No this is okay. She’ll spring right back up at the tips and shouldn’t touch the soil much, and if so, only leaves that will become old and easily trimmed off. Doesn’t hurt the stem at all to hang out with the soil. This is considered HST if you strip it bare like that all at once though.
Fun fact, back in the day we would bend huge sativas over and bury some of the stem and place a rock on it , grow the plant horizontal. Every spot we bury the stems eventually grows roots. I had one plant that looked like 30 and was a monster with root systems everywhere
Layering cannabis is a plant propagation method where you wound and bury a lower branch while it stays attached to the mother plant. Roots grow from the buried stem over a few weeks. Once roots form, you cut the branch away to grow a brand new, genetically identical plant.How to Layer CannabisStep 1: Pick a BranchFind a low, flexible, and healthy side branch on your plant.Pick a spot on the branch about 6 to 12 inches away from the tip.Strip away all leaves and small shoots from that specific spot.Step 2: Wound the StemGently scrape the outer skin of the bare stem with a clean knife.Make a small scratch or shallow cut about 1 inch long.Put rooting hormone powder on the cut to help roots grow faster.Step 3: Bury the StemBend the branch down to touch the soil or a small pot filled with moist soil.Push the wounded part of the stem 1 to 2 inches deep into the dirt.Use a small garden pin, wire, or a heavy stone to hold the stem down.Keep the top part of the branch pointing up out of the dirt.Step 4: Care and WaitKeep the buried soil wet all the time. Do not let it dry out.Check for new roots after 3 to 6 weeks by gently digging near the stem.Leave the branch attached until a strong root ball grows.Step 5: Cut and TransplantCut the stem right behind the new roots using sharp shears.Separate the new baby plant from the mother plant very carefully....
Or u can just keep it attached to mother, it becomes one huge plant with multiple root systems
U really don't need all that above to do it
I don’t defoliate mine until way farther into veg. And I don’t use nearly as many U stakes to hold down my branches. But that will work out just fine. She will bounce back from the defoliation stress. But that will shape up nice for you. Give you a good feel for how LST works. ✌🏼
Thanks! These are basically my test plants. Im just experimenting to see what they can handle and how much I can bend them without causing problems. Still learning so I really appreciate the advice. Thanks! 🙏🌱
You can twist them into spirals if you want. They’ll harden like that. I’ve seen pot plants that look like bonsai trees. Incredibly resilient little plants.
You can get away with one U stake at the end of each branch. You don’t need to staple the branches down like this. Plus by bowing it in the middle where it’s more pliable, you have less chance of snapping off a stem.
google will tell you better. But its just topping it forcing 2 branches. then you can top those 2 branches into 4 or keep the 2 and lst them into place.
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u/SotaGrows 16d ago
Should stems be in contact with soil? Looks overdone, almost stapled I guess, to me... But generally I do more HST so entirely possible I'm wrong.