Did you know more than 60% of the cannabis growers use super cropping to increase their harvest? This practice leads them to get higher yields and healthier plants, provided it’s done right.
Super cropping is one of the most promising high-stress training techniques, where the grower intentionally damages the plant to cause stress. As a result, it’s defense mechanism kicks in.
We know there would be hundreds of questions rising in your mind, such as
- What is super cropping?
- Why do you need to super crop?
- How does super cropping work?
- Things you need to super crop marijuana
- How’s it done?
- When is the right time to do it?
- What if you accidentally damage the plant?
- Are there any limitations?
If you’re looking for answers to the questions mentioned above, we will make sure you find everything you need to know about super cropping in this post.
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What is Super Cropping?
Super cropping is a high-stress training technique that involves some planned or intentional damage by the grower to the cannabis plant. The plant reacts defensively, leading to bigger buds, more resin, and higher yield.
Many growers use this training technique to reposition their plant’s branches or colas for uniform light distribution and optimum height.
The process involves pinching the branch with a gentle rolling motion to soften the stem’s inner part and make it more pliable. Afterward, you can easily reposition the colas or the branches.
Why Do You Need Super Cropping?
Numerous reasons convince the growers to choose super cropping for their yields.
Ensures even light distribution
If you find some branches getting tall, you have to readjust the light multiple times to ensure it is evenly distributed. Moreover, the tall branches cast a shadow on some areas leaving that part of the plant in darkness.
Improves the yield
With super cropping, you can improve and intensify the growth of your yield. Marijuana plant adjusts and readjusts itself to changes. The defense mechanism accelerates its growing speed and potency.
Stimulates better productivity
With better growth comes improved productivity. The buds get bigger, producing more resin leading to the production of more psychoactive ingredients.
How Does Super Cropping Works?
Marijuana plants produce resin to protect themselves from numerous external factors. Thousands of glands on the leaves, stems, and buds release tiny droplets of this resin. It’s a thick, sticky substance that covers the cannabis plant’s organs.
This resin holds psychoactive substances such as CBD and THC. The more the resin, the more these psychoactive cannabinoids.
Marijuana plants protect themselves from dehydration, bugs, insects, and extreme weather, be it cold or hot.
If the marijuana plant is harmed at the vegetative phase, its defense mechanism kicks in immediately, leading to more resin production.
The plant starts growing in the direction opposite the bend you made for super cropping, creating a wide area for resin production and flowers.
Things You Need to Super Crop Marijuana Plant
Things you require to super crop your marijuana plants are
- Your thumb and forefinger
- Protective gloves
- Tools to tie down the stems in places such as twisty ties, zip ties or bamboo stake (avoid anything sharp that may cut into your plant’s skin such as a string)
- Grafting tape (in case of a mistake)
- Lastly, but most importantly, some growing experience
How Can You Super Crop Your Marijuana Plants?
Marijuana plants are highly sensitive. They react to every external or internal change.
Excessive stress or trauma leads to hermaphroditism. However, strategic stress may provide more advantages than disadvantages.
For super cropping, you will be using this sensitivity of the cannabis plants in your favor. By giving controlled stress, you are causing the plant to react and produce more.
Here’s a step by step guide on how you can super crop your cannabis plants.
- Choose the branches, stems, or colas for the procedure.
- These branches could be the taller ones. Make sure the colas are soft and greener, so it’s easier to bend them to your wish.
- Choose a point on the stem, above the node, for super cropping.
- Hold that point with your finger and thumb, pinching it with enough strength to squeeze the inner core, but not too much that could snap the stem. Keep rolling and pressing for ten to fifteen seconds while being cautious not to press nails.
- If the branch you chose is a mature one, it may take more time than expected. Be persistent and patient. It will eventually go soft and pliable.
- After a while, you may feel the stem soft and elastic internally, while the upper layer is still intact.
- At this point, gently fold your stem at ninety degrees in your desired direction. Tie it up with a soft tie, so it stays at the place.
- Cannabis plants heal very fast. If you don’t bond the bent stem softly with a soft tie, there is a huge chance it would go back to its original position in mere hours.
- In the case of a taller plant, you can set a bamboo stake to tie all the bent stems in place loosely. Afterward, you can loosely connect the farther stems with soft ties to the bamboo stake as well.
- When you’re done bending and repositioning all the stems, it may look like a flat canopy, where every branch is equally exposed to the light with an optimum distance between the light source and the plants.
- In a span of two to four weeks, the stem will heal and form knuckles and start growing in the opposite direction. It’s as if a sensitive plant would react to an animal’s attack for its survival.
- You can repeat this process if the plant starts gaining height again. However, there is a limitation to the period, you can perform the procedure without harming your yield.
When is the Right Time to Super Crop?
We would recommend you to do the process only in the vegetative phase. It’s the time when the plant is growing in different directions, mostly vertical.
Even if you bend the stem, it will start growing in both directions. In addition to that, the stem would bend automatically for light exposure of the side facing darkness.
However, if you continue doing the procedure during the flowering phase, you may snap the cola and cause the plant to stress enough, it starts making seeds.
We all know what happens if the cannabis plant turned hermaphrodite, the buds would be full of seeds, resulting in losing the psychoactive properties and the taste. It is the worst nightmare of a grower, producing yield for fun or medicinal purposes.
What If You Accidently Damage the Stem?
It’s a common mistake. Many amateur growers may damage the stem while pinching and rolling it to soften its curd or the core.
You may accidentally break the stem or the outer skin ruptures due to uneven force or a nail bite. Don’t panic, it’s not something you can’t fix.
Just keep a grafting tape handy. Fix the stem back to its original position and secure it tightly with the grafting tape. If you do not have a grafting tape with you, get a cling film from your kitchen, and securely wrap it up.
Many growers recommend using duct tape for this purpose, but we recommend using a grafting tape, which is the perfect horticulture tool for a specific purpose.
Remove the grafting tape after ten to twelve days. The plant would most probably be healed by then. However, if you find the wound needs more time. Securely wrap it back up again.
Are There Any Limitations to Super Cropping?
Yes, there are few limitations to the process of super cropping.
It requires patience
As the process involves bending multiple stems to your desired position manually, you need a lot of patience and time. A cupboard grower can easily do that in maybe a few hours, but it is tough to achieve the result when a grower with a massive yield is involved.
Chances of getting injured (take precautions!)
Secondly, you may hurt your hands if you are not wearing protective gloves. After three to five rolls and pinches, every stem would get sticky and may irritate your skin. If done improperly or impatiently, you can cause more harm than bringing the benefits.
Implementing it in the wrong growth phase
Keeping strict notice of the window allowed to perform this task is crucial. If you miss the vegetative phase and do the process in the flowering phase, your plant may stress more than anticipated and turn hermaphrodite, wasting all of your efforts.
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Wrapping up on Super Cropping
Super cropping is ideal for growers with some experience and a comparatively smaller growing area. It not only results in more yield but also a more potent crop.
Thus you can enhance both the quality and the quantity of your crop. Don’t worry if you are new to super cropping, after a few attempts, you’ll get the hang of it.
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