Why Do Plants Stretch?.

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
No matter how much light, both indoors and under the sun...for those 2 initial weeks commencing flowering?. And why do some strains stretch twice as much as others under the same environmental conditions?.

These questions I cannot find answers to, so any input would be much appreciated.

TY in advance.:peace:
 

Twitch

Well-Known Member
some plants like more light then others, i know that sounds dumb, but i have had plants that want the light 3 feet away from them and i have had strains that want the light right on top of them
 

Imaulle

Well-Known Member
if you use 3-1-2 food and they get proper light, the stretch will be minimal. high P foods and low light attribute to stretch
 

AimAim

Well-Known Member
No matter how much light, both indoors and under the sun...for those 2 initial weeks commencing flowering?. And why do some strains stretch twice as much as others under the same environmental conditions?.
That's actually an interesting question. A grow a lot of veggies and lot's of leafy plants do it when they "go to seed". Like leaf lettuce for example. It grows nice and short and bushy but when it gets mature it will throw up a big spike stalk with a few leaves and the flowers.

Almost like they spend some time growing roots and foliage and then transition and throw up some sexy flower parts to wave around in the air. Not sure why nature designed it that way though.

Edit: I smoked a large Saturday bowl and just decided, or hypothesized, that maybe the big towering sexual parts of plants are more effective at getting pollen to the sticky female parts. Less foliage to get in the way of pollen on it's way to a receptive female's special parts.

Works for me, I'm gonna cook another bowl, not driving anywhere tonight.
 

longarms90

Well-Known Member
Well said aimaim, I only have but 5 years experience (5 years meaning when I started throwing bagseed in pots trying to just figure shit out) but ill have to agree with that edit portion of your post. I'm no expert, but I often find myself studying random plant that are in front of me all the time, and I've wondered this subject myself. Maybe it's the ladies trying to give themselves some long sexy legs. Longer the legs and space between nodes, the more of a chance they have to reproduce in nature. That what everything lives for ,(in nature) to reproduce and spread its genes and family. Survival of he fittest if you will.
 

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
You say you use it the entire grow.How do you use it?Mix it in the soil,teas,top dress??As per directions on the bag?I use the garden tone 3-4-4 as my flowering nute or after stretch,for veg time I just feed with a little MG 30-10-10.Always with a little Epsom and Blackstrap.
Per bag instructions, mixed into lime adjusted peat, perlite, and a bit of EWC.
 

brimck325

Well-Known Member
most indicas are from regions with scrub like vegetation and cold nights, sativas are from equatorial areas where surrounding vegetation grows rampant with warm temps. therefore indica's don't need much extra height to achieve pollination, where sativa's do. that's my thought on it anyway.
 

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
most indicas are from regions with scrub like vegetation and cold nights, sativas are from equatorial areas where surrounding vegetation grows rampant with warm temps. therefore indica's don't need much extra height to achieve pollination, where sativa's do. that's my thought on it anyway.
Yet, when candy kush was placed in a wetland with tight surrounding native plants last summer...they stretched to high heaven. I must have topped those a dozen times to keep at a 5' ht. Even the ones outdoors without any surrounding plants had the same results. We had a warm and dry Summer/Fall, so perhaps temps cause the stretch.

The indoor ladies of same strain had temps around 70 at night, which I have since lowered.
 

brimck325

Well-Known Member
i was leaning more to where the genetics originally came from sunbiz, it's a very interesting question, i hope to see more replies.
 

plaguedog

Active Member
Im going to take a wild guess that you don't understand what role P plays in Plant nutrition .
What's this supposed to mean? Phospate does add to the stretch of plants, it's been studied and documented numerous times. People on pot forums seem to think it's nitrogen that adds to the stretch when that is completely false.

http://www.gpnmag.com/what-really-causes-stretch

A lot of the misconception comes from different types of fertilizer and what percentage of the nitrogen is in nitrate or ammoniacal form.

Most of the plants that people are growing now are complete mutts, hybrid plants that have the indica and sativa mix in them. So obviously genetics does play a role as well.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Im going to take a wild guess that you don't understand what role P plays in Plant nutrition .
I'm going to take a wild guess that you don't understand how over-rated and over used P is. The P contained in a 3-1-2 is more than enough for any kind of plant much less cannabis.

Less is more,
UB
 

bird mcbride

Well-Known Member
All plants will stretch in an effort to get more light. Figuring the correct stretch for your style of grow is very important.

also: Light frequency is also a factor. A cool white HID will cause more stretch than a daylight HID.
 

Guitar Man

Well-Known Member
Yet, when candy kush was placed in a wetland with tight surrounding native plants last summer...they stretched to high heaven. I must have topped those a dozen times to keep at a 5' ht. Even the ones outdoors without any surrounding plants had the same results. We had a warm and dry Summer/Fall, so perhaps temps cause the stretch.

The indoor ladies of same strain had temps around 70 at night, which I have since lowered.
I've grown Indicas and Sativas next to each other in my closet. Strain is huge in the stretch, at least with my indoor experience. But, I've noticed that the Sativa I've grown (same strain) has grown/stretched differently in each grow. I think nighttime temps have a lot to do with the actual, total stretch. Warm nights lead to more stretch. Cool nights lead to less stretch.

Right now, I have a Sativa that is almost 5 feet tall (after 2 tops). The Indica next to her is only 2 feet tall (after 1 top).
 

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
I've grown Indicas and Sativas next to each other in my closet. Strain is huge in the stretch, at least with my indoor experience. But, I've noticed that the Sativa I've grown (same strain) has grown/stretched differently in each grow. I think nighttime temps have a lot to do with the actual, total stretch. Warm nights lead to more stretch. Cool nights lead to less stretch.

Right now, I have a Sativa that is almost 5 feet tall (after 2 tops). The Indica next to her is only 2 feet tall (after 1 top).
Lemme take some pics of internode spacing today...sativa nodes spaced half the distance of indica. Both were cuttings started at the same time, both topped once and vegging in a cool basement at the moment. All in same medium/under same lighting. Even the Malawi from seed isn't stretching nearly as much as the candy kush...which to me seems backwards.
 

Guitar Man

Well-Known Member
Lemme take some pics of internode spacing today...sativa nodes spaced half the distance of indica. Both were cuttings started at the same time, both topped once and vegging in a cool basement at the moment. All in same medium/under same lighting. Even the Malawi from seed isn't stretching nearly as much as the candy kush...which to me seems backwards.
Here is a picture of my current grow. Sativa is on the right and the Indica is on the left. I've topped this Sativa, twice, and the Indica once. Right now, after 4 weeks of flowering, the Sativa (at the top towers) is 55" and the Indica is 22". They have been grown together since day 1.

100_5037.jpg
 

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
Hi GM/All,

Hopefully this will assist in clarifying why I am puzzled, and perhaps shed some light on my original question. On the left of photo 1 is this strain:
http://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Caramel_Candy_Kush/Dynasty_Seeds/
On the right is phenotype #2 of this strain:
http://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Drizella/Dynasty_Seeds/

Both were topped same number of times, grown in same medium w/same lighting etc. The kush stretched like hell right after flipping the switch so to speak...down to 12/12. This strain began flowering outdoors when sunlight went below about 14 hours. Could it be that reducing light on a slower cycle would reduce stretch?. The WW pheno Drizella hardly stretched at all upon flipping, as you can see just bloomed like hell.:weed:

Since I had the camera out, took some bud porn just for fun.

:peace:IMG_3142.JPGIMG_3143.JPGIMG_3144.JPGIMG_3146.JPGIMG_3153.JPG
 

Imaulle

Well-Known Member
ooooooooooooooh. yes, sativa will stretch more than indica. indica are known to be more bushy and shorter
 
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