Help! Extremely weak stems!!

[vast]

I figured pictures would be easier to describe my problem.....


17 days old, 430w high pressure sodium @ 18hrs a day, fed every day with half strenth nutes (25-10-10) /2,

If I remove the forks, they will fall right over. I have a fan on them on the same timer as the lights. They keep growing up and producing more leaves, but the stalks dont seem to be getting any thicker.

Any suggestions?? Strain is White Lightning (white widow X northern lights)

Thanks!!

 

[durban poison]

You need to get your lights on them lower! They're reaching for light...

 

[smarty]

usually a fan helps to strengthen the stems and why are you using a kitchen fork to hold them up? lol

 

[kanekanekane]

have the fan run all the time. day and night. also trying moving the fans location around. i have had luck doing that.

 

[Jcway5]

Looks like the plant is stretching to me...im no pro but im pretty sure you should be using flouro or cfls for veg...and have ur plant very close to the light...that should prevent the long stem, the stem is the size it should be, your plant is just to tall...taller the it should be..

the sodium light is only good for flowering....like i said im no pro but ive done alot of reading about it so thats just my opinion

 

[durban poison]

And use a bamboo stick

 

[natmoon]

Never put metal into your soil,fill those pots right up to the top with soil or repot them and make sure the soil comes right up the the first baby leaves and get a small fan on them

 

[csharper]

why not put metal in the soil? potential rust? just curious...

 

[smarty]

metal is dirty

 

[dankie]

Metal will oxidize in the soil.

 

[smarty]

thats the word i was looking for

 

[nowstopwhining]

How far away is your light! Holy shit that thing is horribly stretched.

You want that 430w hps like 12-16 inches or something I think.

 

[Early]

If your stems are weak then the seedlings are not getting enough light. Lower your light-but not too much. You don't want to fry them.

 

[Cutdown]

im no pro but im pretty sure you should be using flouro or cfls for veg...

the sodium light is only good for flowering....like i said im no pro but ive done alot of reading about it so thats just my opinion

HPS is more than fine for vegging as well, my babies have been under it from the time I put them in soil and no stretching, maybe the light's just too far from the plants, that's all.