short rider stetching plz help

i am bout 3-4 weeks into flower and my plants are real stretched. i am useing a 400w hps for 4 plants in a lil dwc box. the one is all stretched and is like 5 foot tall and flowers are tiny which i guess is from streching. so my question is can plant crowding causeing this prob cuz i have 4 of them only spread out like 6 in apart from eachother at base? im a noob so not surprised. and is there anyway to fix this or should i start over? or cut a few out? any help is greatly appreciated thank you

most strains will stretch during the first 3 weeks of flower...need to take that into consideration when vegging it....most of the time your plants will stretch 2-3 times the size it was before going into flower...its normal just make sure you dont grow them into the lights and burn the hell out of them

yea but when they atarted to flower they were bout 10 inches and since they are an autoflower they shouldnt get to tall and the light schedule is 20/4 which i thought would keep the stretching down. im worried the plants are way to crowded since the one has grown form 10 in to 5 ft and still isnt down

dont worry they put there wait on in the last weeks autos swell and grow rele fast once they start dont worry i use a 400 it should almost all fill in if not all

newathydro said:

yea but when they atarted to flower they were bout 10 inches and since they are an autoflower they shouldnt get to tall and the light schedule is 20/4 which i thought would keep the stretching down. im worried the plants are way to crowded since the one has grown form 10 in to 5 ft and still isnt down

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it is natural for streching at beginning of flowering.If females are not polenated they have a late panic reach for male polen.Also turn the cycle to 12/12 as this is best for some autos.

*BUDS said:

it is natural for streching at beginning of flowering.If females are not polenated they have a late panic reach for male polen.Also turn the cycle to 12/12 as this is best for some autos.

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why turn it too 12/12...thats the purpose of an auto is to flower on any light cycle...only switch to 12/12 if it wont autoflower...then switch it back to at least an 18/6 cycle after it begins flowering...since they have a short life span they need to get as much light as possible...i keep mine on a 20/4 cycle...least i did when i grew autos..but i learned my lesson...short riders being the worst of them all...they either died in the first week...or grew to be 5 foot tall...nirvanas autos are horrible...they do not do what they say they do...hell..why do you think nirvana pulled all their autos but this one off the shelves