How can we manipulate the fiber properties through branching?

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What is the properties of the fiber?
+ length of fibers
+ yield per plant
+ ease of extraction of fibers

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How can we control branching?
+ density of the plants
+ genetics
+ training
+ light position



Low stress training technique

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     Low stress training does not require any mutilation or damage to the plant which, for some, is the sole reason to use it above high stress training methods. Low stress training is done by hacking the growth patron of the plant into thinking the apical tips are no longer able to be the apical tips. In nature, if a branch gets blocked by another branch, or a large leaf from another tree, the plant will do it is best to navigate the growing tip so that it can continue growing upwards.
     If, however, the plant cannot easily find a way to make that growing tip go back towards the light, the level of auxins will shift, and the lower sites will be called upon to try and stretch up to become the next apical tip.
In our apparatus SERVOS are program to pull the plants with the minimal force, by ARDUINO UNO BOARD we are moving 1 degree every 24,20 and 16 hour depending of which servo motors the branch is attached to. These system allow us to control with more precision all the branch. The different pushing timing depends of the quality of it. Because we are controlling and guiding the plant as it grow this is a very low stress technique opposed to the high stress act of weaving the branch in the matrix.
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FIM pruning technique


     One reason to prune is to increase yield or lower plant profile by topping the plants grow tips. The traditional method involves removing the entire growth point but there are now other methods such as the FIM which can dramatically affect the appearance of the plant and perhaps increase yield by increased branch structure.
     Picture 1 shows the location of the very top of the new growth in plant number 3: we cut below the center of the node, leaving about 10% intact. This is the most important thing because the vegetation left behind has cells that are rapidly dividing in many different directions. Picture 2 shows how with a clean sterilized scissors, we folded the fan leafs over and cut approximately 80% of the new growth off the plant. Picture 3 and 4 show a cut section after 2 days growth, showing the 4 new growth branches.
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Screen Growing Technique

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     This technique increase the amount of branch that we are controlling in plant 1, the matrix is a regular grid that we are using for waving manually.