question about keeping plants short

[sirruler]

my last crop grew very tall with lots of foliage at the top and nothing underneath and i am about to start a new crop from seed.
I really want to avoid having a tall crop again and was wondering how i could keep them small and bushy this time around?
I only have HPS 400w and 600w lights but will also soon have a 250w to start the grow but i dont understand what causes them to grow like rockets? hoping someone might have some good tips. thanks

sirruler Reviewed by sirruler on 11-02-2008. question about keeping plants short my last crop grew very tall with lots of foliage at the top and nothing underneath and i am about to start a new crop from seed. I really want to avoid having a tall crop again and was wondering how i could keep them small and bushy this time around? I only have HPS 400w and 600w lights but will also soon have a 250w to start the grow but i dont understand what causes them to grow like rockets? hoping someone might have some good tips. thanks Rating: 5

[rebelbhoy]

im pretty keen on learning about this too m8. my last ww was 6 feet tall!!! lol.

[Weezard]

my last crop grew very tall with lots of foliage at the top and nothing underneath and i am about to start a new crop from seed.
I really want to avoid having a tall crop again and was wondering how i could keep them small and bushy this time around?
I only have HPS 400w and 600w lights but will also soon have a 250w to start the grow but i dont understand what causes them to grow like rockets? hoping someone might have some good tips. thanks

Aloha, Sirruler

Good choice of words there.
Tips is the key word.
Cut them off.
Off with their heads!

Or FIM.
Or, LST.
Or espalier.
Or, add supplemental blue light.
Or, change the photoperiod

Or, read the stickys.

Seriously, my friend, everything you need to know about keeping a plant manageable is available to you right here, for free.
All you have to do is dig a little.

If you have any specific questions, that are not answeed in the stickies, don't hesitate to ask.

Regards,
Weezard

[DTRave420]

I had the same prob with my last grow,DP OrangeBud...Stretch and root growth were out of control...I consider this my bad as I was trying to get the max outta 2 plants as that's my limit...DP Orange is awesome but it didn't yield as well as other grows I've done...The plants were 80S/20I and really got the drop on me...I used sinkers and jigs to keep the tips down..."AVAST YE GROWERS,IT'S GREAT TO BE A PIRATE"!!!
Talked with a member named Algag last night and he mentioned a product called "BushMaster"...I've never used it but they claim-:"This high potency formular uses kelp as an activator to lock in plant height"...Never knew there was such a thing but I'm sticking to fishing leaders and sinkers as far as training goes as I'm not into chemical training if there is such an animal...l
:420thought:

[VapedG13]

remember your plant will almost double in size during the 10-14 day transferance from veg to bud.

top your plant

keep the plant close to the light with my 400wt I have my hood 2 ft from the floor for my starts and seedlings......the further the light source the more the plant will stretch.

[sirruler]

wow some nice tips there thanks
i grew some in really small pots hoping to kep the root cluster small but they still grew tal and spindly even though the light was kept at 15 cm from the 400w grolux HPS light at all times, i know they say 18cm min but 15cm didnt seem to harm them.
i will try adding a blue light on next grow and see how it goes. ive seen some really nice bushy plants posted on here (makes me jellous ) but i hope this time i can grow something like that too
The only chemicals ive ever fed my plants on it tomato feed, supervit and nitrorgen in powder form when needed.
This grow i really only want to grow 2 plants but not sure how much yeald you can get max from just 2 plants alone. with all my previous grows its always been a height issue.

oh one last question while i am posting here... is it a good idea to remove the lower branches which dont get the light or is it best to leave them on?
thanks for all the replys

[stoned88911]

Buy a Son Agro bulb for your hps, its 30%more blue light.

[sirruler]

ok thanks, looking for one right now

[stoned88911]

ok thanks, looking for one right now

For a 400 watt bulb it will be a 430watt son agro bulb, dont worry about the extra 30 watt it will fit and work.

[Wobster]

Hey Sirruler, Ill chip in with my two pence worth incase it helps. As has all ready been said, topping and FIMing can work a treat and can create a lovely even canopy which maximises your plants potential. Some strains however don't like this and your yield will suffer. The strain I've grown most is Power Plant and it seemed to be fine with being topped and FIMed. The best yield that I had by far though was when I tied the top down to stop its upward growth.

When it was a little short of the height I wanted, I put a screw into the wall of my grow room and tied the top down so the plant was now sort of diagonal instead of going straight up. The plant detects that it cant grow up anymore and you notice the upward growth starting in the side shoots. I got a nice yield of this plant. MJ is so versatile that theres lots of ways of training it but the key is to be 2 steps ahead and to anticipate its growth so that u are in control. Once it gos into flower it goes crazy for a week or so and if u have it trained well you will still have control. Practice makes perfect so try different ways till you find the method that suits you best.