Having a "Odd" problem with my first indoor grow

I am not new to growing at all, usually do a 10-12 plant garden in my backyard every year pull a nice harvest and just relax for the colder month but now I am looking to moving inside... Well anyway I have three plants started from seed germinted fine no problems but they are 28 days old from sprouting and are on a 18/6 light schedule under a 400 Watt MH. My problem is that they are SMALL.... I have never seen a plant grow like this, it is very bushy around 14inches across but only 6-7 inches high. These plants seem to be very fat bushy plants but my question is should I throw them into flower now or let them get bigger, I am just afraid if I do put them into flower now the buds have like no place to grow if that makes any sense.

Its like the plant put all its energy into growing out instead of up, I am just not used to this usually my plants are not lanky but pretty tall and have a decent amount of space between branches not a half inch.

Thanks,

I would say thats a good thing... cause then the node spacing is probably tighter and you can bring the lights closer, as well as fit more plants into the space. If you do want some "stretching" try pulling the light away a bit, they will follow it. Also, I'm sure they will grow out quite a bit when flowering... just depends how much indoor space you have.

try moving your light a little further away. they will stretch a bunch when you put them into flower with an hps light

If you want taller plants raise the light up more. When you do flower them they will grow about 2-3 times thier size.

I have the light 20 inches away I though that was more than enough, I actually thought that would have made the plant stretch real bad but guess not. I am going to FIM two plants and wait another 2-3 weeks and switch to the HPS and 12/12.

Also is it too hot if I put a digital thermo/hygrometer on top of the dirt in direct "sunlight" or bulb light and it reads the hottest 88 usually 80-83 during lights on.

Thanks Again,

I put the probe from my thermometer at the top of my plants rather than the top of the soil. If its 88 at the soil level under your MH its quite possibly 10 degrees or more higher at the top of your plants.

what i've found to find less stretching is the sunmaster cool deluxe MH bulb. But again only go to 14 inches if on 3 month cycle.

Your high temp of 88 at the soil level is probably the culprit. Your plants are clearly getting adequate light, but no matter how high you raise your lights, if the temps are high (possibly 98 as waggs said) at the top of the plant then it wont grow up it will just use the provided light to expand outward, avoiding being damaged by the high heat.

Growit&Smokeit said:

I have the light 20 inches away I though that was more than enough, I actually thought that would have made the plant stretch real bad but guess not. I am going to FIM two plants and wait another 2-3 weeks and switch to the HPS and 12/12.

Also is it too hot if I put a digital thermo/hygrometer on top of the dirt in direct "sunlight" or bulb light and it reads the hottest 88 usually 80-83 during lights on.

Thanks Again,

Click to expand...

I just do not see how if it does not like to be 90 degrees how this stuff can grow in south america and in afgan and a bunch of hotter places? Also if it is 80-85 outside how do you people with smaller grow rooms keep the temps at bay, my fan is not the problem I mean if its 85 outside the box and 90 inside the box with a huge heat source inside isnt that pretty good then?

I am starting to think growing in the off season inside is the only way to go since the temps will be cooler.

The high of 88 is rare usually its around 80-83. I have a 250cfm hooked to a cool tube design that actually cools better than a cool tube and a 85cfm fan blowing around inside the box. I think this is overkill as it is for a box that is roughly 3.5feet high 2.5feet wide and 2.5feet deep??

Any more suggestions??

Thanks Guys,

you gotta remember though outdoors plants get their leaves cooled by wind and such and just because a plant grows somewhere doesn't mean it's good conditions these plants grow almost anywhere although the results are usually worse in places that are too hot or too cold. like others said raise your lights up and they will stretch although i really dont see why you would want to. most people work hard to keep their plants as compact as possible. remember they will stretch a lot during flowering. I suggest lowering your heat if it's at all possible they will love you for it.

Mine started that way and after flowering for a bit, I now have a lot of big fat sticky Blueberry Buds.

ok atleast someone else has seen this before, I just have never seen such a compact plant. I also can not getting much of a yeild of a small compact plant, I would think a taller lanky plant would yield more.

Any for everyone saying raise the light, that will do nothing for me. The temp from 6inchs away is the same as 26inchs away from the light, I have a custom fabricated reflector that cools the light amazing. Again the outside temps during the day are 70-90 degrees so how are you supposed to keep a room with a heat source in it the same temp as ambient air??

I am thinking about when I switch to flowering which will be soon to change the hours the light is on. Right now it comes on at 6am and off at 12am I am thinking of having it come on at 9PM and off at 9AM to reduce the temperature since at night it is usually 60-70 ambient and inside the box usually 75

Thanks,

Putting the light higher was to help stretch the plants out more and not for the heat issue, but you should make sure some of that air flow is getting to the root level. You could also add some red cfl's in veg to help aid in the stretching a little too.
That being said, compact is good. With a tall plant and weaker light (400) most of the lower branches get light starved anyway. This way you can get a level canopy with a bunch of larger colas, not just one.

AND if you FIM your plants like you said its only going to make them bush out MORE

ND

You could probably just put in the HPS now and they will stretch a bit... but I wouldn't. Its good they are compact and full. I agree with nicedreams about FIMing and bushiness.

Yea I know when you FIM a plant it gets bushier but it also increases the yeild. That is the reason I am doing it, two more weeks of veg than into 12/12.

Also running thel light at night is keeping the temps much better around 73 and the ambient temp was 70 so thats looking much better.

Is it a bad thing to mess with the starting time of when they receive light.

Right now its 6AM and I want to switch it to come on at 9PM and off at 9AM to run at a cooler temp will this cause any ill advised problems with the plants.

Thanks

Wasn't a problem for me... I went from 18/6 (8am-2am) to 12/12 (10pm-10am) immediately, and it seemed to be fine. I wanted a cooler temp as well, and its been great. The only thing is sometimes during the day I get restless cause I want to see my plant!

Switch when you go into flowering if you can wait that long. If not just do it and they will fine. I've never had any issues while in veg

ND

i finally got my temps in my basement veg room to 72 and you can sit in there and just here them grow and smile