Hi, my seedlings still have the cotyledon leaves and are extremely stretched. They are about 4-5 inches tall! The reason for this is that I left them germinating in the dark too long. But anyways, is there anything I can do to reverse this so I dont have a skinny, all-stem plant? Like what if I buried the stem 2-3 inches and just watered a lot so it reaches the roots till they grow upwards? Anything?
add more medium and put a stick or something to hold it. bring the light closer to your plant and that will help. all you need to do is hold it up and stop the stretching.
Don't even need to transplant just add some dirt into existing container 2-3 inches over the current level. Light intensity is the only sure fire way to keep them as low as possible. I use HPS as close as possile without burning about a foot and a half away. IMO if you have to use a brace that early in life your lack of sufficient light will catch up with sooner or later, stringy and light buds if they live that long.
I know we're all stoners here but... isnt this the outdoor forum? hows he gonna move his light if his light is the sun? haha. But yeah adding soil is the best way to fight that problem.
even tho this is out door if you are going outside in a pot then check out the LST it will keep the plant shorter and im not a experienced grower but i believe i will help it grow and will help the stretching look and it will also help it grow more healthy!!
He asked a question, I gave the best solution increase light intesity using a best case scenario. The best way to put out a healthy stocky plant plant outdoors IMO is to veg indoors under hid and put outside. I assuming that he is starting inside which would explain the extended dark which has lead to said stretching. You can not reverse stretching just do what you can to strengthen what you have.
IMHO, the best way is to put sprouts under strong sunlight the moment they appear. BUT you have to live in a sunny clime. If not, patriofarmer´s method is good.
Yeah we are not all as lucky to have the beatiful Spanish weather as Cantharis. I like to put out something that is ready to handle what mother nature is going to dish out, not something that needs support. Where I live unless I veg indoors I could not start until mid april may to be clear of lingering frosts. Come to think of it there is alot of Cantharis's life that I find myself jealous of, such as a monster on my patio growing out of a hot tub size grow bag. And yes no grow light will ever compete with good old fashioned sunlight, if you can. What's the deal with germing in the dark anyway? Is it because the paper towel method was used? Just wondering as I read alot of people talking about this as if light is not what just about every seed is desperately seeking.
I don´t find that light (or lack of it) makes any difference to germination. But once the sprout appears above the soil it must have light.
Yep no problem, get a deeper container if you have to and bury them so that the stem is short as you like! Use pipe cleaners (see the first posts in my 2008 below) to stabilize them.