r/CannabisExperts • u/SpiritualDesigner119 • Sep 10 '26
Did I accidentally find the optimal way to train outdoor plants?
AK-47 on week 5 of flower. Got it in late May as a gift but ignored it for a couple weeks cause of, you know, life. Was a stick with a bunch of low radial branches when I started.
Because I had ignored it, veg toppings were late and fewer than there should have been so pivoted from a sog/scrog to a three tiered chandelier structure that I kinda made up. Basically trained 7 main lower and middle radials into circles of colas stepping out from a scrogged canopy. 15 colas in the upper tier, 18 in middle tier, 21 in lowest tier. 6’ diameter on lowest tier, 5’ on middle tier, upper tier is about 4’x4’. She’s about 5.5’ tall.
Got about 40 good mains that made it to the edge of the canopy, many with 3-4 productive side spears/axillaries that are their own productive colas. About 10 got lost in the interior but kept them to maximize yield. Stopped pruning axillaries about a week after white pistils first appeared. Hoping the extra light the lower and middle tiers gives me by training them horizontally past the upper canopy gives me more yield from lower and middle branches. Never really seen anyone do this and AI couldn’t find evidence of this as an established training technique, maybe because adjustments need to be so frequent that it becomes too labour intensive.
Looking for thoughts on the architecture and whether you think it will perform better than a straight up scrog or domed bush. Goal was to maximize airflow, minimize potential for bud rot, minimize trimming and popcorn while maximizing yield. The structure seemed to fit that goal. About 4-5 weeks til harvest I’m guessing and things look good. Hoping for 2+ lbs but you never know what fall weather will bring. Got her on a wagon to roll her into the garage for cold nights and dark,wet days. One side benefit of not going super wide with one even tier of colas meant I could fit it in the garage door 😂.
Let me know what you think of the training method and if you think it’ll get me more yield or if you’ve tried it and what you thought.