Why are they getting so bushy?

[HAbiff]

I'm not sure if this is the ideal place to ask this question but I was wondering why my clones are bushing out so much as opposed to growing vertically, where the new growth stays close to the main stem from top to bottom? I'm planing to do a hempy sog so Id like them to just be one main cola with a branch or 2 stretching away from the main stem toward the bottom but the new growth turns into long branches right away creating little bushes. The strain is cropkings White Widow. Mothers and clones are in a 3:1 mix of perlite and vermiculite and being fed GH Flora 3 part nutrients. They're kept under an 8 bulb 2'x2' t5 fixture. Im not sure if this is just a characteristic of the strain but I've seen images online of White Widow being grown in a sog displaying the characteristics Id like. Any insight is appreciated.

 

[HAbiff]

Is it an issue of light distance, maybe? Too far perhaps? I thought I kept it pretty close since its only a fluorescent, maybe 5-6 inches away from the tops.

 

[HAbiff]

Dumb question I suppose..

 

[Highpotanoose]

Too far away would make them stretch out
Post a pic up you will prob get a better answer

are you doing any training
LST,FIM,Topping

 

[HAbiff]

Thank you for the response, my friend. I've been a little busy but I will get a pic later. I've kept the light about 5-6 inches from the tops and closer at times. Is that too far? I thought the whole plant would stretch toward the light if it were too far and that doesn't seem to be happening. The nodes aren't spaced too far apart either, the branches just get long and Id rather have one stick so they can be closer together in my small space. They seem pretty healthy otherwise.

 

[Highpotanoose]

5-6" is good for fluorescents
You can raise it a little if you want to stretch them some but not too far

Some phenos are short and bushy
So that may play a part in it
A lot to consider on very little info

 

[HAbiff]

See how the branches are getting long? Id like them to stay right so I end up with 1 cola. Maybe this is not the right phenotype for what Id like to do?

 

[HAbiff]

This photo uploading process is tedious. I realized you can't really see the branches in the first photo. They all upload sideways..

 

[Highpotanoose]

If you just one cola you can prune off those side branches a little at a time
You may want to do some reading up on defoliation and training
Why do you only want one cola?

 

[David Bowman]

Hi HAbiff,

If you need help with the gallery, please check out the tutorial on how to post photos:
Photo Gallery Guide - How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos

This last post in this guide has information specifically for sideways photos. I hope this answers your question.

Greenest Regards,
Colorado High

 

[CatDaddy]

why do my plants look so different than yours, I thought mine looked healthy but yours are robust!!lol,

 

[HAbiff]

Thanks for the replies and I apologize for going MIA there for a bit but i was on holiday. I've recently moved my light closer and it seems to keep the new growth closer to the main stem the way I want. I do have another issue that I might have to ask elsewhere but I'll give it a go here anyway. I'm about 5-6 weeks into flower with some white widow and they are showing some signs of distress on multiple plants. The large, older fan leaves have feel very rough and have lots of small brown spots and are yellowing a bit. it started maybe 2 weeks ago. Today I put some 5.8 ph adjusted tap water through a few of the most affected and measured the runoff at about 5.6 so ph doesn't seem to be the problem. I had a similar issue with a different strain that I think I was over feeding because as I flushed them the last week before chopping them they greened up nicely. I've worked them up from 1/4 to full bloom strength of the GH FLora 3 part which comes out to about 1000 ppm after being adjusted to 5.8, I've gone as low as 5.5 because they tend to swing up a little. It looks like the leaves toward the top of the plant are the main ones affected. there are some toward the middle and bottom but its really a problem on the big ones at the tops.

White Widow
Flowering 5-6 weeks
Indoor closet Hempy (perlite vermiculite)
400 watt hps air cooled w/carbon filter
Temps range 70f-80f light on (60f-70f light off)
RH has been between 30-50 as the seasons change
no pests
water every other day

Large fans on top

A couple leaves toward the bottom exhibit these different symptoms.. kinda looked like phosphorus deficiency based on some pics I saw online