Too thin?

My plants have been growing for a little over a month and I think I am about to start the flowering stage because it is my first time growing and honestly I'm a bit antsy. I've been looking at a few of the pictures on here and it looks like most of the other plants are fairly bushy after only a few weeks. Mine almost seem bare compared to some of these other monsters. I don't know if growing my plant in soil makes it different in size than one grown using hydroponics, but I was just wanting to make sure it is growing properly. Also what do you guys think about me starting the flowering stage, space is limited so I don't really wanting it to grow too big... Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!

I would estimate that the reason your plant isn't as bushy as others is because that single two foot 20 watt fluoro is not cutting it.
If you flower you wont get much, and if you plan to flower under that light alone you are going to be like this =[

your plants seem very stretched out they need more light. If you flower you will get a decent bowl lol. best to start over with more light a lot more.

I wouldn't say the plants are a total loss, with some more lights you can get it to thicken up with the new growth, but plan to veg for a while longer.
I mean the longer you veg the more you can yield, right now its not going to be worth it to flower.
If you are super broke, you can try getting the plants more light using cfl's, they are the twisty ones that are about the same size are regular bulbs.
Get the biggest ones you can buy, 43w that puts out like 150w is a good choice, make sure to get the daylight color and not soft white, because it has more of a full spectrum better for plant growth.
Grab a couple of those, and while youre at the hardware store get a couple of splitters that turn 1 light socket into 2.
Then go to grandmas and steal a couple lamps, take the shades of, and get your cfls going.
They will do a lot better than that single fluoro tube, the output on cfls is much stronger.
On the bright side, looks healthy!

Oh and by the way, you won't be able to sex the plant until a couple weeks into flower.
You could also switch to 12/12 for a little while to sex the plants, and then switch back to 18/6 and veg to get it to thicken up.
This delays the whole process some, but this way at least you know you've got a female or not, and if you have a male, you can toss it or whatever, and start some new seeds.

here is what a 6 week old plant possibly should look like...i have topped mine about 2 weeks ago...and i'm only using cfl's, 7 of them to be exact...but ya this is what your plant should look like...you need more lights...notice my stalk...it's THICK...hard to tell in th pic...but if you have a Sharpie pen...it's that size thick, but matman is right...you can veg a plant for a long time....also too the more mature the plant is...the better the bud, like a fine aged wine.

i'm just starting out and i want to practice my thumb with some reg(low qual)seeds... i was wondering if one; thats even possible and two can i achieve a heathly plant?

Malke your plant look like this



and add more lights

Bonzi Lighthouse said:

Malke your plant look like this

View attachment 1014710

and add more lights

Click to expand...

Best advice. Top that bitch and get more lights.

As stated you would only get a single bowl from that plant.

Get yourself some 200w ECO LIGHTS with reflectors and get some nice bud.

Leave your plant in veg under these ECO's for around 4 or 5 more weeks and then switch to 12 12.

J

I'm with Bonzi. You need some more action from that plant, and more lights above before she's ready to flower or you'll be getting a fluffy gram or two.

what kinds of seeds are you using?

get the cloths away from your grow area they will mildew and bring all kinds of crap to your bud the humidity is going to get pretty high at times

I understand everyone gets anxious when they are on their first grow. Growing cannabis isn't a hobby someone should pursue if they are impatient. When we get "ansy" we make simple mistakes and the plants suffer. You have made many 1st timer errors which is ok cause we all did at one point. If I were in your position I'd find a better place to grow other than inbetween rows of clothes. Isolate ur grow area. Buy a grow tent , if you cant due to your financial situation seek out a unused cabinet or even a large box will work. Get you some decent Compact Flourcesnt Bulbs, 5000K rating for vegging. Then get some 2700K CFLs for flowering. get a couple of PC muffin fans for intake and exhaust into box and if the box is big enough put a fan in there one that rotates. Make sure the CFLs are close to the plant 1 to 3 inches. Ditch that shop light on the wall it's not helping the plants much at all. If you do all these things your plants have a good chance at bushing out producing good bud. Also look up the ghetto growers thread. They have some bad ass ideas for people on a limited budget. I hope this helps bro. Good luck to you.

Peace and positive energy to you