stretch problem...HELP!!!!

[erratic_eddie]

Well, i've run into a big problem. Here's the deal:

-Mills Pride cabinet
-400 HPS Lamp air cooled with glass reflector
-5 plants at day 26 into flowering (2 NL, 3 Top 44)

My problem is my cabinet has no vertical space left whatsoever. I cannot move my lamp up any higher. I had my vortex mounted in my cabinet and I had to move it out to give my lamp more space.

The Top 44's are fine. I should have enough room for them height wise. However, The NL's stretched much more than I anticipated. I vegged until they were 10 inhes tall, now they are over 3 1/2 feet. The tops are hitting the glass reflector now. They will not burn even if they are touching the glass, as my vortex seems to be keeping the cab nice and cool.

My question is what can I do? I know since I am in flowering, I shouldn't stress the ladies. However, is topping my only option at this point? What would the consequences be? Im assuming I wouldnt get as much yield, but would potency be screwed if I topped now? Or do i just let them hit the glass reflector and continue growing? That route presently is casuing the top cola to bend.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I could use as much feedback as possible. Sorry, no digital camera at this time.

I have no idea at this point what to do

 

[Endo]

i would start doing some low stress training.. hopefully its not to late.. can you arrange it so that you can bend the tops of the nl plants down a little? when i say a little i mean a little every day... tie a string to the top of the cola and a string a little ways down, tie the lower one to the side of your cab and run the string on the top across the cab to the otherside and have it pull slightly down, a little more everyday just adjust it, untill they are growing horizontal. hold on ill try and draw something up to show ya what i mean.

 

[DickAnubis]

Tough spot man. If the tops are going to burn against the light, not to mention the potential fire hazard unless you have a cab stretcher you may have no choice. chop chop.
I'm far from expert but I remember reading in Drake's Cultivator's Handbook that in India they often chop their tops during flower. Either way, just ry to figure out the least shocking way.
In other words. Put Down That AXE!!!

GOOD LUCK BRO

 

[JJScorpio]

Dont cut those tops now unless you want to lose a lot of the plant. Tie a string loosely around the top of the plant about 1/4 of the way down and carefully pull the top over a little every other day or so. You may have to drill a small hole in the top of the planter to tie the string off....

 

[Endo]

i hope this gets my idea across.. i know you have other plants but you said you had 2 stretchy ones.. the red is where you would tie the strings, 1 to bend and one to hold the main stalk in place.. lemmy know if this helps. it better took me forever... lol.

good luck..

endo

 

[erratic_eddie]

thanks guys...unfortunately i fucked up and snapped the stem of the weakest of my 2 NL's. It wasn't so much the tying, as it was trying to move the plant out of my box and hold onto my lamp which I was reposotioning, etc. Anyways, now i'm down to one NL which really is pissingme off. I went ahead and drilled a hole into one side of the pot and started to bend the top back a little. The cola is still small, so I went a couple of nodes from the top and strung it up there.

Question: Is my goal to get the top bent to 90 degree angle? Do you think this low stress will affect potency?

 

[Endo]

wont effect potency.. you will see that they grow a little diffrently.. but thats 2 be expected... it grows towards the lights... you will just have a funny looking cola..

 

[Guest]

thanks guys...unfortunately i fucked up and snapped the stem of the weakest of my 2 NL's. It wasn't so much the tying, as it was trying to move the plant out of my box and hold onto my lamp which I was reposotioning, etc. Anyways, now i'm down to one NL which really is pissingme off. I went ahead and drilled a hole into one side of the pot and started to bend the top back a little. The cola is still small, so I went a couple of nodes from the top and strung it up there.

Question: Is my goal to get the top bent to 90 degree angle? Do you think this low stress will affect potency?

Depending on how bad the snap was, you might be able to save the NL. If there are any connective tissues left between the break and the top, lay the top over and try to mend the break. Some people really crush the stems as a way of training plants.

Yes, over a period of time if you can get the plant at a 90 degree angle, that is best. Then it doesn't matter how long it takes to finish, the Sativas just get bigger. I trained my haze at 90 degrees last grow and got HUGE colas, much bigger than the indicas.

 

[Young Giver]

I would bend them like everyone else is saying... Do it very slowly though..