Make vegging plants stretch

[yesum]

I have some problem stubby plants and want them at least 6 inches tall when I flip to flower. Some are 3 or 4 inches tall and they already have 4 or 5 nodes. I had some problems with ph lockout earlier so that accounts for some of the stunted effect.

I have raised the light to a foot and a half so they are not getting much intensity. I have been taking the shorter plants out of the tent and placing them in a dark cupboard for 4 to 10 hours a day. I am hoping this will cause them to stretch, because it is not happening with lights on, or at least very slowly.

I want to flip the lights within a week and hope the darkness will add a few inches to their height. I planted these middle of july so I have waited as long as I care to.

 

[stoned-trout]

why would you want lanky plants..?????????????.. you want compact plants without huge gaps between branches ..making it best for the lights to do their thing... yeehaw

 

[ganjygav]

What bulbs you using? Ive found hps in veg the plants get taller quicke,duel spec hps that is. I've just started using mh for first time,plants are slower in gaining height but look happier all round.

 

[betshtick]

Can basically tune your node length by raising/lowering your lights, though can vary a lot by strain/pheno ofc..

Sometimes I intentionally stretch my moms out when I've gone overboard with kelp foliar or neglected to raise the light for too long. I also don't like when things get too crazy bushy, invites mold/mildew.

 

[amanda88]

veg with a hps, to encourage stretchy lanky plants

 

[TheScrogFrog]

What's your light schedule like? This plays a role in stretch. Longer dark hours = more stretch in general.

 

[yesum]

Ok, thanks for the help. I am using LED and that is all I have. As to why I want them to stretch, I can not get any yield off of plants that are only 4 inches tall before flowering.

These are all indica and squat but I need them a little more up there to get any yield. I will keep trying the long dark periods every day, hope they do not flower before I want them too.

It is all a pain as I have several plants that are stretchy already even though they were the last to be planted by a week, so I have to remove the stubby ones from the tent every day. Hardcore indica genes in these: Northern Lights 5 from BCSC and GodBud from JOTI.

 

[Granger2]

Pot them up, inoculate with beneficials, use root stimulator. Raise lights. I don't use LED's, so you be the judge. Give high N, Silica, less P and K. Good luck. -granger

 

[Paz]

if led then i suspect lights are far too close and poss suffering rather than ph lockout (que?).
You also didn't say how old these seedlings areso how can e judge if stunted? Plus placing them in a dark cupboard for 4 to 10 hours a day? is it 4 or 10 or just a random number inbetween? I feel it might be a combination of things that meddlers do

 

[Zipsort]

LED's probably aren't strong enough to make them stretch. Sorry but it is the truth

 

[yesum]

All good. I got the stubby plants to get to at least 5 to 6 inches tall and flipped them to flower yesterday.

One interesting thing was that the tops of the plants were yellow when I took them out of the cupboard after being in there around 36 hour I guess. Under the lights they are turning green again.

I put these plants into soil on June 11 so it was just heavy indica genes causing the shortness, along with using LED which shortens plants for me anyways.

The ones I put in a week after that are stretchy at 8 or more inches, though they were supposed to be indica but have thin leaves and long internodal space. KCBrains Afghani Special, I hope they are worth a damn to smoke but at $20 a pack they might just be junk.

 

[stoned-trout]

I don't think I have even bought seeds that cheap...good luck...yeehaw

 

[_frankenstein]

Try to move the more indica plants to the center and raise their pot to where the light is stronger and can penetrate better, puzzle the sativa plants around.
All plats will increase considerably their node distances in the flowering stage, but the tendency is allready there.
Good luck, love mixed grows!

 

[med-man]

i have found that using hps for 8-13 hours on, and t-5 for 24 hours on makes for awesome internode stretch and branching

plus when you flip they are rearing to go

med-man