Super cropping is a pretty well-established training method among cannabis cultivators. One quick google search of "super cropping" will result in plenty of articles explaining the how and why behind super cropping. Here at Brothers In Farms, we heavily recommend super cropping to increase yields and provide a nice even canopy in your grow tent. This article will run you through our method and explain how to utilize some of our 3d printed super croppers.
Super cropping is a high stress training (HST) method of growing cannabis. The technique involves pinching a stem of the plant to the point of creating internal damage (to the stem) in a methodical way. Internally damaging the stem causes a few things to happen:
Increased Potency
It acts as an environmental stressor to the plant which will cause the plant to produce more potent buds during flower to ward off predator animals (since trichomes are used as a natural pest deterrent).
Maximized Yield
The branches that are super cropped will grow horizontally while the rest of the plant grows vertically. This can temporarily prevent your plant from increasing in height while the overall canopy of the plant expands horizontally.
The first thing to consider when super cropping is the age of your plant. Although it is beneficial to start young, you do not want to start super cropping until you get to the 4th or 5th node of growth on a juvenile plant. Starting any earlier than this is not beneficial and can actually stunt a plants growth (especially an autoflower). Once the plant has reached its 4th or 5th node of growth, it's time to start super cropping.
You can super crop cannabis plants throughout the vegetative phase right through early weeks of flower. Essentially the whole time the plant is still stretching vertically you can employ the use of the super cropping technique.
The best time to super crop a cannabis plant is right before a feed. When you super crop before a feed, the plants stems will be a bit more malleable and bendy. Also, by feeding the plants right after applying a bunch of external stressors you enable the plant to drink up a bunch of nutrients and water to help kickstart the healing process.
Now that you've had a brief summary on the reasons for super cropping and the best time to start, let's jump into when and how you can actually deploy this method in your own cannabis garden.
First, before you begin, you will need the following materials:
Plant or Electrical Tape (in case of a mistake)
To super crop a plant, follow the following steps:
Pinch the stem you'd like to super crop very gradually until you hear a slight pop. Here I am pinching the main stem of an autoflower plant.
Once the stem is pinched and you can bend it, bend it back and forth between upright and a 90 degree angle in the direction you want to bend it. Sometimes you may need to pinch a bit more of the stem to create enough flexibility to bend the stem.
Now all that's left is to apply a BIF Super Cropper to the stem. The nice thing about the BIF Super Cropper is that it will hold your super crop in place while the plant continues to grow and heal the joint. Eventually the super cropper will actually snap off (as designed) as the plaints stem continues to widen in diameter.
Note: If you happen to snap a stem during super cropping, fear not. Simply use some plant or electrical tape to hold the stem together until it can repair itself.
Now to show some results. Here is a peak at some of our Brothers In Farms community members utilizing our super croppers to enhance overall yield and potency of their cannabis plants.
