The Main-Lining Thread

[nugbuckets]

I am getting a lot of requests to put a formal "main-lining" thread together to make it easier for ya'll to access, and reference....so here goes......


"Main-Lining"

definition. a form of training and managing canopy for cannabis.....to build a "hub" off of a single node creating a "manifold" for equal energy distribution from the root mass to the growing tops.


....it really is that simple....i am sure it has been done before, and a lot of folks do it, and probably even has a name, but I just call it "main-lining".....my theory being, on a plant from seed, if all branches came off of the same node on the trunk, they should all get the same amount of hormones and nutrients ...or energy, from the root mass.....like building a "hub"........make sense? I am all about an even canopy, of very similar sized stems, and colas.....like green lady soldiers lined up ready to kick ass and take names......no weak ones, no runts, no spindly ones.....just all solid and consistant......

.......so if they all come off the main stem, like spokes on a wheel, they should all be pretty much the same.....right?

....i started growing in a closet.....it was a 32" by 32" by 48" (tall)......and i was determined not to out grow my space.....i would grow 4 plants in 3 gal. nursery pots under a single 400 watt HPS......i learned very quickly that if i wanted to end up with something smokable, i had to learn bonzai techniques in a hurry to manage my heights......so i started in with LST (low stress training), and managed a very, very modest harvest my first few attempts.......as each run progressed, i would find myself getting really anal about properly managing my 32" x32" canopy where i would jam up to 48 colas in my tiny space, and strive to make the canopy as flat as possible......


…...... i began to reap some pretty respectable harvests.......of course i would be topping the main, and spreading out the footprint of each plant, but my finished colas were not very consistant overall as far as size and weight were concerned.....and i would still end up with a fair amount of "larfy" popcorn bud from the understory, which was undesirable for me because i, and my newly found patients, were primarily flower smokers........so i dug deeper........and soon found myself in a slighty larger grow space, in a completely legal situation, allowing me to openly work on my developing theories.........



........my next grow i topped the main, and left two nodes off the main trunk, built my bonzai type structure, managed my canopy really well, but still noticed a huge difference in the energy output of the colas originating from the upper and lower node, even though they were separated by a mere inch on the trunk.....they were similar, but still varied quite a bit.......i did however end up with a decent canopy, and harvest.....i was getting closer......

.....then it hit me, that single inch on the trunk separating the two nodes was the key.....so my next grow, i decided to build the entire structure off of a single node....
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[nugbuckets]

....Main-Lining was born.....
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[nugbuckets]

....with this beautiful Ace of Spades, i built a foundation to support 8 long equal colas, none discriminated by the root mass........at first, a node is left below the "hub" to produce two perfect clones....after they are removed, the two mains are pruned for four and bonded to the trunk.....


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[nugbuckets]

.....after she responds to her initial bondage, and prune, she is pruned a third time for eight, and bonded again......to the pot this time.........she is tortured soooooo good.
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[nugbuckets]

....this pic shows what i mean by "manifold" really well.......my little V-8!
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[nugbuckets]

....after she responds again, she is re-potted to her flower pot, a canopy ring is added, and she is allowed to veg for two weeks.......sometimes, one or two mains will get a bit taller then the others, so some simple super-cropping can come in handy at this point.....usually the center mains.....

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[nugbuckets]

......when she is about 3-6 inches above the ring, or about 16 inches from the soil line, she enters flower......(16 headed main-lined ace included in pic)....yes you can go 16, or even 32 if you so desire!....perhaps even 64...if it strikes your fancy.....
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[nugbuckets]

...after two weeks of flower, and 50-75% of the stretch is complete, the understory can be pruned (or not), and her giant, "re-bar-like" stems can be soft-tied to the ring.....on an 8 head, i usually leave two in the center of the ring, and 6 around the perimeter.....i also have run all eight around the outside, and enjoy that also....esp. in the summer, when i can benifit from a completely open center to combat the high humidity, and suseptability to mold...
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[nugbuckets]

.....after three or four weeks of flower, it becomes very apparent that this method can produce some incredible colas!


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[nugbuckets]

.....the simple canopy ring, (made from a heavy duty tomato or peony cage) and soft ties, allows the grower to instantly modify the footprint of the plant simply by sliding the stem along the perimeter of the ring.....hells yeah!.....this can come in very handy, when "puzzle piecing" plants into a defined space!
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