sprouts stretching out

[bluntwiz]

hi guys,

ok im having a problem with my new sprouts... i have them under a 30 W CFL, growing in rockwool cubes but they are stretching waaaay too much. i had the light really low at first, just a few inches from the top, but they kept reaching for it and touching the bulb which made me have to raise the light! whats going on??? they keep doing it, every morning and come to see that they are mms away from the bulb. how can i stop them from stretching like this?

they are starting to flop over they are so thin and stretched out =(

bluntwiz Reviewed by bluntwiz on 06-22-2008. sprouts stretching out hi guys, ok im having a problem with my new sprouts... i have them under a 30 W CFL, growing in rockwool cubes but they are stretching waaaay too much. i had the light really low at first, just a few inches from the top, but they kept reaching for it and touching the bulb which made me have to raise the light! whats going on??? they keep doing it, every morning and come to see that they are mms away from the bulb. how can i stop them from stretching like this? they are starting to flop Rating: 5

[justanotherbozo]

do you know what spectrum that CFL is? is it a 'warm' or a 'cool' white bulb?

[Rusty Trichome]

This takes care of it every time...
I always leave room in the pot when starting seedlings, for when the seedlings start to stretch. Usually, once they reach the top of the pot, I'll bury the stem, to just below the cotelydons. (the first set of leaves you see) Carefully pack the new soil around the stem, but don't be too aggressive. Leaving room in the pot for watering is pretty much a good idea, too. :thumbsup:

Can also transplant if no room in your pots to do this. Just don't break anything when doing so. :jointsmile:

Beyond that, keep an oscillating fan on 'em. A little breeze strengthens the stems.

Before and after shots:

[bluntwiz]

do you know what spectrum that CFL is? is it a 'warm' or a 'cool' white bulb?

i dunno what spectrum it is unfortunately =(

[bluntwiz]

This takes care of it every time...
I always leave room in the pot when starting seedlings, for when the seedlings start to stretch. Usually, once they reach the top of the pot, I'll bury the stem, to just below the cotelydons. (the first set of leaves you see) Carefully pack the new soil around the stem, but don't be too aggressive. Leaving room in the pot for watering is pretty much a good idea, too. :thumbsup:

Can also transplant if no room in your pots to do this. Just don't break anything when doing so. :jointsmile:

Beyond that, keep an oscillating fan on 'em. A little breeze strengthens the stems.

Before and after shots:

yeah i usually do this when planting the seed directly in soil but this time i used rockwool and i was planning on leaving a little bit of the rockwool sticking out when transplanting it to a bigger pot with soil (this is was stinkyattic recommended, prevents rootrot)...

well i guess i will try it that way anyway and just have to pray that my roots dont rot =(

thanks for the advice!

[stinkyattic]

Too little light by far, and too far away. You're going to need some more lights in there, of higher wattage if possible. 'Daylight' is an excellent choice.

[justanotherbozo]

i dunno what spectrum it is unfortunately =(

if you look at the base of the bulb you should be able to find the wattage and the spectrum, it will read something like 2700K or 6500K, the K stands for Kelvin and it's a measurement of the 'warmth' of the bulb.

what you need to know is the higher the Kelvin number the cooler the bulb (spectrally, not in regards to heat)
during vegetative growth you want mostly 'cool' white, or 'daylight' bulbs, as Stinky said (4100Kelvin to 6500Kelvin)
during flowering you want mostly 'warm' white bulbs (1900Kelvin to 3000Kelvin)

you need both spectra during the entire life cycle but, during veg, too much red or 'warm' light and you're gonna get stretching

also as Stinky said, you need the lights as close to the plants as possible without it being so close it burns the plants
put your hand under the light and move it closer and closer until it gets uncomfortably hot, thats your limit, any closer and you get burned, and so will your plants

another thing, seedling stretch is pretty normal and not something you should be manically worried about, just, when you transplant into bigger pots, do as Rusty suggested and bury most of the skinny little stem, almost right up the that first set of rounded leaves

oh, and Stinky was right about adding more light too
too little light and the plants will stretch trying to reach the light

anyway, good luck and keep us informed

ps: i don't know for sure but i'm pretty sure Stinky would tell you not to leave any of the rockwool exposed

[bluntwiz]

well actually it doesnt give me the Kelvin info on these bulbs... only the Wattage =( but im only using these CFLS for a couple weeks until they pass the seedling stage and then im planning on moving them to a MH.

but thanks for the info... if i decide to use CFLs for vegging, i will know what to look for!