how to make plant stretch?

Jodon

Active Member
I know it's a weird question, but I can't find any good info on it anywhere, I'm wondering how to make a really bushy plant stretch more? I have just put her into flower so I don't want anything that will slow her growth. And don't want to move the light because it's in optimum spot for all of them. I don't know why but my plants always come out soo bushy! It won't grow any other way.
 

testiclees

Well-Known Member
I think high irradiance makes plants bushy. You might try giving the lsdies a good couple dosage of SST during early flowering.

Do you grow the same genetics and get the bushy growth or it is that way with everything youve grown?

Also it seels that plants take on the shape of their containers to a degree.
 

Jodon

Active Member
Do you mean too much light or what? Lol I don't want to give her less. It always grows like this, I always have to train it, its awesome just a lot to deal with. Any nutrients ideas or anything?i use very high nitrogen and a decent amount of phosphorus. Gunna drop N in a couple weeks and crank up the P and K. Then another couple weeks flush with R O water then high k low P and no N at all. Any ideas or suggestions greatly apreciated
 

jacksthc

Well-Known Member
your plant looks great, you needed to veg her longer but you will still pull a good yeild as most the weight and buds are on the top 12" of the canopy
 

Grojak

Well-Known Member
Lift your light as high as you can and leave it there, then your plants will stretch for the light. Many growers don't want their plants to stretch, that'll be why your struggling to find info on the Internet!.
what the shit? That would be true in veg but a horrible idea, especially for someone in flower. I would never recommend someone stress their plants, by raising the light as far as you can, you are not growing a healthy plant you're growing a plant stretched out starving for more light and lanky.

OP if you're wanting a taller plant veg her longer… if you're just a couple days into 12/12 you could flip back to veg, it may delay growth for a week or so but you can veg for another couple weeks and get her taller. Some plants bush some grow like vines.
 

THCBrain

Well-Known Member
what the shit? That would be true in veg but a horrible idea, especially for someone in flower. I would never recommend someone stress their plants, by raising the light as far as you can, you are not growing a healthy plant you're growing a plant stretched out starving for more light and lanky.

OP if you're wanting a taller plant veg her longer… if you're just a couple days into 12/12 you could flip back to veg, it may delay growth for a week or so but you can veg for another couple weeks and get her taller. Some plants bush some grow like vines.
Only answering the lads question or wasn't I suppose to?
 

superloud

Well-Known Member
I know it's a weird question, but I can't find any good info on it anywhere, I'm wondering how to make a really bushy plant stretch more? I have just put her into flower so I don't want anything that will slow her growth. And don't want to move the light because it's in optimum spot for all of them. I don't know why but my plants always come out soo bushy! It won't grow any other way.
You said you train them? Do you top them or anything like that?
 

superloud

Well-Known Member
Topimg them wont make them taller. You want em to stretch? Turn the heat up to 85-90 in there. Thats how to gettem to stretch. ;)
He said he trained them o was going to suggest not doing that and you mite get a taller plant. And don't top it. Because it looks like they have been topped or something.
 

Gquebed

Well-Known Member
Raise you light up so that the plant reaches for it. Just do that for the first 2 or three weeks in flower while the plant stretches. Then drop the light back down to get max bud production. It won't stress the plant out. I've done this for scrogging. More space between nodes makes it easier to manage in the nets.

Also, a bigger temp differential between lights on and off helps in veg. If say you lights on temp is 79ish then try and get the night temp down to 66/67 (not too cold) you plant will stretch out a bit more. I've done the opposite to reduce stretch in flower this round because I'm not scrogging and it has worked fantastically. My lights on temp has been 78-79 and my lights off 70-71... made a huge difference reducing stretch in flower.
 

phunt

Well-Known Member
Too much nitrogen will make a plant bush out like that. Using high N can cause excess foliage growth. So the plant just pumps out leaves and new leaflets. Try cutting that back some. The plant should stretch for the first 3 - 4 weeks of flowering, but with high nitrogen it will still want to make leaves not grow stems or roots. Don't be afraid to prune out some stuff in the middle so it doesn't get overly crowded. I would't take more than 15% though to be safe or you risk stunting growth by removing too much foliage.
 

xSwimToTheMoon

Well-Known Member
I'd keep everything safe, and the same as it is now, but veg with an hps.

Since I see led light, I wouldn't spend $ on a new light to get them to stretch. I think your plant looks nice. Try some new sativa doms if you'd like.
 
I'm a novice, so take that with a grain of salt. I had literally over a triple stretch: 13 inches to 45. I did dwc and took care of my roots like crazy with microbe tea. Was a basketball that swallowed the airstones in a 5 gallon bucket.

I used extremely close leds and high powered cfls. Moved up every 2 days, wasn't enough 1 time as top cola stretched into led and burned. New calyxs surrounded "Burnie" when I moved the led to 7" above, so all was good :)

My suggestion: close lights constantly adjusted and take damn good care of them roots. Since in soil, should be easier to maintain a microbe culture.
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
One of the reasons your plants are short and have tight nodes (bushy) is that you're vegging them under those blurple LED's. I use them for vegging as well, I like the tight nodes and bushes before flowering. Two main factors will stretch them more, but not under those blurple LED's which probably don't flower very well anyhow. Heat, and even more so, a spectrum and colour (kelvin) change between veg and flowering lights, the greater the difference between your veg/flowering lights, the more stretch you'll get. We just had a good discussion in another forum on this spectrum/colour change between veg/flower and found some science to back it up.

Here's why I don't mind these blurple LED panels for vegging. I train/veg them with tight nodes and lower temps, then when I switch to CMH for flowering they explode in the stretch period, they open up at that point and stretch like mofo's. Here's a batch I just threw into flowering with 10 days between each pic as an example:

Camshot Flower Room 12-01-2015.jpg
Camshot Flower Room 12-10-2015.jpg
 

Jodon

Active Member
your plant looks great, you needed to veg her longer but you will still pull a good yeild as most the weight and buds are on the top 12" of the canopy
I tried to keep her even was the main thing, the more I tie down tho the more want to grow! Lol I got a bunch of clones off her first then did a mainline style at first removing all lower growth below 4th node and topping her. She is the busiest plant I've ever had tho hard to control, but even before this or the LEDS they always grew like this. Must be because of the nitrogen always like to put lots of that.
Too much nitrogen will make a plant bush out like that. Using high N can cause excess foliage growth. So the plant just pumps out leaves and new leaflets. Try cutting that back some. The plant should stretch for the first 3 - 4 weeks of flowering, but with high nitrogen it will still want to make leaves not grow stems or roots. Don't be afraid to prune out some stuff in the middle so it doesn't get overly crowded. I would't take more than 15% though to be safe or you risk stunting growth by removing too much foliage.
 
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