Sunasun
Well-Known Member
Only a couple weeks old.Thanks Sunasun, andto 420magazine.com! Post some pics here as you go so we can follow along with your progress.
Baby purple.
Uppotting and moving into tent some time today.
Mowie wowie
3 hours old.
Hows & Whys Of Supercropping
- Thread starter InTheShed
- Start date
Baby purple.
Uppotting and moving into tent some time today.
Mowie wowie
3 hours old.
- Thread starter
- #202
Looking good! Though I meant your supercropping progress.
Sunasun
Well-Known Member
She's a baby, has no branches yet lol will update though.Looking good! Though I meant your supercropping progress.
And thanks everyone.
marcus611a
Well-Known Member
Damn bro nice plant and reading.. let me ask you a question I have read online about doing this while in flower to make your buds explode do you know anything about this can you teach me? I am 5th week in flowerAnyone interested in a bit on supercropping? Here is my introduction to the technique. I don't deal so much on the actual way to perform a supercrop, but the reasons and places to do it:
DISCLAIMER: This is high stress plant training and I do not recommend it for an autoflower plant. Not that you won't see people do it to theirs, I just don't recommend it. It definitely slows down the plant while it recovers.
Supercropping is a technique where you bend the stem at something close to a 90º angle, snapping the internal fibers of the plant in the process. It can be done in flower, though it's usually performed in veg. There are loads of videos on how to do it so I won't go into a detailed description. Generally, you squeeze the stem where you want the bend to be until you feel the plant's tissue give way, and then lay the upper part of the branch over at a right angle.
With thinner or woodier stems that are harder to crush, I rock them back and forth over my thumbnail until they soften enough to lay over.
The stem eventually forms a "knuckle" at the bend, and it increases the nutrient pathways to the top part of that branch. That's not usually why we do it, but it's another positive result. And if done early in flower (like at the end of stretch when you know who are the leaders), it can result in larger buds on that branch.
Now let's talk about why we supercrop our plants. The traditional reason is that it keeps the plant canopy level, making all your potential bud-sites the same distance from the lights. In this instance, the leaders are bent at the level of the rest of the canopy, usually toward the outside edge of the tent so as not to cover lower growth.
But there are other reasons to use this technique, for both indoor and outdoor growers (who don't need a level canopy).
Besides leveling the canopy, here are two additional reasons to supercrop.
First, to greatly increase the number of bud-sites. Every time you flatten a branch, everything that would have been larf can now become a new top. Here is where I bent an AK-47 branch:
And here is how many new tops were created by that one bend:
All of that lower growth will now head directly toward the light.
[Note that when you are thinning your undergrowth, keep the supercrop option in mind. If you strip everything underneath there will be no shoots to grow new tops. So if you plan on supercropping, thin with the future in mind.]
And second, supercropping to make room for other supercropping! In this example I bent branch that has no lower branches to grow up, but I've bent it away to clear room to bend a different branch that does have lower branches that I want to expose. (Read the boxes in numbered order so it makes sense.):
If I had just bent the top branch it would have covered the bud-sites on the lower branch, so I bent that out of the way first.
And I will often bend a branch into the middle of a plant so the plant doesn't get too wide, as long as there is an empty spot to fill in, or some weak growth below you will be pruning at some point anyway. You can see an example of that here:
Top left was supercropped inward to keep it within the existing outer circle of the plant, and middle left was cropped outward to fill in the space.
One last trick, for those crops that refuse to stay down, attach a small binder clip to a paper clip and hang that from the branch (you can just make out the paper clip at the arrow):
Two final pics. This is an AK-47 where I used all these techniques:
6.3 ounces and Plant of the Month!
Questions welcome.
- Thread starter
- #205
Thanks marcus! I'm not sure that anything will make your buds explode with growth beside a good marketing campaign
, but many growers say that the buds on the ends of superscropped branches end up bigger than those on branches left alone. The reasoning is that the knuckle formed at the bend allows for a bigger pathway for nutrients.I've never tested that theory but that's probably what you've read.
I also don't usually do any supercropping that late into flower, but there's no reason not to try it out on a branch and see if you like the results for next time!
marcus611a
Well-Known Member
Check it out I did it with this one 3 weeks into flower so who knows what's going to happenThanks marcus! I'm not sure that anything will make your buds explode with growth beside a good marketing campaign
I've never tested that theory but that's probably what you've read.
I also don't usually do any supercropping that late into flower, but there's no reason not to try it out on a branch and see if you like the results for next time!
- Thread starter
- #207
Let us know/see how it compares to a similar branch at harvest!
I'll have plenty of outdoor plants to test this theory. I supercropped a bunch of branches on my GSC last season and none of those branches were smaller. Last supercrop was around the time I started seeing her transition. She stretched I assume the variables (genetics, nutrients, etc.) will just add to the difficulty of coming up with good results. It's worth a shot though. I don't see why not. That late in flower makes me wonder though if it's worth stressing them that much and potentially stalling their growth. Hmmm
scottreid1966
Well-Known Member
Well done! A definite book mark!Anyone interested in a bit on supercropping? Here is my introduction to the technique. I don't deal so much on the actual way to perform a supercrop, but the reasons and places to do it:
DISCLAIMER: This is high stress plant training and I do not recommend it for an autoflower plant. Not that you won't see people do it to theirs, I just don't recommend it. It definitely slows down the plant while it recovers.
Supercropping is a technique where you bend the stem at something close to a 90º angle, snapping the internal fibers of the plant in the process. It can be done in flower, though it's usually performed in veg. There are loads of videos on how to do it so I won't go into a detailed description. Generally, you squeeze the stem where you want the bend to be until you feel the plant's tissue give way, and then lay the upper part of the branch over at a right angle.
With thinner or woodier stems that are harder to crush, I rock them back and forth over my thumbnail until they soften enough to lay over.
The stem eventually forms a "knuckle" at the bend, and it increases the nutrient pathways to the top part of that branch. That's not usually why we do it, but it's another positive result. And if done early in flower (like at the end of stretch when you know who are the leaders), it can result in larger buds on that branch.
Now let's talk about why we supercrop our plants. The traditional reason is that it keeps the plant canopy level, making all your potential bud-sites the same distance from the lights. In this instance, the leaders are bent at the level of the rest of the canopy, usually toward the outside edge of the tent so as not to cover lower growth.
But there are other reasons to use this technique, for both indoor and outdoor growers (who don't need a level canopy).
Besides leveling the canopy, here are two additional reasons to supercrop.
First, to greatly increase the number of bud-sites. Every time you flatten a branch, everything that would have been larf can now become a new top. Here is where I bent an AK-47 branch:
And here is how many new tops were created by that one bend:
All of that lower growth will now head directly toward the light.
[Note that when you are thinning your undergrowth, keep the supercrop option in mind. If you strip everything underneath there will be no shoots to grow new tops. So if you plan on supercropping, thin with the future in mind.]
And second, supercropping to make room for other supercropping! In this example I bent branch that has no lower branches to grow up, but I've bent it away to clear room to bend a different branch that does have lower branches that I want to expose. (Read the boxes in numbered order so it makes sense.):
If I had just bent the top branch it would have covered the bud-sites on the lower branch, so I bent that out of the way first.
And I will often bend a branch into the middle of a plant so the plant doesn't get too wide, as long as there is an empty spot to fill in, or some weak growth below you will be pruning at some point anyway. You can see an example of that here:
Top left was supercropped inward to keep it within the existing outer circle of the plant, and middle left was cropped outward to fill in the space.
One last trick, for those crops that refuse to stay down, attach a small binder clip to a paper clip and hang that from the branch (you can just make out the paper clip at the arrow):
Two final pics. This is an AK-47 where I used all these techniques:
6.3 ounces and Plant of the Month!
Questions welcome.
- Thread starter
- #210
Thanks scott!
Scottylikesbud
Well-Known Member
My humor might be running a bit dry but borat made me laugh
I’ve seen
I’ve seen
Scottylikesbud
Well-Known Member
A very nice high five borat-
marcus611a
Well-Known Member
Well that Branch definitely had fatter buds on it for a bottom branch
- Thread starter
- #214
Thanks for checking back in! The rumor has always been that the extra nutrient pathways created by the knuckle would make for fatter buds, so there's a piece of evidence.
I supercropped a some branches on my outdoor GSC last year. If memory serves me right, those colas were chunkier.Thanks for checking back in! The rumor has always been that the extra nutrient pathways created by the knuckle would make for fatter buds, so there's a piece of evidence.
marcus611a
Well-Known Member
I tell you what happened she got fatter and the smoke is outstandingCheck it out I did it with this one 3 weeks into flower so who knows what's going to happen
Ganja Droid 420
Well-Known Member
Am I supercropping right? Any tips? I'm making a new scrog net with smaller even squares, two levels. When would I think about giving them a haircut? Should I thimb those tips creeping up? Cheers!
- Thread starter
- #218
Thanks for stopping by GD! I don't think folks with a net need to actually supercrop below it very often (since you don't usually need a hard bend there), but I do think that smaller squares could be helpful in keeping your canopy under control and well-spread.
In terms of trimming, anything you take off now from the very bottom will spur new growth at the tops, which is exactly what you want as you try to fill the net before flip!
Ganja Droid 420
Well-Known Member
Thank you kind Sir. You're a Gentleman and a Scholar! I kinda want the net gone so I can get around the sides easily this time for when the canopy fills. I hard zero cola control last time (bloody sativa) even though I trained as much as I could and used 6 foot tomato stakes. Cheers for the direction!
TwelveCoffee
Well-Known Member
Hey Shred if I perform super cropping on a photo should I have the tape ready? Or should it be ok providing I don’t snap it right off? Will there be a pop?