Bending

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

Bending is similar to pruning, in that it alters the flow of hormones. bending efficiently neutralizes the effect of the growth inhibiting hormone. Bending is much easier on plants than pruning. To bend, lean a branch in the desired direction and tie it in place. Branches can take a lot of bending before they fold over or break. Even if a branch folds, tie it in place; if necessary, use a wooden splint.

The stem will heal itself. young, supple branches take bending much better than old, stiff ones. Bending branches horizontally will encourage the buds to grow vertically towards the light. Each bud will turn into an impressive top, because they all receive more light. A wooden planter box with a lattice trellis alongside makes a great anchor to tie bent plants to.

Wire ties, the kind used to close bread sacks, can be purchased at a nursery. Wire ties are either pre-cut or cut to length by the grower. Plastic coated electronic and telephone cable wire wire will also work well. They are fastened with a simple twist and stay rigid leaving the stem breathing room. But if applied too tightly around a stem, the liquids cannot flow, and death could result.

Be gentle when bending, even though cannabis can take much abuse. Sometimes a crotch will separate or a branch will fold over, cutting off fluid flow. These mishaps are easily fixed with a small wooden splint snugly secured with wire ties or duct tape to support the split and broken stem.

Growers also combine bending and pruning. It is easy to prune too much, but it is hard to over bend.