Growing Marijuana has many simple old school techniques associated with it and in this tutorial from Med Grow Cannabis College, you will learn about a technique known as as super cropping. There are a lot of different methods for super cropping but it is important to note that they are all forms of high stress training. High stress training (H.S.T.) and Low Stress Training (L.S.T.) are two different ways of growing Marijuana, the difference between the two is that with H.S.T you will actually cause damage to the plant cell walls and even break the inner part of the plant.
High Stress Training can look quite terrifying, but don’t worry! Even 90 degree bends like this one will fully heal in just a few days.
High Stress Training When Growing Marijuana
If you have ever seen a plant that has been broken naturally, just like a broken arm on a person, the plant will form a big knuckle to strengthen the break. Of course this may not seem like the ideal way to treat those lovely ladies but it has been proven to really increase yields, giving this technique the name super cropping. When you are growing Marijuana, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind! L.S.T is a technique performed over a period of time that involves slowly training the plants to grow in a certain fashion through bending and tying down stems. Super cropping is the opposite in the sense that it can take a few seconds and often doesn’t require much work after that.
Super Cropping Squeeze And Break
As explained in this video, when growing marijuana the way to cause the impact on your plants you need is to apply pressure using the finger and thumb. Then you will choose which way you want the shoot to bend. The principle is that once the plant is broken it will remain in that fixed shape for the remainder of the plant life cycle. Once the snap has taken place then the super cropping is done. During this tutorial you will also see how once you have snapped the stem, it is a good idea to tie the plant down somehow to keep the shape of the break without the plant working itself back up. There is an example shown on a smaller plant where the main stem was broken and a number seven shape is being promoted. You want to make the actual squeeze and snap a one off so once the break is done, avoid touching it and allow it to naturally recover and grow a knuckle over the break.
Super Cropping Induces Hormones
Cannabis plants, like all other plants in nature, produce growth hormones at different stages of development in the plant life cycle. The end result of super cropping is that the growth hormones which repair the plant walls will go crazy and continue to flush the plant with repair hormones. You can instantly notice a change in the plants growth pattern and overall vigour once this has occurred. After a plant has been super cropped, you will find growing Marijuana and the way plants respond to different stimuli is different than in a normal situation.
Damage Vascular Tissue And Promote Scar Tissue
The reason why the super cropping technique is classed as high stress is because it results in damaged tissue. Similar to the way that knuckles are thicker than the fingers, this “knuckle shape” will naturally occur and lead to a big, bulky, hard woody stem when growing Marijuana. These large new cell walls are stronger and allow more nutrients to pass through the plant alongside the growth hormones being pumped through. Inside the plant the cell walls will be crushed and when you do it, you will feel and often hear the actual breaking of the walls. If you do the break correctly, over time you can often see huge wooden knuckles forming all around the stem which gives real support to the plant. Often you will notice what look like stretch marks from where the plant skin has been really pushed to grow.
The More Damage The Better
This plant will need some support for a few days, but will still recover!
Considering you want the plants to form a number seven shape when snapped, it is better to really apply enough force to stop the plants from working their way back up straight, when growing Marijuana. The idea is also that the canopy now is more even and the grower can choose which shoots will grow at 90 degree angles. This video is a great example of the benefits of super cropping and how a one off high stress training technique can really pay for itself in the long run by causing plants to be stronger and to produce higher yields.
