Arrangement, Low Stress And High Stress Techniques

• By Hydro Harvest
• 09 June 2025

Getting your plants in shape through training is a fast, effective, low-cost way of maximising growth and yield. As with your own PT, you stand to increase mass, shed deadweight, and extract the most from your inputs. All you need is a little knowledge of the principal techniques, what to do, and when to do it.

Training involves the physical manipulation of your plants. This can include spreading, bending, and otherwise re-shaping the direction in which limbs grow. We’re not talking about pruning or defoliation here – that’s another story.

The idea of forcing plants in (sometimes extreme) new directions might make some growers squeamish. However, it’s not as if the limbs of your plants will go easy on each other if left to grow wild. They’ll grapple. They’ll fight. Each branch, stem, node, and leaf will usually seek to gain maximum exposure to light and CO2 – even if that comes at the expense of other parts of the plant.

Done correctly, training can ‘defuse’ destructive intra-plant tendencies and produce a faster-growing, healthier, more uniformly productive crop. Your training, and theirs, begins here.

Technique: Netting / Screen of Green (SCROG)

Aim:

To create a wide, low-level, horizontal canopy where all plant surfaces are fully, equally exposed to light and CO2. To minimise competition for climatic inputs, and to make development more efficient and fruitful with a small number of plants.

Theory:

A broad, flat canopy should give your plants the biggest possible boost from light and CO2. Because all non-essential leaves, stems, or branches are removed your plants aren’t constantly competing with themselves.

Trained this way the structure is usually conducive to stronger growth, and heavier, healthier yields. It should also be more manageable and require less headroom.

Timing:

Early / mid veg stage onwards. Exact timing can vary but plants should be around 15-25cm tall with branches capable of being bent without breaking.

Preparation:

Attach netting to the poles of your tent so that it stretches horizontally above the entire plant canopy – like a trampoline bed. Inexpensive products are available for just this job. If you’re not growing in a tent, then fixing points surrounding your plants will be necessary. Set the initial height of the net 15-25cm above the top of the plants.

Method:

As the plants grow into the netting weave the branches sideways so that eventually you have only one branch emerging from each hole. Do this gently. Route the branches in their natural direction of growth.

Once you have a filled-out Screen of Green take out any growth from beneath that is not playing an active part in supporting the canopy.

Benefits:

• Better exposure to inputs = fuller growth capable of supporting bigger crops
• Removal of non-essential branches and stems reduces competition
• Less competition means better yields across your plants
• Removal of non-essential plant matter improves airflow
• Better airflow = reduced risk to health
• A trained plant is easier to manage
• Great in low headroom situations
• Maximises output with low plant counts

Drawbacks:

• Longer veg stage
• Not suitable for all plant varieties – but the same is true of other techniques
• Pruning and weaving will be an ongoing task

Suitable for:

Plants with flexible branches and a longer growing cycle.

Technique: Bending / Low Stress Training (LST)

Aim:

On a basic level, the aim of Bending is like that of SCRoG – ie. Optimising exposure to climatic inputs and avoiding competition between branches.

However, whereas SCRoG creates a blanket effect, Bending can be more specific to certain areas of your plants. It allows you to sculpt them into growth-optimising shapes, is great for fine-tuning, and for adjusting in tight spots.

Theory:

You might not always want a totally broad, flat canopy. Having that might not quite suit the variety you’re growing or your cultivation preferences. Bending allows you to shape your plants selectively, guiding limbs into the perfect shape to support strong growth and heavy yields.

Timing:

Early / mid veg stage onwards. Exact timing can vary but plants should be around 15-25cm tall with branches capable of being bent without breaking.

Preparation:

Identify branches that are an issue and find a point at which they can be bent without snapping. Get hold of soft twist wire or Plant Bendz.

Method:

Simply tie your branch down or route it through Plant Bendz. If tying, don’t use anything that might cut through the branch. Work gently, routing the branches in their natural direction of growth.

Benefits:

• Allows for area-specific training
• Great for shaping exactly as desired
• Helps prevent limbs getting out of control
• Controls competition for light / CO2
• Promotes better exposure to inputs
• Better exposure = fuller growth capable of supporting bigger crops

Drawbacks:

• An ongoing and pretty manual task
• A little time-consuming
• Some experience of ideal structures required

Suitable for:

Plants with flexible branches and a longer growing cycle.

Technique: Supercropping / High Stress Training (HST)

Aim:

In turn, the aim of Supercropping is like Bending – ie. Controlling rogue growth in certain, limited areas of the plant to optimise exposure to climatic inputs.

However, Supercropping goes deeper and is much more extreme. It aims to use training to the point where it redirects the flow of plant hormones to create a more balanced plant.

Theory:

By making extreme bends in your branches, you should, in theory, be able to redirect plant growth hormones (auxins) away from points of overgrowth. Those hormones will then reach otherwise neglected parts of the plant and increase the overall number of fruiting and flowering sites.

The plants’ reaction to this highly stressful experience should also spur onward development. Additionally, if successful, the point at which you bend should grow back stronger. In theory this would make your plant more capable of holding heavier crops.

Timing:

Late veg stage. Exact timing can vary but selected limbs must be capable of being bent without breaking. They must not be woody or flowering.

Preparation:

Identify branches that are an issue and find a point at which they can be bent without snapping.

Method:

Soften the point of bending by rubbing it between your fingers. Apply pressure at the softened area only. Bend into a 90-degree angle without breaking the skin. If a trained limb needs support secure it to a support / stronger branch using soft twist wire or twine.

Then monitor the trained limb and the wider plant closely. At the bend site be watchful for signs of infection. With the wider plant be aware that reactions to HST might include changes in water and nutrient uptake.

Benefits:

• Redirects the flow of plant growth hormones
• Can increase the number of fruiting or flowering sites
• Stimulates regrowth and accelerated development through stress
• Strengthens areas trained
• Allows for area-specific training
• Great for shaping exactly as desired
• Controls rogue growth
• Manages competition for light / CO2
• Promotes better exposure to inputs
• Better exposure = fuller growth capable of supporting bigger crops

Drawbacks:

• Very high risk
• Requires experience
• Unsuccessful attempts can lead to localised or complete plant failure
• Open ‘wounds’ to plants increase the chances of infection
• Close monitoring and maintenance required

Suitable for:

Plants with flexible branches and a longer growing cycle.

Special Mention – Sea of Green (SOG)

Sea Of Green is not a hands-on plant training technique. Because it doesn’t involve any physical manipulation you can’t quite describe it as ‘active’ training.

However, you could think of it as ‘passive’ training because it relies on arranging plants in such a way that their only real option is one direction of growth.

Technique: Sea Of Green (SOG)

Aim:

To have many relatively small plants growing close together with just one flowering or fruiting head each. To completely ignore side branch development.

Theory:

By placing plants in proximity, you should be able to naturally prevent their sideward development and focus all their energy on fruiting and flowering.

With everything directed towards the heads (and your lighting patterns adjusted to assist) the vegetative stage is drastically shortened. This means you’re quicker to harvest.

Because the plants have no option to fill-out your maintenance commitment is low.

Timing:

From the start of the veg stage onwards.

Preparation:

Clones are highly recommended / essential for Sea of Green because the method requires uniform growth. Uneven growth from a mixture of plants would result in large numbers of crops failing to deliver as they overgrow.

Method:

Arrange many plants closely (10-20 per sq metre). Set up netting above the plants to support / stabilise when the (typically top-heavy) plants mature.

Grow with extended periods of ‘daylight’ during the vegetative stage – up to 18 hours of light: 6 hours of darkness. After around 2-3 weeks go over to the bloom stage with a more traditional lighting regime – perhaps 12 hours of light: 12 hours of darkness. Some minimal pruning may be required to keep any sideways development at bay

Benefits:

• Quick turnaround times to harvest
• Ideal for tight, low headroom spaces
• Very easy way to direct plant growth
• Potential for high, easy yields if properly managed

Drawbacks:

• Can be risky given proximity of plants
• Need to ensure stability and monitor health closely
• Uniform growth essential
• Access can be difficult
• Plants will be small

Suitable for:

Plants with flexible branches and a sorter growing cycle.

In conclusion

Sometimes you must be prepared to try something different and accept some risks if you want to achieve more. Plant training is a prime example of this. It’s not an exact science and failures can be a little costly.

But training also involves very little outlay in terms of kit required, helps plant management, maximises available space, can unlock new levels of growth, and has been shown to deliver superior yields.

Proceed with care, perhaps at a time when you can afford to take a minor hit, and with an open mind. By getting up close and training your crop you’ll get a far better appreciation of what plants can really do.