Know exactly what training to do and when — based on your strain type, growth stage, experience, and goals. No more "did I just kill my plant?"
| Technique | Photo Early Veg | Photo Mid/Late Veg | Photo Flower | Auto Veg | Auto Flower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✂️ Topping | ✅ Best | ✅ Yes | ❌ Never | ⚠️ Risky | ❌ Never |
| 🌀 FIM | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Never | ⚠️ Risky | ❌ Never |
| 🪢 LST | ✅ Best | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Early only | ✅ Best | ⚠️ Gentle |
| 🕸️ SCROG | ⚠️ Setup | ✅ Best | ⚠️ Tuck only | ❌ Hard | ❌ No |
| 💪 Supercrop | ❌ Too young | ✅ Best | ⚠️ Stretch only | ❌ Risky | ❌ Never |
| 🍃 Defoliation | ❌ Too young | ✅ Yes | ✅ Key times | ⚠️ Light | ⚠️ Light |
| 🌱 Lollipopping | ❌ No | ✅ Pre-flip | ❌ Late | ⚠️ Light | ❌ No |
Only train healthy plants. If your plant is stressed from pH, overwatering, deficiencies, or pests — fix that first. Training a sick plant makes everything worse.
Autos have a hard deadline. They flip on their own clock. Any stress that slows growth during veg is growth you never get back. Photos can recover because you control when to flip.
Every cut or bend = 2–5 days of recovery. Plan your training so recovery happens during veg, not flower. The plant should enter flower fully recovered and shaped.
Less is more for beginners. LST alone can increase yield 30–50% with zero risk. You don't need to do everything — master one technique first.