New Grower LST vs Letting them grow with additional lights

[ParanoidCannabinoid]

Hi all,

I'm new to the site and about half way through my first grow, using a HPS light.

I have LSTd my girls this time, not because I really want them the grow outwards, but to get light to more bud sites.

I am wondering if an alternative to LST might be a combination of using additional lights (CFL) hanging by the sides and also leaf-tucking.
The strains that are 4 weeks in are a really bushy indica dominant so I would have ended up with loads of popcorn and hardly any proper bud if I just left them.
Pics of my girls are in a thread in the introduction section.

https://www.autoflower.org/f35/hi-new-grower-here-liking-look-site-28586.html


What do you guys think?

 

[Daneja]

I think It's about preference dude, plus extra lights mean more electricity been used. Personally I would Lst with cfl's as well, you would get amazing results with this technique.

 

[ParanoidCannabinoid]

Yeah, I don't really want to spend more on electicity, the HPS gulps it down like it aint no thang.
As it is the bud sites are getting plenty of light, but I just dream about growing a tree, like 3-4 feet tall. That's how I imagined it when I started out.
Perhaps it doesn't really matter.

 

[Daneja]

The good thing about CFL's is they don't use a lot of electricity really, how many watts is your'e HPS ? The best way to utilise the light is by having the canopy horizontal like you already have. I always dream of having a plant bigger than myself, but you would definitely need supplemental lighting for a big girl like that.

 

[ParanoidCannabinoid]

Hi Daneja

I've got a 600W, set to 400W at the ballast. I might wack it up to 600 now it's colder as I was having heat problems before.
It just seems weird having the plants spread out as my tent is 1m x 1m x 2m height, so there's a lot of head-room going to waste.
Well, as long as I get what I want out of them then it's all good

 

[Grey Bear]

The La Divas I just grew out were the fastest finishing autos I have grown. The were also very small plants, however there was no reason to let them go past the 65 days I "pushed" them to as they were ambering like crazy.
They did NOT benefit by LST in my opinion. This has been my experience with most of the 'dwarf" autos.
If I were to grow them out again, I would not LST them I would just tuck leaves and get my light as close as I could without burning them.
That has worked best for me with dwarf autos. I have not seen significant gain with them by LSTing.
The NL might not be as small as the La Diva's but it is not a huge plant either.
The Jack Herer could be a nice sized plant, but not sure that it will finish with the NL so timing on your flushing could be an issue.
The Jack WILL benefit by LSTing but you definitely want it to get all the light you can give it.
You also don't say whether you are doing 24 hr lighting. I would, I have not done side by side tests at 20/4 or 18/6 against 24, but I have done all three and plants did not show a measurable difference for my purposes (medical and personal use). The plants that received less light produced less, but were no "healthier" as result of the dark period.
Good Luck, try not to stress yourself over them.
Your first few grows, try to keep the variables as simple as you can. It will help you get a grasp on what is going on and when as well as correcting any problems that arise.
I have been encouraging the people I have been guiding through their own medical grows to grow the same strain for the first couple of grows, especially if they are gardening novices.
I have found that it is easier for novices to learn how to read their plants if everything is the same for 6 to 9 months.
It isn't essential, but I have found that they are much more competent growers afterwards.

 

[Daneja]

I have a similar set up to you, 1.2 metre sq, 2 metre high, with a 400w HPS. I have a 125w cfl, but I haven't used this yet. Think I'm going to scrog a plant soon, with Cfl as supplemental lighting. I thought about putting another level to my tent to use the rest of the room, but think humidity problems would start to take its tole.

 

[ParanoidCannabinoid]

Hello gtron, thanks for the advice.
Yeah, I messed up by doing the NL & Jack together. I went to do 2 NL but killed em through damping-off and then did the same thing with 2 Think differents so I panicked and didn't really think about things.
How much did you get from your Divas?
I'm doing 20/4 light schedule.

I know what you're saying about doing the same strains, and I would if I had thought it out properly. But I only have 1 Diva left and 1 NL. I've been thinking about doing Dinafem Cheese & 00 Choco Skunk next grow as I have the seeds.
If all goes well, I'll probably repeat that for my third grow.

 

[ParanoidCannabinoid]

Oh yes, a question if I may.
Should I start using bloom nutes now? 4 weeks in, small pistils.

 

[Daneja]

I started to use flowers nutes when veg growth stopped and I could visibly see flower growth taking shape. Week 5, but depends on strain.