Cannabis Supercropping Tutorial

Supercropping cannabis plants is a high stress training technique that can be instrumental in effectively training cannabis plants. It is used to reduce the height or reposition branches or “colas”. Although it is considered “high-stress”, it is actually a fairly low-risk training technique if you follow the proper procedure. In this cannabis supercropping tutorial we address the common questions about supercropping cannabis plants. We cover why you should supercrop cannabis plants, when to supercrop cannabis, and most importantly how to supercrop cannabis plants.

What is Supercropping

Supercropping is a technique that allows you to bend and fold the plant to reduce height or reposition branches, stems or “colas”. It involves pinching the stem to soften the internal core or “curd” of the plant and make the outer fibers pliable. After the pinch, you can fold the plant at the pinch point to lower and/or reposition the stalk. After supercroppimg, the stalks initially require support, but they will quickly work to return to a vertical position, so the folded stalks also must be restrained in their new position.

Why Supercrop Cannabis Plants

There are several reasons to supercrop cannabis plants. The primary application is to manage the growth of the canopy especially during the stretch. Plants that are topped or trained to have multiple colas often benefit from supercropping to keep the canopy a uniform distance from the light. You can also use supercropping to maneuver plants to fill areas where light maybe going underutilized. In addition, during vegetative growth, supercropping is useful to create structures such as mainlines and manifolds.

Most growers turn to supercropping for the first time when they have individual stalks which rise higher than the rest of their canopy. These “too tall” colas will require you to raise the light, which reduces the efficiency of your canopy in harnessing the light energy. The taller stalks can also shade out the lower growth and stunt its development. In extreme cases, these “too tall” stalks may actually grow too tall for the space that they are enclosed within. Supercropping is the most effective way to lower the height of these “too tall” colas and maintain an even canopy. In the process, supercropping creates sections of horizontal stem which often provide additional growth points for stalks and buds.

How Does Supercropping Cannabis Impact Yield?

You may be nervous that pinching and folding your plant will lead to a reduction in the yield, but this is far from the case. Many growers believe that supercropping produces even larger buds as the plant responds to the trauma. While there is a lack of scientific support for a hormonal benefit from supercropping, there is sufficient evidence to say that, when done properly, it does not reduce yields.

Supercropping may help you to produce larger yields by allowing you to manage the canopy and effectively spread out the plant. Supercropping typically involves folding branches to around a 90° angle. This increases the exposure and surface area of light to these branches. This not only helps improve the quantity of yield but also the quality. This is because light projects over the flower sites more evenly, creating long and uniform bud growth over the entire length of the branches. The goal of any indoor cannabis plant training strategy should be an even uniform canopy. This allows the most efficient use of light energy, which maximizes the yield potential of your grow. For more on this, see our article, "Why You Should Train Cannabis Plants". Supercropping is an indispensable tool to help growers take control of plant shape and cultivate even canopies.

When to Supercrop Cannabis Plants

You can supercrop at any point when the plant is still growing vertically. After you pinch and fold the stalk down, it will bend back around to face the light. However, if the plant is no longer growing vertically then it will not turn around and it will not be well positioned to receive the light.

Supercropping during the stretch

The best time to supercrop is during the stretch, which is typically the second and third week of 12/12 lighting for photo-period strains. However, I have had success supercropping much earlier and later than that. I have supercropped right at the end of the stretch such that the tops just barely turned back around pointing upwards. This produced many sections of horizontal stem near the canopy and the bud sites all along them grew very well. We do not recommend supercropping after “the stretch” when it is generally not needed because the plant is not growing vertically at that point.