A Beginner’s Guide to Low-Stress Training

What is Low Stress Training?

Low Stress Training (LST) is a technique for controlling cannabis plant growth. This technique lets you have more control over their height and shape. Low Stress Training is not required to grow, but it can help increase yields by using available space and light.

LST training is easy to carry out and a fun experience for novice and experienced growers. 

What are the origins of LST?

Throughout the years, farmers have come up with methods to get more yields and control the height of their plants. These methods include SCROG, Sea of Green, topping, and pruning, as well as high-stress training. The ancient botanical practice of “espalier” inspired LST techniques. Espalier is the practice of pruning or cultivating plants to aid their growth along a vine or other two-dimensional structure. The earliest known LST practitioners were the ancient Egyptians, who trained fig trees to grow along a wall.

Why Low Stress Train cannabis?

Low-stress training is used to create a canopy that is reasonably flat and even. Instead of simply the top major bud, multiple bud sites are exposed to direct light. As a result, trained cannabis plants typically produce more and bigger buds than untrained plants in the same environment or setup.

Low-Stress Training (LST) cannabis can help you acquire the maximum yield possible in your growing career.

What do you need for LST?

LST’s purpose is to control your cannabis plant as much as possible without stressing it out. Because the thin iron wire can easily cut through a plant, you can use anything that is not too “sharp.” As a result, most individuals utilize a specific iron wire with a thick rubber covering wrapped around it. This is what you need for LST training;

• A seedling of a young cannabis plant (or two, or three!)
• Plastic clips or twisty ties
• Razor-sharp scissors
• Duct tape is convenient for tying ties and canes and fixing accidentally snapped branches.
• There are several options for providing bend support. You could use bamboo canes or small holes drilled around the rims of the pots.

How to prepare containers for Low Stress Training

First, you need to use a small hand drill to make several holes in the container. Then, ensure that the loops are tied through the openings and around the branches. Use the tiny wooden or bamboo pegs roughly 30cm to excellently hold everything in place for even more support. Finally, use duct tapes to repair any breaks as accidents can sometimes happen while bending the branches.   

How to LST

Low-stress training is straightforward to do. Suppose you use the right resources. Fortunately, LST is not difficult and only requires you to be consistent.

You must constantly modify the location of branches so that they grow in the correct direction and reach the same height.

Disrupt the apical dominance of the plant

You are recommended to start by breaking the apical dominance. First, you bend the main stem downwards to the container’s rim. Next, use a small hand drill to make holes, then tie the stem firmly. This way, you will have flattened the canopy to allow more light to reach the buds, increasing the output.

Shape the plants

When it comes to straightening your cannabis plants, you should bend the shoot upwards and away from the stem. This will help you achieve the desired shape. This technique is ideal for experienced cultivators as it requires skills to do it perfectly. 

Maintain the plants

Just like any other plant, accidents can happen to cannabis plants sometimes. No need to worry! You should make sure to use some duct tapes to repair any breaks. Also, as the plants develop, they need consistent upkeep. You will need to re-adjust your bends now and again to keep the canopy level.  

When to start Low Stress Training

LST can be used on indoor and outdoor plants to save space and increase bud production. It can assist outdoor growers in keeping a low crop profile. It would be best if you did LST throughout the vegetative stage of the plant, and you can start as soon as the plant has a few sets of leaves. Whether you apply LST or not, the plant will grow, so you are simply providing it a course to follow. Although the plant will slow growth, the goal is to improve light dispersion and bud development, which is well worth the effort.

How to LST autoflowers

Your autoflower’s overall development and shape will be influenced by how you train it—when done correctly, promoting the best light absorption for the space available will help you increase your yield production. LST was initially intended to manage height rather than increase yields, but it’s now clear that it’s a terrific method to push your autoflowers to their limits. Choose an autoflower strain that responds well to minimal training for the best results.

What are the best strains to Low Stress Train?

Super Silver Haze

Super Silver Haze is a lovely, sticky strain with an intense created by crossing Skunk, Northern Lights, and Haze. Shining Silver Haze can produce 600–650 grams per square meter when cultivated indoors. Because of her modest height, she’s a simple strain to control with LST. Plants grown outdoors can yield up to 650g per plant, making them an excellent choice for getting the most bud out of the available space. Shining Silver Haze takes 9–11 weeks to flower, and outdoor plants are ready to harvest in late October.

Amnesia Haze

Amnesia Haze is the ultimate Sativa strain to begin your day with earthy notes of lemons and citrus. Its genetics have been linked to landrace strains from South Asia and Jamaica. Both indoors and outdoors, Amnesia Haze generates good harvests. She is notorious for growing tall, although LST helps tame her by encouraging more lateral and bushy growth. Indoor plants provide 600–650g/m2; however, outdoor plants can produce huge harvests of up to 700g per plant. Amnesia Haze takes 10–11 weeks to blossom, and outdoor plants are ready to harvest in late October.

Chocolope 

This strain was created by crossing Chocolate Thai and Cannalope Haze. Chocolope is a Sativa-dominant hybrid strain that combines freshly sweet chocolate and moderately pungent aromatic coffee.This Sativa strain can be cultivated both indoors and outdoors. This strain is a strong contender for the LST method. Chocolope amazes with its productive output — on average, 21 ounces per square meter indoors, and an incredible 35 ounces per plant when cultivated outside – despite flowering for only 9-10 weeks.