Is it possible for my plants to be too short and bushy?

[ognedster]

I'm using LED's after a long hiatus. I grew for many years under HID, usually 2 X 1000 HPS for Bloom. Metal Halide for Veg. I'm using a 600W LED Cree under a tent and my plants are so short and fat they are freaking me out. Example, they are only 10 inches high, and have stalks over a half inch wide. Fat, woody stalks. But literally they are no more than 10 inches tall. I used some freebies to try the LED's and they are rocking. I started 2 Blueberry, 1 Amnesia Haze, 1 White Widow and a Neville's haze. They have lots of nodes and branches, I'm thinking of vegging 8 weeks as it's been 1 month since I transplanted the seedling sprouts into coco. I have another 600 to hang once I bloom. Any advice or pointers? How much should expect the stretch in bloom with good led's?
BTW I have sensi SK1, my all time favorite, and Vision Chocoloco, which I highly recommend, on deck.

 

[ognedster]

Any insight team?

 

[Nonpoint]

Not much help but for a bump.

How far is your light off of the ladies?

 

[Mike Wright]

Pics? Compact can be good if that's what you are going for.

 

[Itibitiguy]

I've got no experience with hps/mh but id raise that light you have to maybe induce a bit of stretch in veg. But I'm guessing strain and what type of seeds your doing is gonna be a factor. I'm running a bag seed but get 200 % stretch when I flip

 

[TTKlaus]

Pics would be nice! I personally like low and bushy/dense plants. Take less room!

 

[Stunned]

I don't know why people post problems and issues without accompanying pics so we can see whats going on......
oh wait... I know why

 

[TurboBucket]

LEDs shorten internodal distances yes. Low temp/Rh with leds will cause short plants too. Turn down the current if that's an option or move the light up. Increasing irrigation within reason obviously can also help increase vertical growth.

 

[Grassmaster]

Won't have to worry about propping them up. It takes time to understand the best way to use a new light. It's all good. Especially after the 3 dropper fulls of tincture today.

 

[ognedster]

IMG_20180305_204350.jpg

• ognedster
• Mar 5, 2018

I transplanted these seedlings into coco on 2/26 and put them under a LED lamp on veg. I already...

So here is a pic. They have been vegging 1 month are are from seed. 2 X DP Blueberry, 1 Serious WW, 1 Amnesia Haze, and a Seed Bank Neville's Haze that looks horrid in veg but IME don't look right till flowered. As you can see the other plants are nice and lush. Those are 5 gallon pots. I think they may be too big. Also, can I use the runoff solution again?

Apologize for the delay in posting a pic we had a NorEaster in these parts and I lost power for 2 plus days.

 

[ognedster]

Here are some more pics. Appreciate any advice.

IMG_20180305_224504.jpg

• ognedster
• Mar 5, 2018

Side Shot

IMG_20180305_224439.jpg

• ognedster
• Mar 5, 2018

Stem BB

 

[TurboBucket]

I would suggest against reusing runoff unless you have a recirculating system built to keep levels in check. The runoff is full of waste products from your plants and the nutrients it does contain are no longer at the correct levels after the plant has fed on them. One thing I've noticed with LEDs it takes a warmer room to keep the leaf temps high enough they stay good and active. They don't receive as much heat from the lights as they do with hid rigs.

They are nice bushy little girls. Doesn't happen to be a bit dry in there is it?

 

[TurboBucket]

Oh I see the meter in the new pic, hard to read but looks like they might be cold.

 

[ognedster]

Yeah I think they are at like 65 degrees and 60% humidity

 

[TurboBucket]

Too cold in my opinion. You want your leaf temps up in the 70s. A non contact infrared thermometer does wonders and their cheap, available at most big box stores now. Plants run a few degrees cooler than air temp, how much depends on light source and air conditions. Getting it really dialed in takes time. I would add some heat to that room, if your exhaust fan has more than one speed turn it down. Be prepared for the Rh to drop if you heat it.

 

[ognedster]

Thanks much. It was 64 degrees under the lights so I bumped the temp up in the room to 72.

 

[buzz62]

I am having the same problem with short, overly bushy plants under a 600 MH. I have three strains running and I think I just have my light a bit to close at 24". Reading about 18000 lux at the plant tops. My room temp is 73F generally so I don't think your prob is temp as yours certainly had the ability to grow at 64F , but a little warmer certainly won't hurt!

NIK_9468 copy.JPG

• buzz62
• Mar 4, 2018
• blueberry kush skunk

34 day olds Kush, Skunk, Blue Berry

 

[ognedster]

Those look pretty good to me. I put mine into 12/12 I didn't realize how bushy they are. How big are those pots?

 

[flashmp3]

Why you guys complaining about bushy plants? That s great! Means lots of bud sites! Regarding stretching as I m again and again doing almost everyday, I highly advise you guys to invest in a luxmeter. This will allow you to put your lights exactly at the sweet spot! Have a look on the net but it s something like 70000 lux. That's what you want for your ça canopy to give them optimal light! Have a look at my grow journal you ll see that with trained plants, with green crack and blue dream which are known to double and even triple in size after switch, I didn't get much stretch. Maybe 20%. This can be ensure if your plants vegged long enough (10 weeks from seed for mine but with lot of training. It would have taken less time for them to grow tall with less training (I did topping fimming and lst)),receive optimal light amount (otherwise they will looking for more light to flower well then will get tall), adjusted feeding, good temps with small difference between day and night (too cold nights promotes stretch), and good aircirculation so that they branches don't fight to stretch looking for more air.

I m no expert and I m only in my second grow, but I had grown 9 plants in my first grow so could try everything, and I can't count how many articles I ve read about weed! Articles, videos, tons of journals, etc.... I m really the type of geek that will dig every single knowledge I can get if I'm interested in something!

Happy grow

 

[TurboBucket]

Why you guys complaining about bushy plants? That s great! Means lots of bud sites! Regarding stretching as I m again and again doing almost everyday, I highly advise you guys to invest in a luxmeter. This will allow you to put your lights exactly at the sweet spot! Have a look on the net but it s something like 70000 lux. That's what you want for your ça canopy to give them optimal light! Have a look at my grow journal you ll see that with trained plants, with green crack and blue dream which are known to double and even triple in size after switch, I didn't get much stretch. Maybe 20%. This can be ensure if your plants vegged long enough (10 weeks from seed for mine but with lot of training. It would have taken less time for them to grow tall with less training (I did topping fimming and lst)),receive optimal light amount (otherwise they will looking for more light to flower well then will get tall), adjusted feeding, good temps with small difference between day and night (too cold nights promotes stretch), and good aircirculation so that they branches don't fight to stretch looking for more air.

I m no expert and I m only in my second grow, but I had grown 9 plants in my first grow so could try everything, and I can't count how many articles I ve read about weed! Articles, videos, tons of journals, etc.... I m really the type of geek that will dig every single knowledge I can get if I'm interested in something!

Happy grow

Too short/small of a plant structure won't fill the floor space, wasted lights, poor exposure for lower portions. There are quite a few draw backs to overly compact plants. I run some space buckets so I'm all about little plants, but if they are too compact it makes issues. Your lux meter is really only good for balancing light distribution with LEDs. Par is what matters.