Plant growth in the phototron is a function of leaf removal called pinching and lateral shoot cutting called pruning. The greater the leaf removal or lateral shoot cutting, the longer it will take your plants to reach the top of the system. If pruning and pinching instructions are followed exactly, one plant may produce over 1000 (!!!) budding sites. If plants are allowed to grow without any pinching or pruning, you plants will reach the top of the system in less than 45 days, with an average of 3-inch internodel lengths. This type will have less budding sites. How many less? HUNDREDS LESS!
Remove all leaves from the main stem as they reach four inches in length. This leaf removal is referred to as pinching. Use a pair of scissors to do the cutting of the leaf stem at mid point.
Remove all leaves from the lateral shoots as they reach 3 inches in length. This leaf removal is also called pinching. As with the leaves from the main stem, cut the leaves at mid point.
The term Lateral shoot and branch are interchangable. As a primary lateral shoot starts to grow out from the main stem, allow this branch to form the first node with the first 2 leaves beginning to open up. The branch should be allowed to grow 1/4" beyond the first node. Cut the branch halfway between the node and the terminal bud. A terminal bud is the leafset that is beginning to open up at the end.
You will have secondary lateral shoots develop from the first node. As the secondary lateral shoots develop, prune them by removing each shoots terminal bud after every other node. This is accomplished by allowing the shoots to grow 1/4 " past the second node then removing the terminal bud of the secondary shoot. Always cut as far away from the node as possible to prevent the stripping of branching sites.
Hope this helps.. Afterwards your plants will look like a whack attack has occurred, but I am told by my friend who has 6 of these units that the results are amazing.. With each whack attack, the plants energy is redirected into creating new lateral shoots, which later become budding sites or so I am told. I actually kinda panicked after my first whack attack because my plants looked so fucked up. I called my friend who chucked and told me to take a valium and check them the next day. Sure enough within about 24-36 hours, every where I had whacked, new shoots were forming.. Each new shoot is a budding site, so figure every whack is a bud.