Mephisto Genetics Taming Sativas: Root restriction in hydroponics?

[VitaMan]

I need a motivating sativa. Heavy indicas are my mainstay but dishes don't wash themselves and things need to get done.

Problem is space. My plants cannot not be more than 1 meter. I know that some soil and coco growers use root restriction to control growth.

Would this work at all in hydroponics? Could I replace the 5 gal buckets with 3 gal to help control these taller strains?

 

[BII]

You can always do 'training' at low, high or extreme stress levels, as needed or desired. If the plant just wants to grows big, you could prune it back to a small dense bush, or whether by cutting or bending keep the height down; and you'll still get a good harvest.

For me, it would be something totally new to consider restricting plant growth. Plants over a meter tall are rare for me.

 

[VitaMan]

You can always do 'training' at low, high or extreme stress levels, as needed or desired. If the plant just wants to grows big, you could prune it back to a small dense bush, or whether by cutting or bending keep the height down; and you'll still get a good harvest.

For me, it would be something totally new to consider restricting plant growth. Plants over a meter tall are rare for me.

Thanks for the info.
All things I have done with indicas.

I have a 3x3' tent and a 3 pot system. With autos there is little time for HST.

I admit that I dont have experience with Sativa auto plants. If I train a tall sativa could it quickly fill the horizontal space before it blooms? Would I only have room for 1 plant?

I need to find a 3 foot sativa-dominant auto thats motivating.

Alternative would be to purchase photo seeds or clones, heavy training, and flip them early.

If root restriction works in hydro i might still have 3 plants but smaller, plus gain a few inches headspace from smaller buckets.

 

[BII]

Do you have problems with your indices growing too tall or big?

Keep in mind, the plants tend to adapt to the space available. With restricted space, they will tend to pack themselves in and restrict size on their own. I densely pack plants in my little tent, and rarely, if ever, get an actual large or tall plant.

 

[VitaMan]

Do you have problems with your indices growing too tall or big?

Keep in mind, the plants tend to adapt to the space available. With restricted space, they will tend to pack themselves in and restrict size on their own. I densely pack plants in my little tent, and rarely, if ever, get an actual large or tall plant.

Not height, usualy. I train my plants. LST with most autos, topping and supercropping with photos.

Last time was my second foray into hydroponics, and a huge stretch caught me by surprise. Filled my tent in all directions.

Because I don't control autoflowers` switch, I am nervous about sativa's typicaly longer internodal space and branches.

 

[BII]

In my (1 grower's) experience in a crowded tent (I jam the pots together, leaving little or no space around them), I see no significant difference in overall growth of different strains. The limited space and LST keeps the plants in their place. None actually ever get BIG.

Growing crowded plants is much like Sea of Green (SoG) growing. At most, some might reach 30-36 inches (less than a meter), requiring putting something under neighboring plants to keep the same canopy height.

You could be worrying too much about a problem, plants growing BIG, that many of us would welcome having. But get some other opinions.

 

[VitaMan]

Anyways, thanks for the input and let's get back on track.

The purpose of the post is not about basic techniques and strategies to manage plants, but to discuss root restriction in hydroponics.

Any info about this topic will be much appreciated.

....but if you know about motivating mephisto seeds that stay under 1 meter, that could help as well.