Plants at different heights

[PassTheBiff]

Did a quick search, found nothing, but if theres a thread on this i've missed if someone could point me in that direction i'd be very appreciative

So i've got my plants going, 2/3 have fully sprouted (ready to lose hope on the 3rd) but one is a good inch taller than the other,
What should i do regarding my lighting? raise it up so its an inch above the tallest plant? or keep it low untill the shorter plant grows a bit more?
Only on day ten of my grow, and running 24/0 lighting of CFL (obviously )

Any help?

PTB

 

[SunnyJim]

I would train the taller plants with some LST (tying the higher growth down with string) to get them the same height as the shortest plant.

Any pics?

 

[minnesmoker]

Try to keep the light as close to the plants as possible -- a couple inches. That means both plants. If the taller plant has it's first couple true nodes, you can top it and then begin LST, or you could just begin LST, if it's not that far along wait and bury it deeper when you replant (there's a sticky about replanting stretchy plants.)

Good luck with the grow, and, pictures are always helpful in offering advice on plant issues, otherwise, we're just shotgunning solutions in an attempt to boost our egos and show off our knowledge.

 

[PassTheBiff]

Its just still at the stage where its got the cotyledon and 2 true leaves sprouting from between them (both plants, but obviously the taller one has much larger leaves) , how should i tie it? (can't get a decent pick because i'm only on a laptop and have no camera :/ )

 

[SunnyJim]

Like minnesmoker said, without pics, it's hard to offer sound advice.

It sounds like your plants are in the earliest stages of growth, with only one or two sets of true leaves. If that's the case, it might be a little too early to do any tying or cutting. Can you replant the taller one(s), burying them deeper so that they're all the same height?

 

[PassTheBiff]

Okay, know they're not IDEAL pics but you can clearly see the size difference, already in peat pots within the full term growing medium, do you think i could just bury the taller one deeper like has been said?

New to this game, sorry if i seem like a complete moron

lighting is 6400K 60Hz 300W CFL for vegging

 

[minnesmoker]

300w actual? Be careful you don't scorch those poor things. Yes, bury deeper, and keep the light close, without burning (it's kinda tricky with something putting off that much heat.)

EDIT: Nope, you seem like a new grower, not a complete moron. You spelled both complete and moron correctly... That normally doesn't happen.

Read, a LOT! It'll really help you out, as you get into this addiction (the grow... not the product.)

 

[PassTheBiff]

i THINK its 300 actual, that's what it was advertized as but i don't trust anyone that's making a profit off me haha (its kicking off a hell of a lot of light, need the sun gigs on to open the grow haha)

Buried deeper and dropped the light a half inch (was probably too high for the little one anyway) Will get back to my reading! (thought i'd read enough until this happened, seems you can never know too much! )

Cheers to both of ya! +rep on its way

 

[minnesmoker]

ALWAYS ... seriously, ALWAYS wear GOOD sunglasses (at a bare minimum!) in your grow. Those lights will DESTROY your eyes if you don't shield them... Think of it like this, you are recreating the SUN, you wouldn't play around IT without some eye protection, would you?

 

[SunnyJim]

Wow - a 300W actual CFL? Must be a beast!

Bulb distance from plants: the general rule is that if the heat coming off the bulb is too much for the top of your hand, it's too much for the plant.

Try putting your hand 6 inches below the bulb, palm side down, and slowly raise your hand towards the bulb. Once you get within a couple inches, you should feel the heat on the top of your hand. If you can leave your hand in the same place without feeling too much heat, that should be the distance you keep between the bulb and the top of your plants. It's usually no less than an inch, and no more than 5 inches.

 

[PassTheBiff]

haha learned that lesson on day one, took my eyes a good 5 minutes to recover from the glare, double up with a poker visa and Oakley sun glasses now, not even risking it anymore
Considering I've studied physics and biology most of my life you'd have thought I'd have worked that out sooner though :S

And sunnyjim, thats a great tip! every where just says "a couple of inches" and "make sure it doesn't burn the plants" that i've come across so far

 

[SunnyJim]

I had a few teething problems during my first attempt(s), like most growers. It just took a little tinkering before I found the right 'recipe' for my grow space and hydroponic system, and now I try not to deviate from it too much.

 

[hotrodharley]

I have an extremely hard time buying 300 watts consumed by a CFL you can run in a simple fixture.

 

[SunnyJim]

I'm not sure I understand the statement. Do you mean you have a hard time finding the right socket for a 300W actual CFL bulb? I think it's an E39 (US)/E40 (Europe) screw-in lamp socket, which you can wire directly into the mains.

 

[PassTheBiff]

I have an extremely hard time buying 300 watts consumed by a CFL you can run in a simple fixture.

As SunnyJim said, mine is an E39 fitting that came with a plug already attached to the fitting for the bulb that plugs straight into the mains (or via a timer) bought from a gardening store (spent a good 20 minutes talking to the shop assistant about it, while trying not to let slip what it was for ) there's plenty online, but I'd rather pick mine up in person, and pay cash (hate paper trails)

 

[username1234567]

Back to your point with plants at diffrent heights,

You could do some Lst

Or simply put the smaller one on a stack of books lol

 

[PassTheBiff]

Okay, i'm back, plants have grown a lot in 8 days, but i'm unsure of their progress,

On day 18 of the grow (know they're not the best picks)
Same 300W bulb, added nutes the first few days but upon reading i've backed off now), and foilar fed on and off
I know plant 2 looks like it has yellow edges all the way down, but this is just on the tips on the actual plant, and new true leaves are coming through and looking healthy, so i think whatever i messed up on, i fixed (was worried it was nute lockout? so did a flush and the plant seems to have recovered well.

What do we all think?

Any tips?

OH! and i've moved the fan keeping humidity down, its now blowing into the base of the grow at pot level, am i risking the roots? as its blowing air over my plants nicely where it is, they'll get a nice thick strong stem

 

[Mr.Marijuana420]

your over worrying, its really not that big of an issue. you can leave the lights where they are until the shorter ones catch up to the tall ones, and what often happens is since the taller ones are already right up under the light, the new top growth has nowhere to stretch to and will just grow on top of eachother with super tight nodes. If u find the plants are growing up in the lights and are to close for your comfort, simply take the few that are noticably taller from the rest, and tie them down. you want to keep your plants generally the same hieght but plants differing by mere inches, i wouldnt concern myself with