Bend only what is still green
Young wood
Green stems flex. Tan or brown woody stems snap
Repair
A pinch or partial snap can heal if the stem is not severed or split
Go slow
Hold the base and move the tip a little at a time
Splint
A skewer or bamboo can brace a bend that needs help while it calluses
Crimping
Goal
Stress the branch so the plant thickens the damaged zone and the stem stays bent
How
Hold the stem with one hand. Roll it between thumb and finger until you feel a crunch
Larger limbs
An audible break means you reached the tissue. Stop there
Small limbs
A pinch can replace a twist
After
The repaired section is often stronger than it was
Inverted tops and auxin
Why tops dominate
The apical bud makes auxin that holds side shoots back
Bend, do not cut
Drop the top below the side buds and auxin production at that tip pauses
Sides wake
Lower branches start to run as if you had topped
Release
After those sides are moving, let the main tip up again. You keep the original top and gain more large buds
Supercropping and ties
Horizontal
Train a top branch sideways so more of the bud sees light and a runaway spear drops into the canopy
Hardware
Soft string, cloth, garden tape, twist ties, or stakes. Keep knots loose
Group yield
A set of trained branches can outweigh a single dominant cola
Height control
This is the tool when one shoot is leaving the screen or the lamp gap