Stetching and Falling Oh No!

[Pauvro]

I've had my plants in the windowsil for quite sometime now, moving them around if they lean to much to one side. Well, some of them have grown very lengthy and still only have the first leaves, or are slowly working on the second pair. They are lengthy and have fallen over and I don't know what to do.

What I'm wondering is:

What can I do when a plant grows to fast and topples over from the weight? I really don't want to lose these plants so ANY help goes a long way. Thanks guys!

PS: I know I spelled stretching wrong, I was in a hurry!

[KittensOnPCP]

Okay, get a stick, or stake or something, then use sewing thread or fishing line to gently tie it to the stake so that it will stay up. The plant needs to stay staked until the stem is strong enough to support it. Once staked, you can wiggle the stem very gently every now and then so that the plant knows to work on stem strengthening. Another good idea is to use a fan on the plant to wiggle it for you after it has been staked.

[Pauvro]

An idea had occurred to me and I wanted to see if anyone else has done this with positive results. I know that with some plants, if the stem is buried under the soil, it will sense this and put out roots. Does this work with MJ? If so, I could carefully replant these and just have them lower, so there is less exposed stem and it would have an easier time of supporting itself. Plus, the additional roots would definitely help to strengthen it. Am I right?

[Vez]

Yes, it works and I do it with most of my sativas. I use rooting gel when I cover the stems though. If you do it on one plant though, do it on all of them otherwise the one or two plants you did it to will require a higher PPM concentration than the ones you didn't do it to. This is because the root mass of the ones that were forced to root more is higher, therefore allowing for more nutrients to be absorbed and stored in the roots.

[GigZ-16]

Stretching means it has a light source too far away. Window rows don't work. Get floro tubes or CFL's.

[Pauvro]

Although window spots might not be the most efficient, it's the easiest way for me to do it at this point. I think I will just bury the stems, I like that idea, thanks for the responses! :-)

[GigZ-16]

I respect that you want to try your own thing by doing a window grow....but it will not work. You will not be able to grow and harvest a plant by window light.

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by GigZ-16

I respect that you want to try your own thing by doing a window grow....but it will not work. You will not be able to grow and harvest a plant by window light.

Agreed. Window light is simply NOT sufficient for a fast growing plant like marijuana. Burying the stems is only a temporary solution and your plants will continue to stretch badly. If you *do* manage to get them to bud, they won't be able to bear the weight of the flowers. You NEED more light.

[Reno.eNVy.446]

Wow, I'm glad this thread came up. Before we were using only one 75w floro tube and it was about a foot away from the plants. They are a bit stretched but we have since put in a second 75w floro tube and moved the plants within 5 inches of both lights. Vertical growth has slowed greatly and new fan leaves are coming out.

Transferring is necessary as it's time for a large pot. I want to try burying the stem a little bit too. Will they put out roots even if I don't use root hormone?

[GigZ-16]

Originally Posted by Reno.eNVy.446

Wow, I'm glad this thread came up. Before we were using only one 75w floro tube and it was about a foot away from the plants. They are a bit stretched but we have since put in a second 75w floro tube and moved the plants within 5 inches of both lights. Vertical growth has slowed greatly and new fan leaves are coming out.

Transferring is necessary as it's time for a large pot. I want to try burying the stem a little bit too. Will they put out roots even if I don't use root hormone?

Yes, they should still make roots without the hormone. you have 150 watts on how much of an area? I have 200 watts on 4x2 foot area. Works well while they're flowering. 150 wont be enough. I'm planning on going up to 300 watts with some more cfl's.

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by Reno.eNVy.446

Wow, I'm glad this thread came up. Before we were using only one 75w floro tube and it was about a foot away from the plants.

Hey Reno,

One thing to keep in mind is that most of the time the "wattage" listed on the package of a fluorescent bulb is "equivalent" wattage, meaning that the bulb puts out the same amount of light as a 75w incandescent bulb. In reality, your bulbs are probably something like 13 watts.

When reading all the various grow logs and guides, keep in mind that most of us are referring to true wattage, when we talk about how much light we're using. If you've really got 150 watts of light over your plants you should be in great shape. But if all you have is 150 equivalent watts, you're probably going to need more light.

P.S. If you've got one of those 75 watt "grow" lights from Wal-mart (like I tried to use the first time ), get rid of it. Those things are garbage.

[Pauvro]

This is my fault for not specifying this but I'm not planning on "growing" by the windowsill. They are only there for a few more weeks until I can get them outside, where they will get PLENTY of light AND be in the ground!

Today I took a couple hours and buried the plants deeper in the pots. I think that since I only have barely 3 weeks left until I'm putting them outside that I can manage them inside for the time being. Also, WHENEVER it is sunny, or I know it will be, I leave them in a nice spot outside to get more light. I'm also going to make sure each day they are stimulate via airflow or by me touching them so they know to grow more sturdy. I believe this should suffice until the beginning of May, right?

[Pauvro]

Also, another thing I've started is putting them out on a hot, flat roof surface where they are exposed to the sun all day long (if it's out). I'm trying to maximize the sun they get everyday to keep them healthy enough for a transplant. Any second opinons on this? Will this work well enough?

[RichardDean]

as much sun as you can give them will be good cause they will take it 24 hours if the sun stayed out that long. At least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day should be sufficient. Good luck on the outdoor.

[Pauvro]

Okay so sometimes there are cooler cloudy days and I get bummed that I can't really get my plants too much light.

I have a question.

I found a pair of 40w floro tubes downstairs that are setup that no one is really using, and I could use them if I wanted.

Should I bother? Would that be a better light situation for these seedlings before they go outside, or should I just stick with the windowsil and occasional outside time?