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I've done this a few times with great results, and it's time to share it with you. This is a Mystic Mirage clone that was put in Happy Frog media three months ago. All the major stems are too woody to bend without breaking. This is a common problem of mine because due to plant counts and space, they have to wait until there is a slot ready. These pictures were taken after I finished.
THIS IS HIGH-STRESS TRAINING. Keep in mind that this is only a risk avoidance technique. It still carries significant risks and you should be careful. But to me, it is a way to bypass my risk of breaking branches completely off, and if done carefully the plant will show no sign of stress and will heal up and create a strong joint where the breakage occurs, in a few weeks.
First, I have learned to run strings as guide/support wires from the lower area of the main trunk to holes in the side of the pot. Pulling down strong branches puts a lot of pull on the main trunk and will tilt the whole canopy if you skip this step. But taking care of trunk support first will keep the plant stable. Woody cannabis stems are pretty strong and this keeps everything exactly where you want it.
For any strong branch you're planning to bend, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you wrap the area the branch attaches to the trunk by wrapping tape around the trunk and the branch together. This strengthens the joint. Otherwise there's a good chance you'll break the branch off in a place that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fix.
Then try to soften the branches as much as possible before starting the bend. Don't push to the point of breakage - just soften the branch along the longest linear area that you can where you plan the bend to occur. If the branch breaks at this point, you should wrap it with tape and leave it alone until it heals completely. No more adjustment on that branch would be wise in my opinion.
Next, you wrap the branch along the entire area with tennis tape. Then you carefully tie the branch down. There may be breakage. In this case, I broke the main apical stem:
It's a bad break. It might not seem that bad in the picture and it really isn't, because the tennis tape held things together even if did break. But I could hear the branch straining and breaking when I was bending it down. I also pre-bent the branch to control where the breakage occurred. But I expected it to break, and this was my way of planning for it.
None of the other branches broke, even though they were woody. In most cases the tape provided enough support that the branches could bend without breakage, or with harmless micro-breakage that heals in a day or two.
Stay tuned. In a few days I'm going to post an after picture.
You may worry about what happens when you remove the tape. I used to use a wet sponge to soften the tape and remove it because I was worried it would constrict the branch eventually. Now I just leave the tape on. I haven't noticed any constricting effect in the past. I think the water-based adhesive just breaks down over time and loosens it a bit. Or maybe I've been lucky. YMMV but so far this works well for me.
The entire process, including cutting two clones, took me about 30 minutes.
THIS IS HIGH-STRESS TRAINING. Keep in mind that this is only a risk avoidance technique. It still carries significant risks and you should be careful. But to me, it is a way to bypass my risk of breaking branches completely off, and if done carefully the plant will show no sign of stress and will heal up and create a strong joint where the breakage occurs, in a few weeks.
First, I have learned to run strings as guide/support wires from the lower area of the main trunk to holes in the side of the pot. Pulling down strong branches puts a lot of pull on the main trunk and will tilt the whole canopy if you skip this step. But taking care of trunk support first will keep the plant stable. Woody cannabis stems are pretty strong and this keeps everything exactly where you want it.
For any strong branch you're planning to bend, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you wrap the area the branch attaches to the trunk by wrapping tape around the trunk and the branch together. This strengthens the joint. Otherwise there's a good chance you'll break the branch off in a place that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fix.
Then try to soften the branches as much as possible before starting the bend. Don't push to the point of breakage - just soften the branch along the longest linear area that you can where you plan the bend to occur. If the branch breaks at this point, you should wrap it with tape and leave it alone until it heals completely. No more adjustment on that branch would be wise in my opinion.
Next, you wrap the branch along the entire area with tennis tape. Then you carefully tie the branch down. There may be breakage. In this case, I broke the main apical stem:
It's a bad break. It might not seem that bad in the picture and it really isn't, because the tennis tape held things together even if did break. But I could hear the branch straining and breaking when I was bending it down. I also pre-bent the branch to control where the breakage occurred. But I expected it to break, and this was my way of planning for it.
None of the other branches broke, even though they were woody. In most cases the tape provided enough support that the branches could bend without breakage, or with harmless micro-breakage that heals in a day or two.
Stay tuned. In a few days I'm going to post an after picture.
You may worry about what happens when you remove the tape. I used to use a wet sponge to soften the tape and remove it because I was worried it would constrict the branch eventually. Now I just leave the tape on. I haven't noticed any constricting effect in the past. I think the water-based adhesive just breaks down over time and loosens it a bit. Or maybe I've been lucky. YMMV but so far this works well for me.
The entire process, including cutting two clones, took me about 30 minutes.
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for sharing 
(skin a cat). 
