Is stretching always a bad thing?

[flashmp3]

Hi guys,

This video makes me wonder if sometime stretching isnt a good thing?! I'm wondering how much this guy would have harvested if lights had been closer sooner...... In my last grow may green crack didn't stretch much after flipping to flowering. Could have been cause the lights was close enough to give them plenty of lumens?! To close light during first week of flowering and plant supposed to stretch? I ve always seen everywhere that stretching was a bad thing. But I ve also seen a lot of plants trained well with multiple colas but always staying very short. It s like the more colas the less stretch. Which sounds logical as multiple colas will need longer veg to grow vertical. But with little vertical grow I ve no memory of a trained plant with let's say 20 main colas, to produce more than 150 grams....

Give me your thoughts

YouTube

 

[Jackalope]

Stretch is stretch. Not good or bad. Where it becomes a problem is if you don't plan on stretch. Some strains do it more then others. Sometimes 3 times there as much. This info should be had before starting your grow. The light you are using will also dictate how stretch will effect you. If you have a powerful light with plenty of light penetration stretch helps. It opens up the plant letting more light in and better air circulation. If your light does not have as much power and lumens you will have to train the stretch sideways as well as up. Light placement effects stretch to some extent but mostly it is genetics that effect stretch.

 

[Mike Wright]

If you stress the plant at certain times you can really alter the stretch (and growth in general).

 

[flashmp3]

Stretch is stretch. Not good or bad. Where it becomes a problem is if you don't plan on stretch. Some strains do it more then others. Sometimes 3 times there as much. This info should be had before starting your grow. The light you are using will also dictate how stretch will effect you. If you have a powerful light with plenty of light penetration stretch helps. It opens up the plant letting more light in and better air circulation. If your light does not have as much power and lumens you will have to train the stretch sideways as well as up. Light placement effects stretch to some extent but mostly it is genetics that effect stretch.

I understand all of this. The thing is that I often see good scrogs or good plants well trained flat etc... But the growers never let them grow vertical a lot and often have enough vertical space (especially when using leds). On all websites it s described as a bad thing that results in less yields... I m pretty sure if the plants in this video had not stretched that much, he wouldn't have had such an harvest

 

[flashmp3]

My thought right now after the tons of journal and pictures I ve seen is that I think that if a plant stretch uniformly with a mostly even canopy (with scrog for example) it will have to develop and strengthen branches. So it roll creates more roots to ensure development. Then when it reaches a point where it can receive plenty of light it will be able to produce bigger yields (as branches are stronger and bigger than what it would be staying short (that's why a mostly big pot is needed I think))

I think the only reason I see people flipping scrogs to flowering that early without allowing more vertical grow is time! It already takes around 8 weeks of veg to fulfill the scrog so then it would delay stuffs by at least 2 weeks to allow more vertical grow. I don't think about letting the plant grow 1 foot taller, but I entirely believe that allowing even 4 inches would benefit bigger colas and more yields! I ve seen many 4 feet tall plants with lights very high with enough developed lower buds. So if let's say the plants are 6 inches above the net. Then I don't see why with same light and conditions plants 10 inches above would produce less yields!

Here are my thoughts. Maybe I m wrong but I don't think so especially when I know how time is important and how it s hard to veg for a while! Otherwise we all would do mainlining on each grow IMO

 

[Jackalope]

It still always matters about the light not the size of the grow space. The amount of light penetration tells you how tall your plants can be. The reason you see shorter wider plants are because there is less light penetration. A 1000 watt HPS has about 6 feet of good light. Plants any taller then that are going to have areas that are not getting enough light. I'm not sure what the numbers are for the LEDs CFLs but it is less. If you only have 3 foot of healthy light penetration then the plants should not be much taller then that for good light coverage. Plant height and size are 2 different things. Plant height also does not always mean more production.

 

[flashmp3]

It still always matters about the light not the size of the grow space. The amount of light penetration tells you how tall your plants can be. The reason you see shorter wider plants are because there is less light penetration. A 1000 watt HPS has about 6 feet of good light. Plants any taller then that are going to have areas that are not getting enough light. I'm not sure what the numbers are for the LEDs CFLs but it is less. If you only have 3 foot of healthy light penetration then the plants should not be much taller then that for good light coverage. Plant height and size are 2 different things. Plant height also does not always mean more production.

I understand your point but do you know think if the plants on the video has stretched less they would have produces that big amount of yields?

Considering the light penetration what I ve seen again and again is that even with low wattage led and stretchy plants some people (including people here) manage to produce great harvest. So even if light penetration is important, I do think that if you have the same light penetration and take 2 plants from same strain and same growing condition but then put the lights upper during 2 weeks for one plant just to force is stretching a bit more, it will produce more as it will just have taken maybe 1 week more flowering because of the stretch. But this stretch will also mean a mostly bigger root system and then when it gets the full lights it will produce more than the slower plant.... Wish I had two tents to test that

 

[Jackalope]

I think I understand what you are talking about. First off people are claiming great yields. Claiming does not put buds in the bag. By raising the light so the plants reach to get to it. Is not the same as stretch. You can make a plant grow taller but that is not the same as stretch. Plus you can't make 1 plant stretch a week longer the another plant. Stretch is a natural factor that is inbred in each seed. What you say about a better bigger root ball is true. That should be done in veg though. In the end plant height does not always equate to more production.

 

[flashmp3]

I think I understand what you are talking about. First off people are claiming great yields. Claiming does not put buds in the bag. By raising the light so the plants reach to get to it. Is not the same as stretch. You can make a plant grow taller but that is not the same as stretch. Plus you can't make 1 plant stretch a week longer the another plant. Stretch is a natural factor that is inbred in each seed. What you say about a better bigger root ball is true. That should be done in veg though. In the end plant height does not always equate to more production.

Yes not an easy thing. Maybe the guy is just lying in the video and didn't produce that many yields..... Otherwise regarding his strains and size of the plants before flowering, if he s done 700g, I may harvest 1kg......... Vanilla kush isn't known for massive stretch or massive yields. I mean not more than blue dream and green crack for exemple..... And again I would have liked to know if with lights closer to the top of the plants sooner (without reaching a burning point) would have produced the same big harvest.... It seems I m the only one puzzled by that vid

 

[Jackalope]

Watching the video is probably the problem lol. I didn't watch it. I am just going on what I know plants will do. His quote on harvest weight was probably wet weight. I have see it done that way on Greenhouse videos. They also quote dry weight later but some people miss it. Wet weight means nothing. What's left after all the water is out is the only thing that matters. Personal grow styles are so different now days yields change with each style. Some strains do better grown one way or the other. Hydro does offer massive yields out of some strains if done right.

 

[flashmp3]

Watching the video is probably the problem lol. I didn't watch it. I am just going on what I know plants will do. His quote on harvest weight was probably wet weight. I have see it done that way on Greenhouse videos. They also quote dry weight later but some people miss it. Wet weight means nothing. What's left after all the water is out is the only thing that matters. Personal grow styles are so different now days yields change with each style. Some strains do better grown one way or the other. Hydro does offer massive yields out of some strains if done right.

He confirms in the comments it s dry weight. Regarding hydroponics I don't think it can make miracles. The guy grew vanilla kush. Not a strain famous for high yields! Looking at the colas in the video I don't think he s lying as his number is very possible considering the size and number of plants..... No matter what I can understand that people don't have answer to my question. There are many factors that can play in yields.....