Great idea if I had one!!,, Ill pinch and bend for now and put a soccer net over them. hopefully it wont slow them down too much. Ill get some pics of the process. rather proud of these 14 girls, just hope I dont screw them up. snapping limbs always seems like a bad idea, but imma have to do something.
Sounds like a plan Stan - and I do this all the time. Def no on the topping, that will hurt all around.
Some strains handle the bending better than others - some are brittle, some are supple. The reason to pinch, is to weaken the bend point enough to allow it to bend without snapping, so the amount of pinching is strain dependent. You can do it by hand, or also with a pair of pliers - wrap some tap around the jaws to make them softer. Another way is to give it a good 'twist' - hold above and below the bend point, and twist the stem, about 1/4 turn, back and forth once or twice, you'll feel it change and 'give way', and then you can bend safely without snapping the stem.
The net is a good idea, though going to be hard to lift the plants to get those trays in and out. Maybe skip, and if weight of the buds causes too much droop, just prop them up with little bamboo or other stakes? Don't worry if buds aren't vertical, in a couple of days they will reorient themselves to the lights no problem.
Also, I broke off a main cola this time on one of the plants while training through the screen - oops - it was hanging by a fiber. Lined it back up and wrapped painters tape around it, and it's coming along just fine!
Now that watering situation sounds like a real pita, especially with that many pie tins. Any chance you can put a connected catch tray under them - like a gutter (don't really have a visual)? Even if you lose an inch or two in height. Then, perhaps you can run a hose up there, or pump it up? If so, you could then siphon the runoff out and back down out of the attic? Dunno, little kluge setup might payoff in time and hassle.
Good luck!!
