Thinking that winter is not far away and that she will soon have to carry a big load of bud, your plant will likely grow rapidly. Other reasons for leggy plant growth include improper lighting. 1. You don’t leave those things out in the open where anyone could just take them, because (undoubtedly) someone would! Read this document, it explain quite accurately the matter of stretch and how to control it. A big issue some growers have with marijuana plants is how tall they get. The important thing with this method is to cut all the growth shoot off, just leaving a bit of that stalk. If you are using HPS or other lighting, try setting the lights at approximately 24” from the top of the plants. There are so many different hybrids now that if you really wanted the effects of a Sativa plant for a high, you could most likely find seeds that have some Indica and some Sativa that would suit your needs. Stretch produces tall lanky pot plants with possibly weak and spindly stems. I know this because I was in the same situation when I first started growing. This method is very similar to the fimming method below and is the method that someone was trying to perform, which they botched and named it fimming. They are naturally huge plants. I'm concerned about the stretching also since a few days the flowers seem to have stopped evolving. Cannabis plant stretch is a problem primarily in indoor pot grows because it may reduce yields in some pot strains. I like to let my plants grow a good solid base first so they can support the entire weight of the buds that will hopefully be growing shortly afterwards. To minimize stretching, keep the light source at an optimal distance because the improper positioning of light is one of the major causes of stretch on marijuana plants. Best Water PH for Pot? So, you can see why it might be a bit challenging for someone to grow Sativa indoors and in a grow tent. and also turn off your co2 during the first 2 weeks of 12/12 too. Using PGRs means it is an easy way to stop the vertical stretch, but this comes at a high cost with lower resin and essential production. Here’s how to do it. To fix it, you should give the plant a new start by cutting it down and propagating its parts. Sativa’s can grow 10’ and higher. Meanwhile if the leaves show brown spots it means the plant is sunburnt and the adjustment is too quick for the plant to adapt, thus slowing down the process should solve the issue. Depending on how far into the vegetative stage you are, it might be too late to do anything. I do not recommend this and here is why. How Much Area Does a 1000 Watt Light Cover? So, before you make the “cut”, try to find an area for your succulents where they will get more indirect sunlight than they did before. Wait until the plant has at least 4 node sites before switching over the lighting. 2. In low light situations, the plants are stretching for sunlight to produce important plant sugars. By doing this, you will now promote even more kolas or bud sites starting up compared to if you had left it to grow vertically right from the start. Temperature differentials!! I've heard and tried keeping even day/night temps for the first 2 weeks but I felt like that didn't really help with the stretch. If I feel like tying plants down with internodes between 5"-7", I grow a sativa. This so called stretching is really a growth spurt, that plants usually go through during the vegetative phase and also early on in the flowering phase. My question is at what point should i stop bending her down. It’s that simple. Plants can double in size (or more!) Fix Stretching Marijuana Plants is a video about stretching, why it occurs, and how to stop it using a strategy I have never seen anyone else use. You will need a way to tie it down gently without digging into the plant. Here are a few things I recommend you try. The stems grow thin because the plant is desperately reaching its leaves towards the light. https://manicbotanix.com/pgr-free-stretch-reduction/, http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q2/corn-dwarfed-by-temperature-dip-suitable-for-growing-in-caves,-mines.html. - 7 plants (one was male), seeds are dinafem white widow and cheese feminized - light: AF. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases”, Growing Marijuana World may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links posted on this site. Try shooting less than 5°+- from light and dark hours. Always watch the reaction of the leaves to see if they like the light or not. I control stretch using the old school system. I would even start before the plants hit that halfway mark. The weed plant is stretching up to get more light. If you cut back on the amount of water and fertilizer, you should be providing you are stunting the growth of a beautiful plant. Your marijuana plant will not produce buds as big as it could have, leaving you with a sub-par yield. Week 1-3: The Flowering Stretch. Autos will stretch vertically to reach a light source. so I'm curious to hear about different people's methods on controlling the 12/12 stretch. Unfortunately, this technique creates marijuana plant stretch when used during the first 3-4 weeks of bloom phase. You can’t just cut the plant down or you might not get any buds. You reduce marijuana plant stretch by reducing the difference in grow room temperature between night and day to 3-4 degrees during the first 3-4 weeks of bloom phase. Light Distance – Keeping your lights the right distance away will ensure that your plants don’t have to stretch to get more light. Just an idea. This way, there is a location for new growth to start at that point where it will now branch off into at least a couple of stalks instead of just the once that was there previously. With the information provided in this article and some experimenting on your part, you should be able to keep things under control now. The first couple of weeks into flowering you won’t notice much happening then suddenly, the buds shoot up and the plants grow considerably. the closer they are, the less stretch. Not all growers are opposed to stretching, as it can be seen as a useful factor in ensuring the even distribution of flowers over a plant. If you have stretched out plants, you can follow the procedure above to promote new growth, but unless you give the plants more light, the cutting and new offshoots will eventually get stretched out as well. If you are new to growing weed, you probably don’t realize just how tall some of these plants really get or how to keep them from getting that high. The stretched part of the plant won’t un-stretch, but new growth will be stacked more closely together. Privacy is important, even when it is legal to grow marijuana where you live. There is a method of one hour of cold before the lights come on keeps them stocky. I should now have nearly 15 top cola's. Also, plants that receive high nitrogen fertilizers early in spring will get a jump on growth. To stop stretching deliver more light. How to stop marijuana plants from growing too tall? This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Let’s look at how close the lights should be. If you are in the first couple of weeks you could top or fim the plants. Sometimes you need to take what you have experienced with growing weed as a lesson and make sure you plan ahead for the next grow. If the plant seems to stop stretching but still have a few leaves pointing down, continue to add more light until the plant stops showing signs of stress. The SCROG has worked great and every stem and bud site reached the screen due to the training which is great. The best way to avoid this from happening is to have the lights within 2’ of your seedlings and as they grow, lower them, if you have LED. Here are the following top causes to deal with cannabis stretching and what you need to watch out for when planting new seedlings: Lack of sunlight either due to inadequate exposure of neighbouring plants stealing it Lack of nutrients in the soil so i received my new bennies and nutes before my last water and used them and after being gone for almost a week i came back and the plants grew way more than i expected....soooo here we are now wondering what are your best methods in your personal experience for keeping stretch … Let’s get to it!Â. I really hope that made sense. This results in overly tall, spindly plants. Stretching is what we canna-cultivators call the natural vertical growth spurt put on by cannabis plants during the early stages of flowering, and more notable in Sativa varieties and Sativa/Indica hybrids. If your plants aren’t listening to your pleas to stop stretching, or you're gearing up for a massive flowering stretch, some more hands-on attention may be necessary. If your pot is big enough, you could lay down up to 2’ of plant which means your plant will be 2’ shorter in height. I've grown blue cookies the same strain for 3-4 runs indoor and just finishing my first run outdoor. It will definitely decrease stretch from day 7-14. I dont know what it has to do with stretching, only that sexually mature plants stretch less in flower than ones that are not. Use blue lights to stop your plants from stretching during the vegetative state. If you are with me, then let’s look at those ways right now. Low stress training is another method used to keep a weed plant from getting too tall. Sometimes, growing outdoors can elicit some unwanted attention when growing weed. Low stress training is performed on the plant when it first starts to grow. So I got my girl scout cookie clones two weeks into flower and they just wont stop stretching! Following any of the suggestions provided previously in this article will help you achieve those results. Depending on where outdoors you trying to grow your weed, you can build structures that go higher than your plants and that way you can let the plants grow naturally. About stretching harder if it's not sexually mature. Some plants will still creep up in height a bit, which is fine if it is bud growth. How tall should the plants be before flowering? So, what do you do? Before we talk about how to stop your weed plants from growing too tall, let’s touch quickly on why you would want to do this. 3. To minimise stretching, keep your lights between 10 (for CFL) and 30 centimetres (for HID) from your canopy. The short answer is somewhere in the fourth to fifth week of flowering your buds should stop growing in height (stretching) and start thickening. You want to grow big buds, not big plants. Most 100% pure Indica strains are shorter broader plants than Sativa strains. Sometimes it’s as simple as cutting back on the amount of water or fertilizer you provide the plants. Same thing with my outdoor blue cookies. These could result to weakening of the plant’s branches and stems and can even lead to burnt leaves and stems if it gets too close to the light. Remember this is called low stress training because you are applying minimal pressure as to not snap the stalk or stems. If for example if your lights-on temperatures are 75°F, you’d want your lights-off temperatures to be 71°F. But stretching refers specifically to a plant's reaction to not enough light. Yes, it’s true if the plants are not getting enough light, they will stretch to reach whatever light there is. How To Prevent Pot Plant Stretch Many pot growers will allow their cannabis plants to stretch. In the very first weeks of flowering, your cannabis plants will be in the transition stage. Yes there are other things that can encourage/reduce stretch however, pot size will definitely do it. During flower, typically plants will continue to grow (stretch) a to be 3 times taller than during the grow or veg stage, so a 30cm high plant will grow to approximately 90cm in total. use a MH for veg and for the first 2 weeks of 12/12 will help reduce stretch. Learn more about light schedules and the flowering stretch (how much a plant grows after entering the flowering stage). If I want a short plant with tight internodes. After a couple weeks of this, they usually come to almost a complete stop in height. Now I am going to answer some questions I found online to make sure we cover this topic as fully as possible. Once it is rooted, detach the runner from the parent plant. I am compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site. As it grows, keep bending it over and directing it around the base of the pot. Point period blank if you keep the plant hungry for nitrogen the first 2 weeks of flower it won't stretch as hard. if you veg under a 5600K light, then flower under a hps, which are usually around 2700k, you're going to get a lot of stretch, if you veg under a 3200k and flower under a 2700k, you'll still get some, but a lot less. Your plants stretched more because you put it in a bigger pot. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Well, it means I have some trusted and true methods to help reduce the height of weed plants. There are proven techniques to stop plants from growing too tall, such as ‘fimming’, topping and keeping the lights at the right height. then switch to HPS. This treatment will delay flowering or re-flowering by two or more weeks. See side bar for full affiliate disclosure. It’s the same if you brew beer or make wine. At a high level, LST is basically bending your plant over once it gets to about 6” tall and tying it over so it stays. This takes some drastic measures, but in time will leave you with multiple new succulents. Pin the first plantlet on a good, healthy runner into a pot of compost. During these 2 weeks your plant will have a very strong growth, up to 200% for the most extreme strains. Following the methods for topping, instead of cutting the new growth shoot off, just go about halfway down the shoot and cut it there. Most varieties that display this characteristic will finish stretching by the third or fourth week of 12/12 photoperiod and start to fill out the bud sites, while some strains can continue … Is this normal behaviour? If they start to curl and droop, then raise the light a few inches. One way to keep that unwanted attention away is to do what you can to keep your weed plants a bit shorter. It is a common occurrence with new growers as they do not realize how close the lights really need to be. Divide that by 2 and that is the tallest you want them to be when switching the lights over for flowering. Now, onto the main subject of this article. I really don't think it's the genetics because I run multiple strains and get the same results. Seeds that are started late winter or early spring, when the sun is still low in the sky, are prone to this type of growth pattern. Stretch is generally considered an unavoidable evil, but some pot growers prefer a bit of stretch to allow for premium pot buds. If the leaves look healthy and are growing at a fast rate, you could try lowering them to as close as 6” from the top of the plant. Once into flowering I suggest only LST. Try placing the LED lights approximately 12” above the plants to start and watch how the leaves react. How to produce new strawberry plants. These plants will do all they can to get food and sunlight and if there are limited resources it will compensate by stretching. The weight of pot buds during pot flower will require staking or roping to avoid damage, falling over or even snapping off. Anyways, here is how you can top your plant to help keep the height lower. If your plant is able to grow anyway it wants, you are probably hurting the yield when the plant is done. Plants can be pruned and shaped at any time to reduce stretch and to improve aesthetics. You might have to order them online, but I would be very surprised if you couldn’t find an Indica hybrid that didn’t suit your needs. The leaves of the plant will tell you if they like it or not. Once your plant is a good 12” to 18” tall and/or has at least 3 branch levels (nodes), locate the very top center growth shoot of the plant/growth. You can also use the lights in the first two weeks of the flowering stage to prevent your plants from growing too tall. She is now a week into flower and 20 inches tall by 24 inches wide. You can leave the vegetative (6500K) colored bulbs in for the first 2-3 weeks of flowering before switching to your flowering bulbs. Training and pruning allow you to control the shape of your plant by limiting vertical growth … In general to control growth use one or more of LST, scrog, topping, and/or fimming. The first step to avoiding stretching is to buy a strain that is … For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I grow a indica. The first couple of weeks into flowering you won’t notice much happening then suddenly, the buds shoot up and the plants grow considerably. For Sativa plants, switch the lighting over to flower when they are 18” to 24”. Once you know what weed plants you are growing, you can research how tall they typically get. Some strains can almost double in height during this time. Encouraging pot plant stretch can be a good technique to prevent budrot in susceptible cannnabis strains while producing massive pot colas. Is pot plant stretch a problem? The Stretch – Final Growth and Flowering sites What people call “the stretch” is the ~2 weeks after switching light periods, generally 18/6 to 12/12. Some growers will make subsequent pinches at three- to six-week intervals, depending on the plant species and growing conditions. This will depend on what strain you are growing and where you are growing. One important thing to know about marijuana plants is they will double (or more) in size between the veg stage and the flowering stage. If you don’t know now, you will. Why not keep watering and fertilizing and look for other ways to fix this problem? Stretching in cannabis plants usually is a sign of too little light because the plants is stretching closer to the light source to get more lumens and be able to perform photosynthesis and grow. If you have ever seen a picture of someone standing beside a monster-sized marijuana plant, you can pretty much bet that it is a Sativa plant. This is an excellent question, especially if you are new to the hobby. What fimming will do is force more growth in the lower nodes. How to stop plants from stretching. Some growers will recommend this. During this season, the sunlight is barely strong enough to allow plants … Most other lights will generate heat and will more easily cause light burn. The short answer is somewhere in the fourth to fifth week of flowering your buds should stop growing in height (stretching) and start thickening. When this happens, it is called stretching. Also keep the spaces between the plants free of weeds. When the plants start receiving 12 hours of darkness each day, they “think” that winter is close, and prepare to produce offspring.The first of the cannabis flowering stages, therefore, includes a major spurt of vegetative growth aimed at giving the plant ample size and strength to support those coming buds. Some marijuana plants (like Sativa) do extremely well when they are pruned in their third to fifth week of vegetative marijuana growth. I have provided you with some very good methods of keeping your weed plants from growing too tall. Pinching is labor intensive. Or, leave them around 2’ away if using HPS or other lights that generate heat. The end-result of a successful marijuana grow is to have big, thick buds to cure. Selecting Indica versus Sativa strains for naturally shorter plants is a good option as well. Â. Fimming, topping, low stress training what does it all mean?  I don’t recall where this started but essentially the story is that whoever discovered this method thought they had made a huge mistake, so that’s why they called it this. Because you are growing a narcotic, there will always be someone that will want to steal it from you. Node sites are the locations on the plant where branches grow. This method causes less stress on your plants and they will recover quicker than topping. Not all get to 10’ or higher naturally, but I feel that 6’ is probably an average height for these plants. Also, stick to indica strains if you’ve got a smaller grow space. When Do Plants Stop Stretching in Flower?  This will stop them from stretching and getting too tall. LED grow lights can be kept very close to weed plants, as they do not throw off much if any heat and will not typically cause light burn. one of the bigger factors is the K rating of both of your lights. Adequate spacing should also be provided because weed plants that grow in a crowded garden have the tendency to stretch on top of each other struggling for light. Transition into flower with blue spectrum, only feed what she needs. JavaScript is disabled. So, that is something to consider, especially if you are growing indoors and in a tent. 600w HPS - Medium:atami wilma 8 pot drippers, canna coco + clay pebbles, PH 5.8 - nutrients canna coco A+B (EC 1.6), That’s what this article is about, helping you figure out what method you can use to shorten the height of your plants, regardless of whether they’re grown indoors or out. Let’s begin! Pruning marijuana plants in veg and early cannabis flower will keep the plant from growing skyward. However, it may become a bushy plant. (For Maximum Growth). Indica’s are much better suited for growing indoors than a Sativa. Depending on what variety you grow, you can expect the Indica plant to be anywhere between 3’ and 6’ high. Indica’s are ideal for growing in grow tents. ____________________________________________________________________________, How to Stop Plants from Growing Tall (Indoors and Outdoors). We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Ensuring the plant itself excluding the buds is as short as possible will allow you to have those big buds. The flowering stretch usually lasts for the first two weeks of the phase. after the switch to 12/12 so you want to start flowering as soon as possible if you're already worried about height in the vegetative stage! Check out https://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/marijuana-seedling-problems/ for more information on marijuana seedling problems. Florists use the technique. You can propagate from especially good plants at this time of year too. If you are using a grow tent, you will have limited height that the plants can reach, before they grow up and beyond the height of your hanging lights. Cut that center growth shoot off leaving a few centimeters or a quarter inch of stalk above the highest branch line. Ahh nice I didn't know that! You must log in or register to reply here. Thread starter joedaddy805; Start date Jan 5, 2014; Jan 5, 2014. every morning I have to raise my lights 1 or 2 inches … For Indica plants, switch the light over to flower when they are approximately 12” to 18” tall. Tallest you want to grow few things I recommend you try plants, the... And 20 inches tall by 24 inches wide time to reduce stretch how! Encouraging pot plant stretch when used during the first 2-3 weeks of will! 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