This is the most thorough LST tutorial I have found on the forum, with images and all. It was originally posted by Mogie here at RIU whom I credit fully. I may have made a few grammatical changes to the content, but that was just me being a grammar cop. I used this method on my first grow (just harvested), and with great results. I crafted a barbed wire ring (what I had on hand) just larger than the circumference of the top of the pot, then forced it in to rest on top of the soil against the sides of the pot. This was the base I used for tie downs. For the tie downs, I used plastic coated electrical wire--a]gauge just thick enough to retain its shape when bent into hook shapes. I don't know what I did wrong, but the image corresponding to the instructions is at the bottom of this post. Hope this helps:
Before we begin lets get some knowledge on what you will be looking at:
Light Brown: Pot Outline
Green thick Lines: Main Stem
Small Thin Lines with Green Balls on top: Fan leaves
Yellow Lines: Side Branches
Red: Tie-down Metal Hooks (or thread whichever item you use, i use Hooks - it's easier)
The Text in the box: First digit is Step No. and Second Digit is Pot Size, below the numbers is the type of view youre looking at (either from the SIDE or from the TOP)
STEP 1: Grow your plant to 3- 5 leaf sets, (I use 3 because after the 3rd leaf set the main stem starts to harden and it will be harder to bend over your plant properly without breaking the main stem).
STEP 2: Using a metal hook (I cut small sections of cloths hanger and bend a U shape at the end as a hook) bend over your plant with metal hook at the last inter-node (space between the last set of fan leaves and the next to last) and stick the metal hook into your dirt to hold down the stem.
STEP 3: This is really not a step, just waiting time... Take note of how the top of the plant that was bent down will bend back upwards towards the light, this could take anywhere from 3 hours to 1 day.
STEP 4: Veg and dont tie down until you have a new leaf set. You will notice side branching has started already because good light is getting to the main stem areas where the fan leaves intersect.
STEP 5: Depending on your starting pot size, you may have to transplant. If you started out with a large pot, repeat step 2 over and over again holding the main stem down with hooks until you reach the end of the pot. In this illustration to save time and drawings, I started out with a small pot and it reached the end of the pot after the first tie-down. I repotted it into a 10 inch pot which will be my final pot size for this plant in order for me to continue the LST Bends around the inside edge of the pot.
STEP 6: Now that your new leaf set has formed, you have enough length in growth since the first bend to allow you to start bending the stem horizontally around the inside edge of the pot. Use metal hooks again to keep this bend in place. Side branches should be coming along very nicely. Sativa cannabis seeds strains grow faster and produce more stems, indica marijuana seeds varieties will grow half as much.
STEP 7: Continue repeating steps 4 and 6, allowing the plant to grow and continue tying it down along the inside edge of pot using metal hooks (or whatever youre using). Side branches should be forming and growing up towards the light.
STEP 8: Continue to repeat step 7 until you are all the way around the pot. When you reach full circle with tie downs, top/FIM the plant and hold it down horizontally with a metal hook. During all this time of repeating step 7, you should also be horizontally tying down the new branches that have formed from the main stem as much as possible until you use up as much space as possible inside the pot as well. The outer branches growing over the outside edge of the pot can be held down as well with string to keep those tops even with the inner branches.
STEP 9: After you have used up all possible space inside the pot (or your egg crate) its time to just let it flower. This is a side view of how it will and should look by that time with all the side branches growing upwards towards the light... these will all become colas unlike a non LST plant which will only have one cola.
During flowering--and even before--due to lack of light on the main stem, lower fan leaves (those almost brushing against the soil) will die off; hence, I usually cut these off the main stem right after the branch has grown out in that area. It keeps things neat down below where you will need good airflow during flowering. So go ahead and take off any fan leaves coming off the main stem that are growing around the inside edge of the pot. Set your timer to 12/12 and watch it bloom.
There is no Step 10 in the picture but we all know what that is: HARVEST!!!
Going to try that now.
