Can colas form without LSTing?

Hello again ,

So my question is about colas. By colas i mean the main bud at the top of the plant, the one that looks solid and looks like 1 giant bud. I saw a video by seemorebuds (15 lbs in 80 days) and it was curious to me that the person in that video got a bunch of colas like he did (when using the aqua mist hydroponic system with 4 600w hps's for 100 plants) because the only light the plants had was on the tops. It was so dense with foliage and such that no light was available to lower branches/bud sites.
Do you need to do Low Stress Training or something similar to get thick colas? Or does the energy the plant gets from the tops transfer to the buds below the very tops? I was under the impression that if it doesn't get direct light it doesn't grow (or at least doesn't mature all the way).

And do lanky stretched plants always form some sort of cola or is it possible for the pant to be to stretched to form them?

And one last question i have, if anyone can answer it, is how are the colas formed? I mean like do the 3-4 little bud sites at the top of the plant swell into big enough buds to make 1 big cola? Or do new bud sites continually pop up until they all form to make the cola? Ive never actually paid attention to how they formed... and now I'm curious .


Thanks again for all the help guys.

sfsgosu said:

Hello again ,

So my question is about colas. By colas i mean the main bud at the top of the plant, the one that looks solid and looks like 1 giant bud. I saw a video by seemorebuds (15 lbs in 80 days) and it was curious to me that the person in that video got a bunch of colas like he did (when using the aqua mist hydroponic system with 4 600w hps's for 100 plants) because the only light the plants had was on the tops. It was so dense with foliage and such that no light was available to lower branches/bud sites.
Do you need to do Low Stress Training or something similar to get thick colas? Or does the energy the plant gets from the tops transfer to the buds below the very tops? I was under the impression that if it doesn't get direct light it doesn't grow (or at least doesn't mature all the way).

And do lanky stretched plants always form some sort of cola or is it possible for the pant to be to stretched to form them?

And one last question i have, if anyone can answer it, is how are the colas formed? I mean like do the 3-4 little bud sites at the top of the plant swell into big enough buds to make 1 big cola? Or do new bud sites continually pop up until they all form to make the cola? Ive never actually paid attention to how they formed... and now I'm curious .


Thanks again for all the help guys.

Click to expand...

you do NOT need to lst to get main colas. infact the large colas you speak of have more to do with the plant's genetics rather than your methods of training. all you can do is get MORE main colas but if the strain isnt known to make colas you cant make them appear out of nowhere. the way to do this is to TOP your plant...once the plant has grown 2-4 nodes it can be topped (ie. the ball like top on the plant is snipped off...then two main stems will grow in its place...you can even top to get 4 or even 8 main colas...

this being said not all plants form main colas...

main colas are formed by clusters of budsites near the top of the plant. the budsites are so close they grow into each other forming one large colas (infact its actually just several buds that have grown closely together.

using lst can only help your overall bud production and light penetration.

an hid light can penetrate roughly 1 ft into the canopy...so if you're plants are no bigger than 1 ft the light is reaching all the way to the bottom even if the light isnt shining on the bottom buds...

if you want bigger buds either flower sooner (to guarantee light penetration) or LST. the way i lst is a little different than most: i prefer to top first them lst by taking the main colas and bending them apart from each other (spreading open the center of the plant's canopy...this will get light all the way to the surface of the soil...only downside is if space is a problem in your flowering area (for me its not)

super cropping is well worth your time as well...it helps promote branching and bud sites.

lst, topping, and super cropping are all really easy methods to boost your yield...take it from me...i doubled my yield with lst, topping, and super cropping versus growing without it.

dont stress so much on the main colas...topping or FIMming them will be what you're looking to do if more main colas are your goal.

sog is also a method designed to grow nothing but main colas (plants usually are put on a short 1-2 wk veg or sometimes straight to 12/12). plants are potted in fairly small pots (usually 1 gallon size pots or smaller even)...the idea is to pack them in as tight as possible under an hid and your main yield will come from a sea of mj colas...

i personally never tried it as i work from seed...its best to use sog with clones to ensure they will all be the same height...another option is a SCROG...this will allow you to grow big plants under the same sog idea instead you use a net to keep the plants in check (height wise) and flower them once about 80% of the screen is covered with canopy.

hope this helps.

That is so good to hear. I have heard the sweet tooth strain I have is excellent for sog so im hoping it is. Do you have any special method for super cropping as well? When is it supposed to be done? at the beginning of light change?

Extremely helpful reply. Thank you very much.

sfsgosu said:

That is so good to hear. I have heard the sweet tooth strain I have is excellent for sog so im hoping it is. Do you have any special method for super cropping as well? When is it supposed to be done? at the beginning of light change?

Extremely helpful reply. Thank you very much.

Click to expand...

you want to do all your super cropping in veg...none in flower.

best way (in my opinion) is to grab the branch and put it between your index (or middle) finger and thumb...carefully pinch the stem until you feel it snap/pop and give it a very slight twist between your fingers...be careful not to actually break the outside of the branch...just the insides...

once you bend the branch the tip should just hang down...

now leave it...

within 24 hrs (usually...sometimes 48hrs) the branch will heal itself forming a knot where you pinched it...above the pinch the growth will take off...new branches will form. new branches = new budsites.

do this only in veg...its best not to top for the first wk and half to two weeks...not a good idea to super crop once you go into flower as the branch will NOT heal itself...

hope this helps.


ps when you start super cropping go easy and just do one or two branches and see how they respond...if they repair themselves and form knot then keep on going.

super cropping can be done to all strains in veg.