When to switch to flower? Is this plant too short?

My first grow. Well... my only grow. I just want to see if I can grow it. I'm a veggie gardener. Every so often people post their marijuana grow in my FB garden groups and everyone else gets all pissy about it. But it has always intrigue me. So I decided to order seeds and give it a shot.
This is a feminized Cindy 99/blimburn.
It says it is a sativa but grows like a indica.
This was planted from seed on Halloween.
Coco/perlite mix
General hydroponic nutrients
2x4x5 grow tent. 600w led 20 inches from plant top
I topped early at 3rd node like I do for my pepper plants. (May have been a mistake)
There were issues very early on with calmag. I didn't buffer my coco. You can see the damage on the early leaves.
I am now training it to be ready for scrog. I don't want it to get tall but it is so low that watering is tough and in my experience if leaves touch dirt the plants end up having issues.
How can I get this to be higher off the coco? Or is it fine the way it is? If I scrog with it like this it will be impossible to water. Also when do I switch to flower? Is it by size or days from planting? Thanks in advance.

Let her veg some more if you flip her now you will have 8 inch plant. Give her another 6 inches so she can be at least 12 inches tall.

I would let it grow some more then bend it over to let the side shoot out.

WinterSoldier89 said:

I would let it grow some more then bend it over to let the side shoot out.

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I have some branches pulled down to open up the area so the new growth can get light. There are 2 branches from where I topped and then other 4 branches growing along the main stem. 2 very low branches that I haven't bothered with. Should I just remove the steaks that are spreading them out and let it do it's thing? Would that Make the growth uneven? If it is uneven, does it matter at this point?
These probably sound like really dumb questions. Thanks for replying.

Water less..feed more..make sure your pH is correct. 4 weeks old plant should be abit bigger than that

All good advice here ... nothing to add.

BUT, I would like to add: Different genetics are different. Duh. What I mean by that is that the different genetics have similar traits. Some are short and bushy ... some get tall and lanky, some are spindly, some are thick.
Look up the traits of your genetic. Maybe it's a bush.

I have some experience with DoSiDo. She is a very squat plant, with shoots going straight out from the main branch never turning up. Colas are only about 4 inches long. She gets so loaded with colas without support she breaks branches. Makes a great SCROG (look it up), but she never gets more than knee high.

Then there's Gorilla Glue. She gets six feet tall even in 5 gallon smart pots. Colas as long as your forearm, and about as thick. Will push the ceiling offa your grow room. Makes a great SOG (look it up).

They all different. Just like women ... learn how to tickle them just right to get what you want, and you'll both be happy.

This place can be a lot like FB. Lots of people here with wet diapers; as soon as you recognize them as such ... ignore em.
We all do.
They play with themselves.

Lailanilyn said:

I have some branches pulled down to open up the area so the new growth can get light. There are 2 branches from where I topped and then other 4 branches growing along the main stem. 2 very low branches that I haven't bothered with. Should I just remove the steaks that are spreading them out and let it do it's thing? Would that Make the growth uneven? If it is uneven, does it matter at this point?
These probably sound like really dumb questions. Thanks for replying.

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Again ... there is no pat and standard answer to that.
I've done that to certain genetics before, others - not needed.

Look at your plant? What's she telling you?
Is she happy?
Then you're doing it right.

Not happy?
Do something different.

That's how we learn.

Would it help if he raised the light to promote stretching

Rayi said:

Would it help if he raised the light to promote stretching

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LoL.
No. It would not help.

Can you make a short person tall by feeding them more?

Genetics.

HashBucket said:

LoL.
No. It would not help.

Can you make a short person tall by feeding them more?

Genetics.

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I’d beg to differ a bit.

Not that i’m scientifically right at all but in veg if they are creeping close to my T5s I notice growth vertically slow down but when i raise the lights another 6-8 inches they start to chase the light per say.

Not that it wouldn’t happen without raising the light but I feel it can help.

It does make it a little harder to water if you keep them short, but I like to keep mine pretty tight. I do remove the leaves or branches at the bottom if they are getting close to the soil. I kinda start lollipopping early on since I would just be taking them off later anyways. You'll figure it out with practice. And raising the light will make them stretch more, which is why I would keep my t5's nearly on top of my plants (to avoid the stretch). Here's a Green Crack from last round that I nute burned a bit.

Yea thats pretty rare to me especially in such a large pot and good light. The plant is healthy though, lol your nodes must be packed together. You will definitely end up having to prune some fan leaves because just one will probably over shadow your whole plant. I have 2 c99s a couple weeks into flower growing in a 3 liter & gallon container right now and its maybe 13 inches high. Here’s a pic just to give u an example of what they can look like with different genetics. You may have gotten unlucky with little dick genes.

Rondeady said:

Yea thats pretty rare to me especially in such a large pot and good light. The plant is healthy though, lol your nodes must be packed together. You will definitely end up having to prune some fan leaves because just one will probably over shadow your whole plant. I have 2 c99s a couple weeks into flower growing in a 3 liter & gallon container right now and its maybe 13 inches high. Here’s a pic just to give u an example of what they can look like with different genetics. You may have gotten unlucky with little dick genes.

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I personally like tighter nodes. I have also been adjusting the temp differential in early flower to limit the stretching a bit. Anyways here's a pic of this round of Green Crack at day 25. The tall girl in the back is a Sunset Sherbert that I didn't top or do anything to, and was tiny when I put it in.

Lailanilyn said:

Would that Make the growth uneven? If it is uneven, does it matter at this point?

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You’re a competent gardener. You know the answer. What vegetable do you scrog for an even canopy?
I swear many practices were birthed by the stoned mind looking to entertain itself. An even canopy is not required to grow great flower. If one cola shoots into the light, supercrop it.
My lights are at 10a & 2p, not high noon and I just let them grow. Who am I to tell her who she should be when she grows up?! Girl power

Father Ramirez said:

You’re a competent gardener. You know the answer. What vegetable do you scrog for an even canopy?
I swear many practices were birthed by the stoned mind looking to entertain itself. An even canopy is not required to grow great flower. If one cola shoots into the light, supercrop it.
My lights are at 10a & 2p, not high noon and I just let them grow. Who am I to tell her who she should be when she grows up?! Girl power

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that is a great answer, thanks

If you take advantage of what you can do with Coco, You can double her size in a week! Looks like your treating her like soil.

I used to run C99. She is a bushy heavy yielder and can throw some dank nugs. Not sure on the cross though. It does have a slow veg but it should stretch a bit.

I would pull the stakes and let it do it’s thing for a week or two personally. after a topping and also being spread it is probably wondering what you want it to do.

Topping at the third node is a good strategy but you should end up after a week or so with a nice spread out plant with two or three tops.

Veg can also slow down this time of year if you don’t watch your temps. Water temp is important also.

Jypsy Dog said:

If you take advantage of what you can do with Coco, You can double her size in a week! Looks like your treating her like soil.

Cannabis Grow Guide - Coco For Cannabis - Science and Practice

Cannabis grow guide: articles, tutorials, DIY projects & more! Dedicated to the science and practice of growing cannabis in coco perlite and other media.

www.cocoforcannabis.com

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Thank you for the link.

nurrgle said:

I used to run C99. She is a bushy heavy yielder and can throw some dank nugs. Not sure on the cross though. It does have a slow veg but it should stretch a bit.

I would pull the stakes and let it do it’s thing for a week or two personally. after a topping and also being spread it is probably wondering what you want it to do.

Topping at the third node is a good strategy but you should end up after a week or so with a nice spread out plant with two or three tops.

Veg can also slow down this time of year if you don’t watch your temps. Water temp is important also.

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I decided to pull them and just let it do its thing. Thank you.

Lailanilyn said:

I have some branches pulled down to open up the area so the new growth can get light. There are 2 branches from where I topped and then other 4 branches growing along the main stem. 2 very low branches that I haven't bothered with. Should I just remove the steaks that are spreading them out and let it do it's thing? Would that Make the growth uneven? If it is uneven, does it matter at this point?
These probably sound like really dumb questions. Thanks for replying.

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Just leave it like this and keep doing this. Wait for the leaf ratio to cover atleast all the soil area of the pot and keep spreading her this way. If certain shoots (new top) start to stretch high just spread them back and lower then the same way you spljt you middle. And try like mention to atleast cover the all the soil. By then your plant should have a fairly good root systeme and a good budding sites ratio. Yiu can always clean the lower leaf of few days before flipping. She will atleast double in height in first 3 weeks of flowering so more tying down can be good but i wouldn't do it to much at this point has you'll still have a good light coverage if you spread her good. Maybe set the tallest ones to average height. Good look it a good start