How to keep stretch down?!

B

BCBudNerd

Member
Hello All,

I am just starting my 6th grow and am looking for some help. How on earth do people grow plants like the one below?

I can train a beautiful plant but as soon as flower starts all of the stems shoot up 3+ feet and it turns into a mess. Even trying to train through the early flower stage turns into a mess because everything grows so lanky.

I am growing under a 315W CMH (LEC) in a 3x3 tent. I am growing in 3 gallon smart pots in coco and feeding island blend nutrients at full strength. I also give them CALMAG and keep extract until week 4 of flower. I feed them prosilicate for the 8 weeks of flower until flush as it keeps the PH up (grow shop suggested) instead of using PH up.

I have read forums and blogs to death and have tried everything but can’t keep my plants small.

temps and humidity are usually around 28C and 65%.

please help :) tired of lanky plants that turn into a mess and grow into my lights.

this is the goal:5FD2D5C1-7222-4486-9BD4-8B283135A8EE.jpeg
 
.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
Defoliate the crap out of them right before flip. Like this...
20200121_030148.jpg
Will give you this...
20200213_025453.jpg
They put their energy into making leaves instead of stretching.
 
O

oill

Well-Known Member
BCBudNerd said:
Hello All,

I am just starting my 6th grow and am looking for some help. How on earth do people grow plants like the one below?

I can train a beautiful plant but as soon as flower starts all of the stems shoot up 3+ feet and it turns into a mess. Even trying to train through the early flower stage turns into a mess because everything grows so lanky.

I am growing under a 315W CMH (LEC) in a 3x3 tent. I am growing in 3 gallon smart pots in coco and feeding island blend nutrients at full strength. I also give them CALMAG and keep extract until week 4 of flower. I feed them prosilicate for the 8 weeks of flower until flush as it keeps the PH up (grow shop suggested) instead of using PH up.

I have read forums and blogs to death and have tried everything but can’t keep my plants small.

temps and humidity are usually around 28C and 65%.

please help :) tired of lanky plants that turn into a mess and grow into my lights.

this is the goal:View attachment 4623382
Click to expand...
There are 2 colour temps for cmh... use the more blue one for the 1st 2 to 3 weeks.

Keep the room cooler and don't have a big swing in day night temps in the 1st 2 to 3 weeks.


Desolation also.
 
B

BCBudNerd

Member
oill said:
There are 2 colour temps for cmh... use the more blue one for the 1st 2 to 3 weeks.

Keep the room cooler and don't have a big swing in day night temps in the 1st 2 to 3 weeks.


Desolation also.
Click to expand...
Nutty sKunK said:
Keep your night temps warm. Too big a swing in temps causes them to stretch more!
Click to expand...

Ok thank you! I usually have the lights on during the day and off at night but I will try the opposite. I run AC but naturally my house is cooler at night so running the lights at night might balance this out.
 
.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
BCBudNerd said:
Wow your setup is gorgeous !! Should I make the switch to hydro in the fall?
Click to expand...
Thanks.
And if you can yes. It definitely allows them to grow much quicker. Check out Dutch bucket hydroponics (aka hempy) if you're interested in hydro.
Easiest hydro with the least amount of equipment.
My journal link is in my signature if you're interested.
 
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B

BCBudNerd

Member
.Smoke said:
Thanks.
And if you can yes. It definitely allows them to grow much quicker. Check out Dutch bucket hydroponics (aka hempy) of you're interested in hydro.
Easiest hydro with the least amount of equipment.
My journal link is in my signature if you're interested.
Click to expand...
I will check out your journals now. Thanks a ton!

I have heard of hempy but have never really looked into it. I love tech so have no problem setting something up - I just want it low maintenance during the week which it looks like hempy is!
 
.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
BCBudNerd said:
I will check out your journals now. Thanks a ton!

I have heard of hempy but have never really looked into it. I love tech so have no problem setting something up - I just want it low maintenance during the week which it looks like hempy is!
Click to expand...
You would like hempy then. One great thing I loved is designing my own buckets with the feed and drain system I wanted. I run a SIP hempy which is a little different than most, but it's all basically the same end results.

Very little maintenance once things are up and running.
My feed and drainage systems are 100% automatic. All I have to do is mix nutes once a week or so.
 
B

BCBudNerd

Member
.Smoke said:
You would like hempy then. One great thing I loved is designing my own buckets with the feed and drain system I wanted. I run a SIP hempy which is a little different than most, but it's all basically the same end results.

Very little maintenance once things are up and running.
My feed and drainage systems are 100% automatic. All I have to do is mix nutes once a week or so.
Click to expand...
reading your journals now. Do you have one that shows the hempy system you built in more depth? Looks like they are automatically top watered from a separate reservoir and then you plumbed the drains together to go into a runoff collection reservoir?
 
Skewbong

Skewbong

Well-Known Member
Lights, genetics, proximity to light, and this interesting article:

What Really Causes Stretch? - Greenhouse Product News

Does ammoniacal nitrogen cause stretch in plants, or conversely, does the alternative nitrogen source, nitrate, cause compactness? What does your experience indicate? Do you have all of the facts? Because the application of high-nitrate fertilizers oftenresults in compact plants, growers’...
gpnmag.com gpnmag.com

Interesting food for thought.
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Nutty sKunK said:
Keep your night temps warm. Too big a swing in temps causes them to stretch more!
Click to expand...
Yep. That works well. A negative temperature differential or or least not big swings like you're saying.

Training them first helps too. Manifolding or topping and LST helps a little.
 
.Smoke

.Smoke

Well-Known Member
BCBudNerd said:
reading your journals now. Do you have one that shows the hempy system you built in more depth? Looks like they are automatically top watered from a separate reservoir and then you plumbed the drains together to go into a runoff collection reservoir?
Click to expand...
I dont. But they are fed from a 30gallon rez with a vivosun 800gph pump through a Floraflex manifold into a 1/4" quick connect fitting on the side of the bucket about midway down. Most do feed from up top.
Feed line here...
20200713_193331.jpg
The drains are 3/8" quick connect (john guest) fittings draining to a condensate pump that pumps everything into the sewer system.
Can kinda see some of it here...(ignore the ones in dirt...
20200712_212642.jpg
 
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B

BCBudNerd

Member
I gave my two chocolopes their first defoliation today and will be switching the lights tomorrow. They are a little sad looking as I tried feeding at full strength last week and it was too much for them. I went really heavy on the defoliation as I’d rather have yield suffer a bit than have them grow into the lights. Before and after pics:E02B11DB-885D-41B0-985C-B0A9B4CE382F.jpeg15C25033-810A-4DBB-A962-50B44051471D.jpeg

I have another question as well. When removing branches and leaves at the internode as long as I leave the pre flower in the picture below (red arrow) I will still see bud growth at that site correct? Even with the branch and leave gone?

5A41D5AD-410F-4B7B-B1C5-B2E80EB16781.jpeg

Thanks again everyone for all of the support!!
 
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