This is not for everyone, there are other methods such as Sea of Green which require less time and produce good results. I actually enjoy spending time working on the plants and enjoy the challenge of shaping the plants. It does not mater how many plants are in a tent, my goal is to have a layer about 14 inches deep filled with as many top quality flowers as possible. The key to shaping a plant is knowing that the farther the lower stems are from the highest growing shoot the slower they will grow. The cannabis plant will always send the most resources to the highest growing stem. Using wires I can raise and lower stems to promote or slow their growth as needed, getting the shape I want.
Wire, wire cutters and small alligator clips to attach to screws on the corners of the plant holders are all the equipment I need. I use bell wire, a 20 gauge wire which is easy to bend yet stiff enough to hold the stems without damaging them. I use the wire to help shape the plants as they grow, keeping them within a 2 1/2 ft. x 2 1/2 ft. area inside the tents.
I use a lot of wires in a variety of sizes. Keeping these organized is important. They can easily turn into a tangled mass making it difficult to find the correct size when shaping the plants. I wrap same sized groups using a short wire. This can be twisted to tighten or loosen the bundle as you use the wires.
I have cut wires to many different lengths allowing me to choose the one closest to the sized I need. I bend the ends of the wire before attaching it to the stem by gently squeezing the loop. It is usually best to attach the first end to a thicker stem then bend the more flexible tip under other hook. When connecting two wires just bend the end enough to keep it connected, it will be easier to remove later.
Basic Techniques
The tips of each stem are flexible and can be easily bent. I first make a small hook in the end a wire which will be lightly closed around the 2nd or 3rd internode from the top of the stem. I will need to remove the wire after a couple of days to prevent the stem from breaking.
These plants are vigorous growers and can break if the wire is left on the tip too long. As the whole stem is growing upward this acts like a bow being bent and must be removed every day or so. After a stem breaks I wrap a wire around it for support, making sure the two halves are in contact, allowing the stem to heal. As long as there is some connective tissue left the stem will rapidly heal.
Controlling Growth
The tallest stem will receive the most resources/nutrients. I try to keep all of the stems the same height with a center / main stem just a little higher than the side shoots. It is best to start shaping early because it will be easier to keep them the same height and size as the plant grows.
When a thick stem is too high I will first bend the flexible tip and hold with one wire. In the next day or two I will use a second wire to lower the tip. I check to make sure the first wire is not cutting into the stem and leave it to alleviate pressure on the end of the stem. Leaving a slight kink in the wire will act as a spring, stretching as the plant grows.
Clones
I use small mother plants with 2 side shoots growing from the initial clone that has been topped. Two stems lets me choose the one with the most flexible tip. When these are about 5 – 7 inches long I cut one to start a new plant. My best results are from stems that are still flexible and have at least 3 sets of fan leaves.
I try to keep at least two clones of each strain that are about a month apart. This way when I need plants for the vegetation stage one set will be close to the right size.
It takes from 4 to 6 weeks for the clones to be ready for the vegetation stage. At the base of the plant I want 4 sturdy stems. Once the clone has four or six stems starting to form below the tip I remove the tip. This is called topping. By removing this top stem it makes it easier to keep the lower stems growing the same height. The highest stem gets the most resources and will grow too fast for the others to keep up.
Vegetation Stage
Under the intense light in the tents the plants will grow rapidly, forming sturdy stems and a large root mass. I currently grow three plants in each veg area. They will have 4 stems that I try to keep as low as possible creating short, compact plants.
I will keep the lights around 30 to 40 percent power, about 15 inches above the plants for the first two to three weeks. It will vary somewhat with each strain but you want to keep the stems flexible and make it easier to train the plant.
It is important to always leave a back stem below the wire when training these plants. These stems can break easily and it is good idea to have a backup.
When one of the stems is not growing as fast enough a wire is attached at the 3rd – 5th internode from the top. Then attach the other end higher up on a taller stem. This will draw the tip up closer to the light and speed its growth.
I use bricks to keep the slower growing strains the same distance from the light.
After the 3 weeks the shape of the plants should the 4 square equidistant stems, mostly the same height, within an 1 1/2 inches between the highest and lowest stems. I will then begin raising the light level to 100% by the 5th week. One week before starting the flowering stage I let new stems form. These will turn into the many colas that make the effort worth while.
By the fifth week I will have trained one of the plants with all 4 stems in a straight line. Two of the pots on one side will be square shaped and should stick out a few inches from the edge of the light. The third pot on the other side will complete a 3×3 square grid under the lights.
Flowering Stage
I want to evenly distribute the stems into a shape that fits under the lights. I need space for the colas to grow and maintain good air flow around the plant. It is best to check and adjust wires on the stems daily as they are rapidly growing and can easily get out of hand. Stems will grow thicker the closer and more intense the light. I adjust the height and intensity to get stems that are flexible and easy to shape.
Most plants break down into two general types:
Slow growing plants with thick stems. You need to keep the 4 stem tips as close to the same height as possible. These stems are not very flexible and you cannot bend them them to maintain the same height.
The best strains grow nice, sturdy stems with a 3 to 4 inch flexible tip. Once these have 4 stems about a foot high I will lower the light and rapidly raise it to 2000 watts (rated).
On the first day in the flower stage each of the 4 main stems will have several side stems each. For the next 2 – 3 weeks you will be using wires to keep these lower stems below the main stem. Each day some of these shoots will rise above their main tip and must be lowered.
One week:
The wires will need to added and removed daily. Once a tip is lowered below the main stems tip for a day or two it will thicken a bit and grow slowly.
Two weeks:
On some plants the first flowers will start showing up. The main task now is to spread out the stems to keep plenty of light on the lower stems and room for them to expand as the colas fill out.
Three weeks:
Trimming the fan leaves and using wires to pull down the tallest stems to about the same level is a daily task. It is better to steadily remove the small fan leaves daily to prevent stressing the plant.
Shaping the plants is no longer necessary after about 4 – 5 weeks. No new side shoots are forming and the flowers are starting to fill out. Over the next few weeks the tops will begin forming dense flower clusters.
Growing medical cannabis 