Will gradually shortening days expedite the flower stretch?

[ptk2k]

hey all! so i'm wondering if cannabis stretches due to the shortening of days? or is it the 12/12 flip that makes them stretch?

if i gradually shorten their light schedule, until it reaches 12/12, will I see less of a stretch after i do flip?

 

[ptk2k]

side note: is the stretch a bad thing? i'm reading that many indoor growers don't like it as it can reduce yield. how is that? im an indoor grower and love my plants to stretch! just gotta make sure the whole canopy gets light correct?

 

[GreenMachinee]

It is definetly ideal to have shorter tight nodes... tighter nodes = more bud and tighter buds... stretch = wasted space between nodes.

 

[AKgramma]

Indoors, It's a matter of preference. I have a lady whose nodes are TOO close together, so I lowered her from the light so she would have room to grow all her lady parts.

My males stretched even while in veg, which genetically gives them an advantage to let any breeze cast their pollen abroad.

Its the lessening of the light intensity that makes them stretch in the fall, outdoors. Indoors, When you reduce the daylength, you reduce the total amount of light it gets in a day. So it stretches.

Stretching near harvest is genetically advantageous, so that the sex parts can do their thing in nature. So, IMO, stretching at this time is natural.

 

[Dan Ultra]

hey all! so i'm wondering if cannabis stretches due to the shortening of days? or is it the 12/12 flip that makes them stretch?

if i gradually shorten their light schedule, until it reaches 12/12, will I see less of a stretch after i do flip?

Plants grow faster when they are not photosynthesizing, so they typically grow more during the dark cycle. If you start your lighting at 24/0 and then flip to 12/12, you will see a lot of initial stretching because of the sudden dark period. If you are on something like 18/6 and then switch, you wont see has much stretch, but your plant going into flower might be a little more stretched already from having dark periods during veg.

Lighting also plays a role in how much a plant stretches. If you have good lighting, with good spectrum you typically wont see has much stretch when switching to flower.

I don't think gradually changing the cycle will change much, it might just make it less noticeable.


In my grows, stretch is a bad thing for sure. My ceiling is low, and I'd rather a short stacked, bushy ass plant than a lanky one with too many stems. lol

 

[ptk2k]

Thanks for the input everybody! So I've got a couple more questions..

I know it's good to lower your lights after flowers have formed and the plant has stopped stretching, but would it be a good idea to lower them right as I flip to 12/12 to minimize stretching?

Or would that be bad because the light would focus more on the center branches, making the outer branches stretch?

Here is the lady I have been referring to. Strawberry Cheesecake day 80 currently under 14/10.

I've lollipopped each branch to have about 7"-10" of growth.

I'm thinking I'll flip 12/12 in the next couple days..

What do you think?

 

[Spitz]

How long has it been 14-10? I'd think that strain would flower under those hours. Good question you asked... Sorry I can't help

 

[ptk2k]

only a couple days. I've gone from 20/4 to 14/10 in less than two weeks haha

 

[Raymont]

SInce i keep my plants fimmed and controlled I look forward the the stretch. It show me my buds will be nice tall and thick.

 

[ptk2k]

SInce i keep my plants fimmed and controlled I look forward the the stretch. It show me my buds will be nice tall and thick.

that's what I'm hoping for with mine! I tied her down like hell and bent every branch multiple times revealing lower nodes. little SOG