Forgive my naiveté, but Ive heard this term several times now and don't know what it means when someone says
"I do not prune unless I am growing a standard." what does 'standard' mean?
What Does The Term 'Standards' mean Exactly?
Standard means that you are aiming for a "tree" form, rather than a "shrub" form.
When you standardize a plant, it means it will have one main trunk, then bush out
at the top.
Ohhhh.. I get it now! thanks for clearing that up...LOl.. i have been trying to figure it out on my own.. as you can see, that didnt work out...LOl.
so.. if you wanna train a brug to a 'standard' i suppose you just keep rubbing out leaves from the main stem until its reached a desired height? Do you start when its a seedling and go from there,?
If you start it out from a seedling -- let it go. It will "Y" and then start to set buds..... I like the nice "canopy" effect, myself.
Don't rub out any leaves. Brugs know when they are ready to "Y" and produce buds.
There is another way to get straight standards besides growing seedlings. Growth that comes from above the "Y" produces branches that zig zag. Growth from close to ground level, from the ground and other vegetative sites will produce long straight branches. If you want a good looking standard take that growth. You can choose to remove that growth as soon as it matures or leave it on the mother plant until it reaches the desired height. Leaving it in the mother plant will get you faster results.