Soil is a miracle grow/organic soil (from my compost) mix Indoor Plants Not sure of the strain, they're bagseeds from a tasty batch I bought The plants are now 5 days old (1 week if you include germination) One 100W CFL and two 13W CFL's Approximately 6-12 inches from lights (Can't really get closer with my setup) I use the 24/0 cycle I don't keep a specific watering schedule, I water them on an as needed basis. I know there's better sources, but I use tap water. (Poor mans grow remember?) 75 degrees w/ 30% RH I keep a fan blowing on them 24/7 Three 3 gallon pots They're visually bug free Now that you have the pertinent grow info, here's the question: My plants have strong and healthy looking stems, but they are growing tall (I know it's in search of more light because I should be using more, but what I have is what I have, hear me out) Basically what I did was I carefully removed each plant, made a little deeper hole, and basically "re-transplanted" them to the same pot, covering about 3" of the previously exposed stem. They're now about 1" out of the soil. Was this a huge noobie mistake (this is my first grow) or will this actually help them develop stronger roots/stem? I'm not sure how to post pics from my phone so I hope I gave enough information. Thanks for your time
Your plant should still be fine aslong as all the roots came up fine when you took out the plant the first time, if you need to control the height another way instead of risking hurting the plant by moving it try LST (Low-stress testing), there are many good threads on here on how to do it
Thanks for the reply. I got all of the taproot as well as the branching roots out without tearing any of them. LST seems very interesting to me, I've been reading up on it a lot. I'm still a little confused on the exact way to do it though.
Agreed about the root system, i disagree about the lighting. His plants are stretching for light, LST is low stress training which is tying down the plant and would make it further from the light. I suggest taking some aluminium foil and making a hood or placing it to reflect the light to the plant. Poor mans grow = no mylar (its costly).. Foil on the other hand is pretty cheap and you probably already got some at home.
Sorry, but aluminum foil is one of the worst materials you can use to reflect light. Flat white paint is the cheapest option.
paint works great on walls and shit but how you making a hood out of paint? its a poor mans grow.. you can buy a roll of foil for about 3 bucks... how is paint the cheapest option?
Dude, my bad! I, for some reason, missed the "hood" part of your post. Reading cognitive skills are off today. Your idea is a good one!
I have some aluminum up, but not as a hood. If someone can tell me how to post pics Ill show my current setup. Any suggestions on how to construct a hood from aluminum foil?
to add pics you click "more reply options" then attach file.. i made a hood for my veg box using cardboard and foil, let me try to get a camera from my roomy and i'll upload a pic of it cardboard, foil, clear tape and a couple of zip ties.. you can use twist ties instead of zips.. whatever you got layin around the house works. i'm on a Poor mans budget myself so i got creative.
Can you just put a couple phone books or something under the plants to get them closer to the lights?
yeah that would work in a pinch to raise the plants to the lights, either way the plant is stretching for more light. A hood would redirect the light going away from the plants, and utilize more of the light. doing both wont hurt one bit.. the more light they get the better
you could even try a multi socket aswell wich will allow more bulbs and sdrop the light itself about an inch
Awesome man, that looks great. Mine looks like a homeless mans budget haha but hey, if Mary is happy, I'm happy. I'll update tomorrow if I can find things to build a hood.
Very nice Jerry, I've been down that same exact road. First thing I can tell you is those bulbs should be a few inches away from the plants. Just use a desk fan to cool them, that will give your plants some breeze too, strengthening their stems. Second, you're going to need more light for the flowering phase. What I did was pick up some $2 light sockets from Lowes and wired them up with a $1 extension cord. Mounted them to a scrap piece of plywood with a survival blanket ($1) backing it. Bulbs came in a 4-pack, 26w each for $12. Worked so well I ran it 24/0 for 2 years straight. Here is a pic of what I'm talking about ...check walmart for $1 cans of white spray paint too Just some ideas for you, I love taking things apart and recycling them too. Kinda hoping my air conditioner craps out so I can use the compressor as a vacuum pump. Have you lurked in the DIY section yet? Lots of good ideas there, some guys make hoods from cheap ducting, just cut it and bend it open. LOL, some guys even make individual soda can reflectors, pretty cool IMO. Hope something helped, cheers and good luck with your grow!!
That was all very helpful, thanks for the input! I'll certainly check out the DIY section. Sent from my Droid using Grasscity Forum mobile app
If you wouldn't mind following and giving me some advice on my grow I'd appreciate it. It's called unique question.
Gotta start somewhere. Mine evolved it didnt start out looking that way. Just keep trying to make your grow better for your plants and over time you'll have a nice setup that you know in and out and works for you.
Update: I've come across a "private investor" so I've been able to improve my setup. Now using ~40% peat moss, 40% organic soil, 10% compost (my own mix), and 10% perlite I moved them out of my spare bedroom into my closet. With the lights in there, it stays a constant 75 degrees 24/7 without having to run my heater. I also picked up a more efficient hood for only $50, and my plants are now the recommended 4" away so they're much happier. I still have to put up some Mylar (or other equivalent) and will update again once that's done Sent from my Droid using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Next time do not re-transplant them just to try and fix the stretch. Although it is generally recommended to do so at transplant time only, without a change in you lighting (which is the initial cause of them stretching in the first place) all you are going to do is slow your growth down. Any time you bury the stem more, yes it does create more area for roots, but at the same time, its slows your growth down, as you plant converts its stem into a rooting system. Also you can drop that light down even more, almost touching the plants. I would also put more under the plants on the left so that all your plants are @ the same distance from the light. (I cant tell how far down your plants are in the red pots so maybe you already did what i just said) wrap some pieces of cardboard with foil and lean it up against the light on the front and back. It will reflect more light to your plants, and will help.