my plants look good but seem short,,help

[shadymike]

i've got 5 plants in cabnet under 600w light that have been growing now for 4 weeks and they seem to be leafing well on to there sixth set of leafs, but i'm worried about the height they are only about 5-6inc tall. is this right

shadymike Reviewed by shadymike on 06-06-2004. my plants look good but seem short,,help i've got 5 plants in cabnet under 600w light that have been growing now for 4 weeks and they seem to be leafing well on to there sixth set of leafs, but i'm worried about the height they are only about 5-6inc tall. is this right Rating: 5

[sawleaf]

That does seem strange. I have 3 week plants growing in soil that are 3 times that height and super bushy already and I know hydro is supposed to grow a lot faster. The light seems to be okay since they aren't stretching. What size containers are they in. If they are too small, root growth will be seriously restricted and stunt the growth like that. Any other hydro specialists on here, have an idea????

[sensiskunk]

move the light closer, they should be farely taller than that with a 600w. Have u embarked into nutrients yet? I dont see why they are that small, either the strain is a slow starter, or the roots arent expanding correctly. Also, get some air stones in the tray, if you havent already, the roots will love it!

[bonbon]

dont worry about the height,abundent light,good nutrients,will give you a short compact healthy grow,like yours,obviously the roots are doing well,or else they would not be as bushy as they are,another week or so they'll be ready to flower,and since their short,you're going to get quite a few good bud sights exposed to and recieving a lot of light,and they will end up at around 18-24",i think you're going to get a heavy yeild from each plant,are those cuttings or a seed grow?it looks excellent so far,whatever you're doing it's working,you can keep a 600WT lamp about 18" from the top of the canopy throughout the rest of the grow,and keep a fan going on them at all times....bonbon

[shadymike]

That does seem strange. I have 3 week plants growing in soil that are 3 times that height and super bushy already and I know hydro is supposed to grow a lot faster. The light seems to be okay since they aren't stretching. What size containers are they in. If they are too small, root growth will be seriously restricted and stunt the growth like that. Any other hydro specialists on here, have an idea????

i have got them in rockwell wool...

[shadymike]

cheers for that ,,just 1 more thing ,do you think i should do some pruning or leave well alone?

[shadymike]

dont worry about the height,abundent light,good nutrients,will give you a short compact healthy grow,like yours,obviously the roots are doing well,or else they would not be as bushy as they are,another week or so they'll be ready to flower,and since their short,you're going to get quite a few good bud sights exposed to and recieving a lot of light,and they will end up at around 18-24",i think you're going to get a heavy yeild from each plant,are those cuttings or a seed grow?it looks excellent so far,whatever you're doing it's working,you can keep a 600WT lamp about 18" from the top of the canopy throughout the rest of the grow,and keep a fan going on them at all times....bonbon

thanks for that, should i prune?

[Hand of Man]

If they are too small, root growth will be seriously restricted and stunt the growth like that.

Gotta agree with Sawleaf (if I understand correctly); I had healthy plants
growing in 2 liter bottles (growing in soil). They got to about 1-1/2 ft tall and stopped
growing. When I transplanted to larger pots the plants took off again!

[bonbon]

those plants are not stunted or rootbound or malnourished at all,that system can hold 3 times as many plants as are in it now with ease,Ican never figure out why anyone would want a tall spindly plant,a tall plant decreases the light to surface ratio,takes longer to grow,and produces far less,as for pruning,i never prune an indoor plant,(unless i was only growing just one)those plants will eventually fill that space with a thick short canopy with plenty of well lit and exposed budsites,the thickness of the stems are an early indicator of that,this grow is a perfect and definitive example of hydroponic cultivation....bonbon

[shadymike]

must say bonbon i do like the idea of nice small but good plants. it cant be my roots as they are only in rockwell blocks so i 'm gonna go with your advice....i'll keep ya posted.