Concerned about height of the plants?

braxpage2009

Active Member
my plants are about two weeks old and have grown about 3 and a half to 4 inches tall and have started to lean in different directions. is there any way for me to straighten them about or what is the best thing to do. they look healthy im just worried that maybe they are too tall?
 

Crispy420withall

Active Member
tie them up....or bend them back straight it wont kill them to bend them a little i bend my plants back straight and then rotate them for the light been doing it for mo. on my plants :)
 

Brick Top

New Member
It sounds like they are stretching due to your lighting being to far away from them or just not putting off enough light or not enough of the right light spectrum the plants need.

Your three basic options are, after lowering your lights if they are to high or adding to or replacing your lights if they are not putting off enough of the light spectrum your plants need are to loosely stake them up, to add a small fan to blow lightly on the plants because the swaying motion will cause them to build stronger stems. It is the wind in nature that causes trees and bushes and plants to grow thicker trunks and branches and stems because as they sway the plant or tree or whatever senses it and creates more growth in the weak areas to then be able to withstand the stresses the wind puts them under. Or you could, if growing in soil, repot your plants so most of the now exposed stems are in the soil leaving just the tips of the plants above the soil. New roots will grow from the then buried stems and that will help to increase your overall root structure but if the stretching is due to your lights being to far from the plants or not enough of the correct light spectrum the plants need they will just stretch again.

My suggestion would be to lower your lights, after making sure they are giving your plants the correct light spectrum, and then loosely staking up your plants and adding a small fan to blow on them so their stems grow thicker and stronger. Of repot them deeper and lower your lights after making sure they are putting off the correct light spectrum your plants need.

What type of lighting are you using? What total wattage do they put out? How far away from your plants are they?
 

braxpage2009

Active Member
my lights are three 2 ft T12 plant and aquarium flourescent lights. They are 20 watts each. what kind of light would you recommend. it is about an inch to two inches away from the top of the plants.
 

Brick Top

New Member
my lights are three 2 ft T12 plant and aquarium flourescent lights. They are 20 watts each. what kind of light would you recommend. it is about an inch to two inches away from the top of the plants.

You have your lights about as close as you can get them so I don’t think lowering them will help.

When it comes to lighting I am old and I am old school and I have not gotten into the CFL craze that so many here have. (Something that I have never seen in such large numbers on ANY herb site I have ever been a member of.) I like HID lighting the best and I would be using a metal halide light for veg and then when switching to flower use a HPS. But that’s just me.

If you like fluorescent lighting by some quality CFL’s with a good reflector and keep them low.
 

Brick Top

New Member
plants can never get to tall .....

That is both true and untrue depending on how someone is growing and at what stage in a plants growth/life they are when the shoot up.

If you are growing indoors and have a height limitation then a plant can grow to tall and end up growing into your lights even when your lights are at their maximum possible height.

If your plants shoot up as seedlings their stems may not be able to support them and then can bend over and die if you do not take action.

Both are examples of plants growing to tall being a problem.

Plus stretching is a sign of a problem, a lighting problem in almost every single case. The problem will not go away on its own, you have to solve it.
 

Brick Top

New Member
what would be the best CFL set up for my plants. i have six in the early stages. tomorrow they will be two weeks old.

Not being a CFL fan myself that is a question better answered by those with CFL experience. I wish I could answer it for you but I would hate to just guess and tell you something that was wrong or tell you to purchase one type when there is a better value to be found for your dollar.

Hang on a bit and I am sure someone into CFL’s will join in and tell you what options are the best.
 
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