Final Results & Conclusions – Harvest, Drying & Curing The grow is finally complete, and it’s time to look at the results. The main goal of this experiment was to compare natural growth vs LST on autoflowering plants, while also documenting two different trimming/drying approaches. Final Dry Weight Sour Jealousy Auto * LST: 44.9 g * Natural: 62.9 g Banana Purple Punch Auto * LST: 36.1 g * Natural: 51.6 g The results were surprisingly consistent across both strains. The naturally grown plants produced approximately 41% more flower than the LST plants on average, or, looking at it from the other direction, the LST plants produced around 29% less than their naturally grown counterparts. This suggests that, at least in this small experiment, LST did not provide a yield advantage with these autoflowers. In fact, the naturally grown plants produced considerably more. However, there are some important limitations. The sample size is extremely small, with only two plants per growing method. Individual phenotype and environmental variation can therefore have a significant impact on the results. There was also an important difference in pot size: the naturally grown Sour Jealousy was grown in an 18 L pot, while the other three plants were grown in 14 L pots. From this grow, combined with my experience from previous years, I continue to see a relationship between available root space and overall plant development: more substrate seems to give the plant more room to develop. The biggest advantage of LST was not yield, but plant structure and height control. The trained plants remained much shorter and more compact, making them considerably less conspicuous than the naturally grown plants. Drying Comparison I also experimented with two different trimming approaches. The two LST plants were wet trimmed, while the two naturally grown plants were dry trimmed. Throughout drying, I tried to maintain humidity between 55–65%. Temperature was unfortunately higher than ideal, staying around 26–28°C, as I didn’t have equipment to control it. Despite the less-than-ideal temperature, the aromas coming from both groups are very promising. At this stage, both drying methods have produced flowers with excellent fragrances. However, this comparison has an important limitation: because the LST plants were wet trimmed and the natural plants were dry trimmed, the two variables cannot be completely separated. Any differences in the final aroma or quality cannot be attributed exclusively to the drying method. For that reason, I’ll wait until the curing process is further along before making any conclusions. Final Thoughts This experiment gave me some interesting empirical evidence about LST on autoflowers. For my setup, natural growth clearly outperformed LST in terms of final weight, while LST offered a clear advantage in terms of plant size and canopy control. The sample size is obviously too small to draw definitive conclusions, so I’d really like to hear from other growers who have compared LST vs natural growth on autoflowering plants, especially when using the same genetics, pot size and environmental conditions. I’ll update this diary again in about a month, once the curing process is complete and I can compare the final aromas and tasting experience.