Im asking this now since I had the issue last year and im just getting my seeds into pots this week, about half of my seedlings stretched to much and ended up dying. I know there is an easy fix for indoor growing but I was wondering if there are any tricks you can do to keep the outdoor seedlings from streching. Thanks in advance to anyone who knows anything I might be able to try.
The only thing I can think of is let ur plant create it's base indoors until it can support itself. Then make a slow transition outdoors by letting it in sunlight a few hours a day, then when u feel ready, put it in the ground. Good luck dude.
Thanks for the idea bro, since I start them indoors anyway I will try keeping them in a well lit windowed part of my house for a few extra days. I went online and bought a seed starting kit that has a built in heating pad and hydroponic system just for germination today and Im hoping that will help as well. One of the people i know said to spray the sprouts with a weak solution of mericle grow and that is supose to strengthen the stem, not sure if thats a good idea or what. I have done that in the past with peppers and tomatos ive started from seeds and it worked fine but im not sure if it would have the same effect with cannibis.
I think if they start stretching when they are young you can transplant them deeper into the soil, not sure if youve tried that or not, but seems a little easier than bringing them in and out all the time.
Yea last year i tried to build up the soil around the ones I thought I could save, it worked out for a couple of them, but in the end they didn't produce nearly as well as the ones that were healthy through out the entire sprouting process. This year I did invest in "reliable" outdoor seeds so im hoping for a more even result from the plants that make it to adulthood.
hi sauceninja There are only 2 things that can make a pre flowering cannabis plant "stretch". That would be insuffiecient lighting and heat. Low light, shade cause the plants to stretch towards the light. Heat - high soil temps will cause considerable stretch. Of course, later in the season, beginning in July, the plants move into a preflowered growth stage in which they double their size in a 6 week period, but that doesnt sound like whats going on with your situation. More light.
Thanks for all the help guys I went out and bought a heated germination station, hoping that will fix most of the problems.