Plant Stretching

[jakal369]

It's been about a week and I have two plants growing around 4" but I had to brace them up against a small wooden pole. My question is how well do plants recover from stretching, or is there a method to help take care of this problem after it occurs? I don't want to give up on them because I'd like to learn as much as possible from each grow. Any input would be wonderful.

[headshake]

just because you have to use a stake or something to brace your plant up doesn't mean that it's stretch necessarily (but it probably is stretch). it could be from lack of a fan that simulates wind that will help the stems strengthen.

there is nothing you can do to fix the problem after the fact.

what type of lights are you using?


-shake

[jakal369]

There's nothing I can do, does that mean it's a lost cause and I should start over? I'm using a 24" and an 18" fluro and I'm just about to install some MH lights as well. I figured out the whole lumens thing but it's useless to waste time talking about that. I just wanted to know if I should once again start over or what to do with these things.

[headshake]

there is no need to start over. stetch is inevitable. during flower there is what's knows as the 40/60 phenomena. basically it states that a plant in flower will spend the first 40 percent of it's time stretching and the last 60 percent filling out.

also, if you started over you wouldn't gain any experince.

a good rule of thumb for fluroescents is to keep them within 1-4" of you plants. if you do add the MH then a good measure of thumb is to put your hand under the light and you should be able to keep your hand there for 5 seconds before it gets too hot. back the light off just a tad from here.

also, if you do install the MH(s) then you mine as well use the fluros for clones.


-shake

[jakal369]

I'm only growing two plants at a time. I'm about to completely re-build my complete growing station to be perfectly professional. I have the two plants securely supported by wooden poles right now, I'm just stressing about the stems actually supporting themselves later on. I heard I could transplant the plants and actually burry some of the elongated stem into the new soil when I do, would that be a smarter move than to sit back and let them take their current course? The more I read the more I second guess myself and can't find a comfortable schedule to stick to. The ph levels are neutral, though I accidently got slow release nutes in the soil, which if they don't burn the plants I'll flush out later and not worry about that atm. Thank you for your interest and answers to my previous questions. Most people eat new kids alive. Just rest assured I am doing all the research in my spare time I can possibly stand. haha

[headshake]

you can burry the elongated stems, but you don't want to transplant until it's necessary as it can cause stress on your plants. but when the time comes definitely do it.

in the meantime add a fan for wind simulation. this will naturally strenghten the stems. at the minimum shake your plants everyday for a few seconds. not violently, just a little. this will help too.

what do you mean by comfortable schedule? lighting? feeding?

neutral on the pH is 7.0. if you are in soil you want to aim for 6.3 to 6.8.

you're welcome for the help....and sometimes i do eat new kids alive!!!


-shake

[jakal369]

haha I had a theory you may.

I meant a comfortable "game plan" on how to access these quirky situations my plants throw at me. I water once every day, but it's just enough for what they need that day due to all the lights and soil quickly drying out, so I know I'm not drowning them. theres a few holes on the bottom of the pots for circulation and no build up so the stem isn't soaked or moldy. I'm lighting them on a 24/0 schedule at first, but today started week 2 and I moved it to 20/4 to introduce them to the dark. Though while in week one the plants shot up and gew fast, but this week they are stuck it seems. This is as far as I've ever gotten (lol) growing a plant. Despite stretching, they appear very healthy, just a little thin right now. I have 3 fans creating a whirl wind in the room haha, there's plenty of air flow and "new", fresh air entering. I'd love for these plants to prosper, so I won't give up until they do. I'm getting new lights today, and just better overall equipment.

[headshake]

watering once a day is more than likely excessive. get a feel for the dry weight of your pot and then again after you water. do this by using your index finger and thumb on each hand and hold the rim of the pot. bounce up and down lightly. you can feel the difference. the length of time required between waterings will vary greatly depending on many different factors lights, heat, air exchange etc etc.

if they do indeed dry up daily then you might want to think about transplanting (which plays into your stretch problem!). a good way to check is to let them dry out (where the soil starts to pull back from the sides of the pot) and then place the stem between your index and middle finger. flip the plant upside down. it should slide out. it might need coaxing with a few taps on the bottom of the container. if you've got roots all over it's time to transplant.

let us know what you pick up.


-shake

[jakal369]

Not to worry pics are on the way! I'll take some as soon as I get home and remodel my grow area. I'll also include a complete list of what's going on.

[jakal369]

These are two pics I took from my phone on the first day of week two (a few days ago now). Terrible quality I know but atleast you can get an image of how they looked before I re did the space, which hopefully won't take me very long. Oh and I took down the foil, I heard it causes hot spots, but the room is already a bright, reflective white color as it is. Anyway, take a look and more are on the way

[freddyp411]

nice grow :jointsmile:

keep us updated:D

[jakal369]

Okay so I just picked up a few items and one of my friends was generous enough to give me a left over 24" fluro that's in the blue color spectrum range, I heard that was ideal for veg, so I'll set that one up top while there are 4 CFL lights on bottom floor close to the plants, right now about 3-4". The fluro is 1,250 lumens, the cfl's are 1600 a piece and the grow area is about 2ft-4ft. I have plenty of fans and the temp stays about 60-75 during daytime, and drops about 5 at night. I also have a Ph test kit now, out of all places a local fish feed store had one for freshwater. The plants are on a 20/4 schedule right now and it's been about 2 weeks. It's storming here so I won't be able to pick up my camera, but the plants incredibly look better after adjusting the Ph yesterday.

[jakal369]

so for two plants I successfully have 5,050 lumens in full operation. I can't wait to see the end results after all the tlc I put into them. More pictures on this way, this thread must survive as long as my growing attemp does. Thanks for all who read and post. Much appreciated. Any info or tips please feel free to comment, no matter how relative.

[mazman1989]

those fluorescent lights need to be like 1 inch away man. that one that leans to the side is searching for more light. My plant has no stretch and alot of leafs because my lights are rich in blue spectrum.

[Rusty Trichome]

Mazman: Nice technique of burying the stem up to the cotyledons. I use it every crop. Only difference is that I leave a bit more room for watering. :thumbsup:
If you plan ahead, you can start the seeds in less soil, so after they start stretching, you can bury up to the cotyledons without transplanting.

jakal: With fluorescent tubes (and 23w CFL's) reflected light only extends a few inches, so no need to worry about reflectivity of the walls. By the time the light bounces off of the walls, it's insufficient for promoting photosynthesis. If using CFL's, effective CFL light extends further than fluorescent tubes, and the tubes end-up getting in the way. Plus they add to the heat, and can be a bitch getting the bulb within effective range of all of the plants. (some are shorter, some are taller)

[jakal369]

The CFLs are located along the sides of the plants, but still reaching the tops of them, about 2 to 3 inches from actually touching the plant. I think of the CFLs as those white lines on the interstate. The fluro bulb that I raise depending on their hieght sits right in the middle of the CFLS, reaching the complete top of the plants. Then I have one more fluro up top that is very rich in the blue spectrum so a nice tint falls over the whole opperation. When i transplant, I planned on burrying the stems a little bit. Thanks for the responses.

[jakal369]

looking at your main stem mazmen, it's twice as thick as mine. Though my problems most likely occured due to stretching, I'm on my way towards fixing the Ph levels. It's about 6.2 right now and just started today (2nd week) with adding water with higher Ph (added a tbls of baking soda in a gallon jug, modestly watering when they need it and testing Ph (which is now 8.5) before adding it) to the plants. It's too soon to test run off as I just watered, but as soon as I do I'll post the results. I hope the neutral ph level will lead the plants to strengthen up and get that stem to a better size. The light problems was only a minor set back, I have no intentions of quitting and if I need to spend an extra week or two on veg I unfortunately will find the patients somewhere.

[jakal369]

Here are a few pictures at week 2. I know this set up is nothing compared to others, but I'm trying and each few days I add something new to the set up. I'm about to add another CFL light and do away with the small fluro I have to keep raising. I removed it for a few pics so you could see. Let me know what you guys think, just be easy and if you have suggestions, let them be about what I'm currently working with so I can adjust what I already have.

[jakal369]

others:

[headshake]

keep your lights within 1-4". that will help prevent that stretch.

-shake

[jakal369]

Thanks headshake. I moved the lights 2 inches from their tops. Plus put some more cfls in there along the gaps of light. And the temp is around mid 70's right now, but I'm trying to raise the ph lvl. I've added baking soda to water and added some tap water with a ph of 7.5 to soil with barely 6.0, that'll slowly raise it? Hope everything prospers in the end! Thanks for your help so far.

[jakal369]

Update: mid way through only week two and the plants are glorious! I adjusted ph lvls to neutral, about 6.5 to 7.0, and they have trippled size and stems are strong enough to support them now. I'm so excited, we'll see what follows now. New pictures to follow soon.

[headshake]

you want your pH to be between 6.3-6.8. 7 is a little high.


-shake

[jakal369]

I thought neutral was the rating to aim for. Next time I water I'll test again and try to bring it down to that 6.8 and see how the response is. While we wait for some more interesting pictures, what was everyone's first grow like?

[jakal369]

Two babies midway through week 2!

[GetThisOrDie]

nice progress so far dude! keep it going... To answer your question about my first grow. Geez where do i start... I got some seeds from a guy who said they were a very short strain which is exactly what I wanted. I built a stealth grow box out of a PC server tower and started with two 23watt CFLs and two 12" floros along the sides and was going for an LST grow. I quickly realized that this strain wasnt as short as the guy told me... SO I had to build a cabinet quickly as my babies were getting burnt from getting too close to my lights in the case. I am now in week 3 of flowering and my ladies are getting close to my cabinet top. They are gorgeous and full of buds!
I am now using 10x 23watt CFLs along the top of my cabinet and 4x 23watt CFLs along the sides. It was defintely a long hard journey but if you stick with it and keep reading the forums then you will be succesful. Keep at it and stay high.

[JeffersonBud]

You can combat stretching by adding some Bushmaster. Be careful though! It is VERY strong stuff. I use it as a foliar during veg to compress the nodes. Since I have limited space, I often have to use it the first week of flowering. The plants stop instantly and make the buds like softballs. It also throws the plant into flowing a lot faster. I use it at about 1/2ml / 1gal. with a 75% reduction in ferts when using in the res. As a foiliar, use with Penetrator and PH the solution.

[jakal369]

I went away for the weekend and when I checked on the plants, It's time to transplant one of them to a bigger pot, it looks water deprived, so I just watered it nicely. I was wondering how long can a plant go without water, and will it make a recovery after 3 days of no water/massive drooping.