low-Stress Training. Plants are grown in containers with their branches splayed outward to diffuse light more evenly. Zip ties or soft wires may be necessary for this operation, but make sure they don’t damage the plant.

As with Topping, it is possible to begin Low Stress Training while the plants are still young. When bending the stems, take care not to snap them. Don’t injure the young plants by using complex garden ties if you want to increase your harvest.

LST increases yields and reduces the amount of light you need. Plants that do not endure LST, for example, develop many popcorn buds. When it comes to popcorn, bottom buds are what you are looking for. They have a difficult time surviving because of the lack of light. With LST, you may provide all your plants with equal exposure to sunlight.

Lolllipopping

In addition to cannabis trellising, lolllipopping is a valuable method. It is a kind of High-Stress Training (HST) that includes eliminating the plant’s lower sections so that it may spend all of its energy on the buds at the top of the plant, where the buds are situated.

When it comes to lollipopping, timing is the key to success. You should lollipop your plants before transitioning from the vegetative to blooming stage to maximize your yield. Some producers use this method when the plants are around two to three weeks into the blooming period. You may also use this strategy when the plant begins to produce buds.

Defoliation

Many people mistake Defoliation with Lollipopping, although they are not the same. Unlike Lolllipopping, defoliating removes the leaves from the bottom of the plant.

Defoliation removes the leaves from a plant to encourage it to produce more flowers and fruit. When cannabis plants in the wild are under stress, they tend to become more robust. A deer, for example, may be especially intrigued by the plant and opt to consume a couple of its leaves. Although it may lose a few branches, the plant will merely grow even more robust in its place. You’re simply causing the plant to grow larger and better by removing its leaves.

Please note that different plants should not be subjected to the same treatment. Some examples include Topping and foliar defoliation during the vegetative stage, but you don’t need to Lollipop and FIM your plants.

In addition, remember that horizontal cannabis trellising is just ScrOG, so you’re already using one of the most effective methods of cultivating cannabis.

How to Trellis Cannabis

Trellising cannabis plants, whether inside or outdoors, is a simple process.

Indoor Cannabis Trellising

In the gardening community, huge outdoor plants with enormous branches are often connected with trellising. When it comes to the cannabis industry, trellising is employed on plants grown outdoors and indoors. The style and scale differentiate between the outdoors and the inside approaches.

When growing in an indoor greenhouse, you need horizontal trellis support rather than vertical. Consequently, the trellis is usually flat, supports the branches, and prepares an even canopy to guarantee that each part receives adequate light and airflow to form large buds.

Trellising is only necessary for quickly developing strains, regardless of the climate. Topping or Super Cropping will only work on a cannabis plant with solid growth, thick branches, and a positive response to Topping.

Gelato, Bruce Banner, Amnesia Haze, Purple Punch, OG Kush, and Blueberry are excellent candidates for trellising.

Outdoor Cannabis Trellising

Vertical trellising is perfect for outdoor plants because they tend to develop massively in size. It’s a lot like cultivating a grapevine. There is an illusion of lush foliage since the plant is held in place by the frame.

Outdoor cannabis trellising
Setting up outdoor cannabis trellising is extremely effective.

Many producers question whether or not trellising cannabis outdoors is required. Since the plants are being grown in rich soil, why would they need more support?

It’s always advisable to keep a close eye on the plants, even if the circumstances are ideal for developing outside. While you can control many aspects of the plant’s growth inside, much is out of your hands to grow it outdoors.

Tips for Outdoor Cannabis Trellising

By altering the amount of light a cannabis plant gets, you may trick it into thinking the seasons are changing. You may, however, do this with indoor plants, but not outside. To produce large plants, they must endure an extended growing season. An outdoor garden can grow for 6-9 months, whereas an inside garden can only develop for 2-3 months in the same period! Because of this, outdoor plants need more attention than those grown inside, which is why they are more challenging to maintain.

You may begin by growing cannabis outdoors in pots, which will give you some degree of control. You can avoid soil pollutants and prepare a rich growth medium for the plants. Not that natural soil is sterile, but you’ll have more control over your crops if you grow them in containers.

The use of a trellis may also help you regulate the growth of your plants. Why? Due to the large size of outdoor cannabis plants, they are easily blown over by high winds. If storms are common in your area, you must take additional precautions and provide the plant with all it needs. Imagine putting in all that time and work to cultivate a large plant to have it tumble over. You lose massive yields as a result. To keep the buds from falling, cannabis plants require additional support.

Whether indoors or outdoors, trellising your cannabis plant is a worthwhile endeavor. This is an excellent option if you don’t have much time or money to spare. However, the work you put in will pay off well. You can get four times as much cannabis out of the same plant if you do it properly.

Picture of Ed Rushford

Ed Rushford

Ed Rushford’s impact on cannabis growing is undeniable. Though he tends to focus primarily on 2 areas, plant training techniques and dealing with disease, pests, and other problems, he has offered many insights into how cannabis plants live and grow. That’s not to say that Ed is unfamiliar with the complete life cycle of cannabis, from seed to harvest, but he uses his widespread knowledge to hone in on the minutia and niche areas of growing cannabis. Ed’s goal is to spread knowledge and allow for everyone to become better growers. 𝕏

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