I need to know how to make a plant nice and short, strong and fat, and to have it grow buds from the bottom of the plant, all in explicit detail. I am short of space to do this project. I have a vague idea, but every site I go to seems to be just as vague as the next. PLEASE HELP!

god damn i'm in such a horrible mood to night and i don't know why.
uh, first you'll want to research a strain that has those traits you are looking for. second, you'll generally want to follow this post. Also, you'll want to follow or read up on a grow journal of someone who A) is in similar grow constraints B) is growing the same strain. Nirvana-shop is a good place to read up on different strains and their characteristics. Best of luck!

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Would caffeine be illegal if you could smoke it?

Hmmm, I shall do so,thanks!

I grow in a confined space measuring 2 feet in width by 3.5 feet in height and 1 foot in depth. This restriction in height causes most cannabis plants to overgrow the space within a few weeks.
As documented by many FAQs, implementing SCROG type propagation techniques from seed is far from ideal. They are fantastic methods to maximize yield in a small area from clone though.

As I am growing from seed, I will have to sex them at the lowest profile possible. This will still allow a screen to be fitted above the remaining females for complete control of the plant's profile.

Note: Click on images with borders to enlarge

A few household items:

A length of earthing wire
Side cutters or wire cutters
A number of self tapping screws
A Phillips screwdriver

The most difficult item to source is probably the earth wire. This is thick copper wire used for earthing certain electrical devices and can be bought cheaply at most electrical suppliers. This wire has a soft rubber coating on the outside protecting from the wire. Also the copper is malleable enough to be formed into whatever shape is required and doesn't lose this shape with growth.



Staking and training:
The stake can then be removed and repositioned to again train the main growth tip downwards. The lower branch growth accelerates and can also be trained using the stake method. This again reduces the overall profile of the plant.

Training continues into flowering until the males have been identified and removed to leave the females to be trained into a screen. The plants can then effectively be controlled using Scrog techniques to maximize light efficiency and yield.

Here is a dark purple stemmed LifeSaver from BOG.

This plant has been vegging for 19 days now and is approximately 9 inches in height, on its eighth node.










This pic shows where the crook is placed.

It is positioned above the first or second node with the other end of the wire laying against the top of the plant's pot.

Where it touches the pot, a self tapper is screwed in as high as possible. This is to reduce the likelihood of a leak when watering. The wire can then be cut to length and wrapped around the self tapper.






This pic shows the trunk tie in place.

It's wrapped off to the self tapper to a length where the tie is tight against the main stem to keep it vertical.








This pic shows the gentle bending of the main growth tip over in the opposite direction to the main trunk tie.

This must be done progressively to avoid snapping the main stem off. A small break in the stem isn't a problem as the plant will recover.

If it does break off completely, leave the plant! It takes a week to get over this shock but they then react as any topped plant would.




This pic shows the second length of wire, again with a crook in one end.

This time it is used as a stake to pull and hold the main growth tip in place. The crook is placed under the fan leaf stems of the upper most node, with the other end of the stake being pushed into the soil about an inch or two.

There must be sufficient distance between the top of the growth tip and the stake crook. This is to stop the main growth tip from popping out from the crook of the stake. The distance the stake is pushed into the soil determines how low the growth tip is trained.

It must be trained to below the next node or further for maximum increase in lower branch growth and reduction in profile.


This pic shows the trained main growth tip with the trunk tie and stake to hold it in place.

This effectively reduces the vegging plant from an eight to a four inch profile.







All three LifeSavers after their tying and staking session...













The final pic shows the plants after 12 hours of HPS light.
They have all shifted the top half of their profile towards the light and exposed all the lower growth shoots. This gives them maximum exposure to the light and therefore potential for growth.

that's amazing!

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Would caffeine be illegal if you could smoke it?

yea ive got the same kinda thing goin, i got a tub from home depot about 1 1/2' tall and 2 ft wide, i got early misty because im a noob and its easy to grow(its mostly indica so its short, and it has an early harvest and its pest and mold resistant) and im gonna transfer the plants after vegin to a secure location outside. i ordered the seeds at Cannabis seeds straight from the breeder/seedbank NIRVANA - High Quality Hemp Seed - Indica Sativa Feminized Marijuana seeds. about a week ago, so im still waiting. that help?

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To the farmer, He is Lord of the Harvest.
- J.C.

Thanx for the post Mogie. I hadn't seen that before. Earthwire available at the big box store or only from electrical supply store?? That self tapping screw is the best hint. I had read descriptions before and they all say..then tie it down and I say TIE IT TO WHAT?? You cant tie it to the table or you can't move the plant. I had some tied to the walls. of course then I had to work much harder to change my reseviors. My first grow I had block of 4x6 on the bottom of a rope and moved it farther from the bucket to bend it over. Gee if I would have just put some screws in the side of the bucket...well anyway thanx. Your post of the Oregon Norml activities was enlightning as well.

some heavy gauge copper wire is ok, too. AWG 10 or 12 is plently stiff.
Mogie rocks. I'm into week 5 of 12/12 with a tied over sativa, and the nugs are small, but there are a lot!

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The plants teach us.

Sweet post mogie