When you bring home a baby plant for the first time, you have all sorts of hopes and dreams for it. You can see its full, exuberant future potential – but getting there takes a little training. The act of “training” plants – also known as attitude—Is the care and strengthening of plants. Certain techniques (wires, netting, and pruning) can shape your plants for better blooms and optimal growth.
However, some methods are easier than others, and when you’re just starting out it can be difficult knowing which to try. These beginner techniques will get you (and your plants) in the right direction.
How to start a low-stress training on houseplants
One of the easiest ways to start plant training is with low stress training (LST). This method starts when the plant is very young and flexible and (as the name suggests) means less stress on the plant – and on itself. LST involves bending and securing the plant as it begins to grow. This process separates the leaves and tufts of leaves and opens them up so that the sunlight can be more evenly distributed. You’re going to want to make twist ties especially for plants, or use soft, fluffy pipe cleaners to gently secure the newly bent direction of the stem.
Gardening workplace Safer brand suggests poking holes in the plant’s pot to fasten the ties, or small ones Fishing weights as an anchor. Whatever you use it should be flexible so you can keep moving and bending the plant as needed. However, avoid metal or hard plastic that can cut into the stems of the plant. Once you have the materials ready, the technique is simple but delicate. Safer Guard technology includes a hook and a loop:
Starting with the outermost branches, bend each stem away from the center of the plant and down. An easy way to do this [is to] shape a twisted tie into a hook and wrap it around the stem so it doesn’t break branches or leaves. Use the hook to slowly pull the stem down.
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A similar form of LST is wiring, often used on bonsai trees. When wiring, the plant is bent into the shape you have chosen using light, flexible cables. This is used in bonsai art to create the iconic horizontal branches and shapes of the small trees.
How to do plant training without technique
Training plants with the LST technique requires a certain amount of attention. You will need to keep flexing the new growth to maintain an open leaf pattern so that the light is evenly distributed and fuller, bushier plants emerge. The no technology Method is another low-tension method where you only need to bend the main plant stem. This is a great technique for beginners as it is almost an option to set and forget. Of course, you need to monitor the plant, but there is no need to bend other stems in the process.
How to use a screen of green training method
While technically free and stress-free training manipulates the shape of the plants, “screen of green” or “scrOG“Uses a network that encourages growth. Networks are usually made of rope, plastic, or metal, and lead the plant up instead of growing inward or sideways. The net is built with PVC pipes or metal around the plant and higher than the stems; As soon as the stalks reach the fence, they are pulled through or woven into nets.
Producer side California Lightworks instructs breeders to take the “outermost branch” and pull it outwards. Then weave the branch in and out through the screen. Once that twig is woven in, move on to the next stem. Work your way in, stem by stem, until all the branches are woven horizontally across your screen. ”As more growth reaches the web, it will continue to grow as tall as you want. This method is done when the plant is young to encourage upward growth, before the stems or stems are rigid or inwardly grown.
This is what stressful plant training looks like
Other relatively simple – but slightly more stressful – forms of plant training include Coveringwhere you remove the tips of the stems as they grow. Cutting off the tips signals the plant to produce more sprouts to catch the sun, resulting in fuller growth. This process takes longer and puts a strain on the plant, but your plant will get a lot fuller if you do this in moderation. Topping is similar to clipping, which involves cutting off leaves and sometimes stems to shape the plant and encourage growth.
Last, dilution involves planting multiple seeds and removing the weaker plants as they grow to ensure that the strongest survive. Thinning is a stressful process for the plants (and yourself, as you are essentially killing them), but it creates strong, healthy plants with better opportunities to bud.
