Epic Fail LST... Main Stem Split

Main stem has split in half on my LST'd Big Bud during flower, I have several questions on what the hell I should do next!

The split itself is vertical and about an inch and a half long in the centre stem right where I topped it.

Ive wrapped twine tight enough around the middle to try and hold it for the mean time, its holding together about 80% of the part that has split, will it heal itself on its own like that or are there any other methods anyone could recommend?

Is the plant just going to shed of the cola's as dead branches or do they recover from something as tragic as this?

Also as its 2 weeks into flowering, is that going to make it a longer wait due to stress etc?

It WAS a very healthy plant, I cant get any pics at the moment, but will try later on...

If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated =]

dont worry too much about it you want to prop up the bud as the weight will make tear bigger but if your plants healthy enough then it should recover ok

Thanks for speedy reply +rep...

Ive seen other posts saying I should tape it too, but that was with a horrizontal snap, should I do the same with this one or leave the twine?

Tie that bitch up......bound and gagged.....the way it should be.

She should be fine.

These pics were about a week after the same thing happened,you can still see a small hole.

Masking tape (painters tape), electrical tape, gaffa tape even bog standard sticky tape - tape that bitch up and she will be fine.

+rep to all... Just got back from work and the plant is still looking perky to my supprise, guess it couldnt have been too traumatic... Taped it up and now I shall play the waiting game, does anyone know how stressful this is to a plant? Like will I have to flower longer now? cheers guys!

Ive split stocks a few times...just tie it up with some box string...make sure you untied the LST tho

unless the grow tip dies there will be almost no difference in flower time as long as the wound has healed up already. i once completely snapped a main stem in half, taped it up, and noticed no ill effects. and mission accomplished with the lst. by the time it healed it was permanantly "lowered".

I've messed them up LSTing myself. They tend to survive just fine. Support it some how with wood sticks & electrical tape. She'll be fine though.

Schtev said:

+rep to all... Just got back from work and the plant is still looking perky to my supprise, guess it couldnt have been too traumatic... Taped it up and now I shall play the waiting game, does anyone know how stressful this is to a plant? Like will I have to flower longer now? cheers guys!

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Not 100% sure about flowering time being affected,and if it would i doubt it would be much,few days maybe.Who knows.....she might ripen a few days early for ya.Some times stress like this can have a "good" impact..........keyword.....sometimes.

Resin production is one i've heard of.
I have seen a limb on more than one occasion that had broken and after it was fixed and healed those branches were to the eye fatter than the rest of the plants branches,buds were swollen much more.

Right now your plant is sending out all kinds of stuff to itself to start the healing process.Not exactly sure on what....hormones etc etc.Maybe someone else will chime in with more knowledge on what exactly the plant sends out in a case like this.....or there's always google.

I just done the same thing on a week 4 flowering plant. Split it 2 inches down the seam. Used 3 zip ties and now we wait and see. After I split the stem my plant started putting out excessively strong turpenes.

Tape is better than just a tie, because you want the wound to be pressed together so no air gets in and causes it to dry up. If that happens, it won't heal normally.

Also, you should probably try to get all your lst done before the plant is in full owner mode.

EverythingsHazy said:

Tape is better than just a tie, because you want the wound to be pressed together so no air gets in and causes it to dry up. If that happens, it won't heal normally.

Also, you should probably try to get all your lst done before the plant is in full owner mode.

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Your exactly right. I put a gauze pad around it while keeping the zip ties on. Then put some tape over it. I'm surprised that the plant hadn't had any reaction to it besides the very strong smell it's producing now (within 3 hours). Pretty amazing.

Hoping for the best

Ford Racing said:

Your exactly right. I put a gauze pad around it while keeping the zip ties on. Then put some tape over it. I'm surprised that the plant hadn't had any reaction to it besides the very strong smell it's producing now (within 3 hours). Pretty amazing.

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Those zip ties look pretty good. Should help keep it all snug. ESP if under tape.

The reason I suggest trying to finish up lst before the first week of flower or so, is because new growth is very flexible and can be bent pretty far before breaking. Once it starts flowering, the stems tend to thicken, and harden up to support the weight of the buds. Bending a hard stem is much more risky. Also, you don't get as much benefit from new lst during flower, because the main goal is to have new tops grow from the horizontal nodes, and in flower, new branches don't keep forming.

EverythingsHazy said:

Those zip ties look pretty good. Should help keep it all snug. ESP if under tape.

The reason I suggest trying to finish up lst before the first week of flower or so, is because new growth is very flexible and can be bent pretty far before breaking. Once it starts flowering, the stems tend to thicken, and harden up to support the weight of the buds. Bending a hard stem is much more risky. Also, you don't get as much benefit from new lst during flower, because the main goal is to have new tops grow from the horizontal nodes, and in flower, new branches don't keep forming.

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Excellent advise. Thank you. I did realize the stems were super hard and non pliable mainly toward the top. Trial and error.

i just use zip ties, i bought a bag of IDK.... 1000 at harbor frieght years ago for like $5, i don't use gauze or tape..just cinch it up with those, I'll use toothpicks or popsicle sticks as a support if it's bad.. I've notice every branch I've ever broke produces larger colas than the rest.

Hey WF,

Someone told me zipties can constrict the plant or do more damage then good but I'm assuming you don't have that issue? Do you zip them all the way down or leave a little slack?

Zip em tight and use several over the entire area. 4-5. After a few days remove all but the top 2. After a few more days remove one and leave one for added support throughout the rest of flowering

taGyo said:

Hey WF,

Someone told me zipties can constrict the plant or do more damage then good but I'm assuming you don't have that issue? Do you zip them all the way down or leave a little slack?

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Zipties can constrict the plant if left on tightly for too long while it is still growing, but once you start to get fully into flowering mode, the stems don't get that much thicker. During veg, you'll have to be a lot more attentive to any ties and wires you may have wrapped around the stems tho.