Have enough lighting but my stems are long and thin. Need help please

[klownphish]

I was given two seeds from a friend which germinated in two and three days respectivly. My lightingfor veg is 150w mh and a few cfls. Put in an organic soil n they rapidly took off. In two weeks thing 1 grew 5 3/8 inches, the second set of leaves showed up about a week after planting and first set started to get yellow at the tips. Thing 2 has grown to 6 3/8 inches in the same time frame plus one day. They are being watered with distilled water when soil has been dry more then a day. I did add more soil to their pots to bring it within a inch of the round leaves. They have a breeze blowing on them from a small opening in the window. How can I help my plants get a stronger stem? I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to upload from my phone. Thankyou in advance for any help tossed my way.

klownphish Reviewed by klownphish on 03-25-2012. Have enough lighting but my stems are long and thin. Need help please I was given two seeds from a friend which germinated in two and three days respectivly. My lightingfor veg is 150w mh and a few cfls. Put in an organic soil n they rapidly took off. In two weeks thing 1 grew 5 3/8 inches, the second set of leaves showed up about a week after planting and first set started to get yellow at the tips. Thing 2 has grown to 6 3/8 inches in the same time frame plus one day. They are being watered with distilled water when soil has been dry more then a day. I did add Rating: 5

[silent leprechaun]

Sounds like your light is too far away.

When the light is too far away the seedlings begin to stretch towards it.

Lower the light and watch how the plants react. You are looking for 1 inch between each set of leaves.

Get a fan to blow on them about 15 minutes every 2 hours. The fan will work wonders.

Also, you can lightly bend the plants stems to make them stronger in the beginning. But be gentle.

Thats the best advice I can give you right now.

Let us know how it goes.

Take care.

[ThePinkJina]

Sounds like Leprechaun is right. Get those lights closer to the plants. You should be able to hold the back of your hand at the canopy of the plants and your hand feel comfortable. If your hand feels too hot after 30 to 45 seconds raise the light another 1 inch and re-test. The yellowing leaf tips on the older growth is most likely due to the plant using its nutrients. The other thing it could be is Nutrient Burn. Be sure not feed nutes for the first 2 - 4 weeks after seedling has popped up. Depending on the soil you are using, you may not need supplemental nutes at all. FoxFarm Ocean Forest has all the nutes you need for the entire life cycle as long as you transplant every 4 - 6 weeks.

Hope this helps a little!