What to do with over grown plants...

Hey guys,

I have a few plants in my veg room and they are really tall and overgrown.

I want to flower them but I am afraid the stems wont take the weight.

Should I train them and support each stem??

Any suggestions?

I dont want to top them as then I need to wait one week to flower so it can de-stress.

Thanks peeps

a lot of people do just that, use bamboo canes or tomato cages to support plants, you can super crop the tallest stems, tie them to the main stalk for support, or use a bamboo cane, or even the yoyo holders that attach to the roof

I will make a bunch of clones and then lst

Honestly the best thing to do is exactly what you don't want...cut them down and let them veg back in thicker than before. If you don't you'll have colas bending to the floor even as you keep tying them up. Could take a couple weeks to recover like you say but will make up for it with thicker stems to support larger buds.

I have to agree... cutting it back and controlling the re-growth is the way to go..
better than unruly colas on the floor!

HydoDan said:

I have to agree... cutting it back and controlling the re-growth is the way to go..
better than unruly colas on the floor!

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Dreaded but the smart and overall safest route.

make her square! take bamboo or dowels and attach to or drill through the container on top and run them through a couple both directions so from above it would look like a pound sign. You may want to add a diagonal one or two. Tie em down, spread her out and all that lower stuff will come on up. You can make a big plant when viewed from above this way. I would also shove a bamboos in the soil vertically for something to tie to to strengthen up. I have a 3' x 6' from above girl going right now, just tie em down. If they resist either use a little super crop pinch or do a little each day. If you split a branch off on accident, electrical tape does great to bandage em up (though thats not your goal to have to do) Can really make a lot more bud sights with LST. And in my opinion would get you into flower faster than cutting down and waiting for new growth.. Though there is nothing wrong with that technique at all either...

^ possible, but it all depends on the room you have to devote to one plant

Huckster79 said:

make her square! take bamboo or dowels and attach to or drill through the container on top and run them through a couple both directions so from above it would look like a pound sign. You may want to add a diagonal one or two. Tie em down, spread her out and all that lower stuff will come on up. You can make a big plant when viewed from above this way. I would also shove a bamboos in the soil vertically for something to tie to to strengthen up. I have a 3' x 6' from above girl going right now, just tie em down. If they resist either use a little super crop pinch or do a little each day. If you split a branch off on accident, electrical tape does great to bandage em up (though thats not your goal to have to do) Can really make a lot more bud sights with LST. And in my opinion would get you into flower faster than cutting down and waiting for new growth.. Though there is nothing wrong with that technique at all either...

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Sounds like a plan...have you got any photos of your current girls???

No but I'll get you one tonight. I really believe in LST as you get this broad even, almost scrog like canopy with many tops right out in the light

Huckster79 said:

No but I'll get you one tonight. I really believe in LST as you get this broad even, almost scrog like canopy with many tops right out in the light

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Oh trust me, I believe in it too. My current grow I grew a sativa for too long in veg... In flower she is like double the height of my tent! So I bent her over and sideways and at first she looked like a mess but now... Wow! Better than any topped plant I have done in the past.

Porky101 said:

Oh trust me, I believe in it too. My current grow I grew a sativa for too long in veg... In flower she is like double the height of my tent! So I bent her over and sideways and at first she looked like a mess but now... Wow! Better than any topped plant I have done in the past.

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hard to get perspective of canopy as my room in small just a personal mmj grow

thats really awsome...but is the net loose???

Thank You!!! Yes and no.... GG4 is known for weak branches, I think I exacerbate that with LST so she need lots of support once she gets fat.. So what I did, this is first run with net, when I placed all the bamboo in different directions I put that net over her and fastened it to the bamboos, this was right at entering flower so she would stretch above that. But that gives me support for those branches not right next to a bamboo... So I guess its kind of my own bastardized blend of training methods...

I am not afraid of topping agressively and clean the bottoms really well and place in flower that same day, my plants always come back strong in week 2-3 of budding. Gives you sturdier plants.

I often use 4-8 bamboo along the edge of the pot slightly tilted as to give it a tomatoe cage shape. Later in budding if needed I'll take a string and ''wrap'' it around the plant. Works fine.

The latest best thing I've started doing instead of bamboo poles I found nice arbutus branches, I look for branches with nice side branching, I put 2 or 3 in a pot and I think I won't have to use string or anything simply let the heavy buds rest on the side branches. Looks really cool too, and it's really clean looking wood, it's smooth.

Finally, when my plants get out of control and too close the lights and the lights already up to the ceiling I dont hesitate to top again, I try to do this around week 3-4 when they are done stretching. I never regret giving up on a few future colas, massive side nugs make up for it, less likely to get mold too.

Not sure why anyone would want to cut them back if ready for flower, that's gonna set them back a bit I would think. I would just LST them or a semi scrog if u have the room to do that. I have super cropped but even that has backfired on occasion leaving the plant stunted on some strains. Again if me and ready to flower I would either just leave them and support as needed, when needed or train them.