WW Auto stretching

Oh gosh, I haven't been here in a long, long time. I lived in Colorado and then Oregon for a number of years but have moved back to a non-legal state so... Newbie again!!

These are my two White Widow autos. Today is day 22, or three weeks. Ten inches tall. I think they are starting to flower but I am not certain. They seem a bit stretched.
Originally I was going to grow outside, but after we had a horrendous pest investation in the vegetable garden I changed my mind. So, the first light that I bought just for starting them was a cheap LED seen here:

First Light

I had that light 2 inches away from the plants and they did great I thought. Once I decided to keep the grow inside I researched for a better light seen here:

New Light


I think I made a mistake in following the new light manufactuer’s instructions for accimating the plants to a LED light, when that was not what they really needed (I know, brain freeze). The stated accimation info was: 3 - 5 days, 30 - 34" away and setting the light at 40% brightness, 10 hr on 14 hr off. Then for seedlings/young vegetation they state 26 - 30", 12 hr on 12 hr off, at 60% brightness. Perhaps they were already beyond what is meant by “young vegetation” I don’t know. So, as of this morning I put them 26" at 100%. They state vegetation should be 22 - 26", 18 hr on 6 hr off at 100%. Perhaps I should drop the light down to 22 inches??? For flowering they state 18 - 22", 12 on 12 off at 100%. But now I believe that these instructions are meant for photos, correct. So, suggestions on best move now? Should I just keep the light on 24/7?

You can drop the light down closer but just make sure the heat is acceptable and won't burn the plants. If it's fine for your hand it's fine for the plants generally. 18/6 is fine for Autoflowers, you don't need to switch the light cycle to 12/12. Your plants do look at bit stretched and that is likely due to the first LED light if it was low power. I have a white widow auto outdoor grow at the moment approaching 30 days so you can compare how mine look. Good luck!

B

Thanks for your input boomspot. I will check on how close I can get the light without burning my hand, (or the leaves)! I put some Mylar up around the plants yesterday. Your plants look great. With my pest infestation under control now would it be beneficial to move the plants outside?

2 WW autos
3 gal fabric pots
6.3 ph water and Happy Frog soil
300 Watt full spectrum LED light 16.5 – 22 inches, 16 on 8 off

They are just beginning week five tomorrow. I believe they stretched a little when I changed over from an underpowered LED light to a better quality LED light as they entered veg state. I have air moving through the room plus I have a fan on them. They did not produce many branches. I have moved the lights up and down a bit but have them now as stated above. Watering about 16oz every other day or until water starts draining out the bottom (or sides at the bottom) of the fabric bags. I check to see if the soil is dry before watering. No nutes being added.



The lower leaves seem to be yellowing a little on the smaller plant. The very bottom leaves already turned yellow and I trimmed them off. I understand that it is normal for the bottom leaves to turn and even drop off as they stop providing energy. The extreme end of the leave tips at the bud seem to have yellow as well (very small), and I am wondering if I have a problem at this time or does it look normal for these girls?