When would be a good time to start LST'ing? I mean is it better to do it sooner like first days or abit later day 18-20? I was thinkin to let the plants grow a bit more taller so when I bend them, the tops will be closer or above the pot's edge so I don't pull leaves or new growth off.
Or do I get different results depending when I LST?
Peace and flowers!
Usually after 2 to 3 weeks of growth is a good time to start; some guys will start training sooner but you're dealing with a pretty delicate stem/root system still; one of the biggest problems I see with members is they use gorilla brute strength with their LOW STRESS training and wonder what happens. Snaps and bends can (and will) occur, but generally when they happen and you explore "the why," you'll find it was most likely the result of your own actions.
So, that being said, the name of the game is slow, steady, and LOW STRESS.
I drill holes in the top of all my pots as anchor points for my LST'ing. I prefer to use fuzzy pipe cleaners (the chenille offers some degree of protection to the plant stems and SUPER easy to work with.)
Basically you'll want to bend the TOP of your main stem down as far as she will GENTLY GO and tie a loop with the pipe cleaner around one of the nodes near the top. Anchor the other end to the pot. The nice thing about pipe cleaners versus other tie-downs if that you can pinch the wire in the middle and twist it, allowing you to make VERY small increments in tension, which is nice when you need to tie things back down (matter of twisting and pinching the wires, no re-doing anything.)
On the OPPOSITE end of where you tied down the anchor to the pot; you will want to tie down another SEPARATE anchor and attach this to the lower 1/3 to middle of the plant. This is your counter balance or counter weight. This will help prevent too much pressure being put on the one side of the plant (which can pull the plant down/over, not super common but once you see what kind of pressure you can put on these things, you will see why you want it.)
The idea is to bend the stems like you would bend copper pipe. If you take a piece of copper tubing and put a 90 degree crimp in it; you've just destroyed the integrity of the inside diameter. If you take that same tubing and make a slow, GRADUAL bend with it, you can still get your 90 degree turn and the inside diameter still relatively retains it's shape. Same thing with stems, put too much pressure on one spot and they will crimp/bend. Gradually do it and you'll get them to bend any way you want.
Notice how I mention "gradual" several times? It doesn't all have to be done in one day. I think another problem members have is they want to LST one night and be done. Slow and steady wins the race here.
I LST pretty much through my entire grow. I've asked a few of our more botany-minded members on here if they felt LST was worth continuing through flowering and the response was that it seems to be worth doing.
When you LST that main stem/shoot and bend it over, the plant releases a flood of auxins, or hormones that regulate cell elongation in side shoots. What that means in laymen terms is that your side branching gets a massive boost in growth. This can create some bushy plants; but it does indeed tend to level out the canopy. Much easier to get "cola-esque" tops with LST versus not in my opinion.
Hope that answers your question on LST brother; let me know if you need any help!