onthe420train
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How Can I Make My Seedlings Stem Stronger?
- Thread starter SmokeyMacPot
- Start date
420hps
New Member
24/7 40inch fan-ventilator!
funtogow
New Member
I always have seedlings with strong stems and my finished plants stems are the thickness of a broomstick. I NEVER have to support or stake any of my seedlings or plants. I sorta take my time growing them though. With optimal bright light and keeping the temps from getting above 70F will help encourage strong stems.
I've never heard of using a fan to "exercise" them, in fact I don't use a fan at all in my growing. Nothin hi tech here either, plain and simple setup. Tall, spindly, weak seedlings is a sign to me of inadequate light or too high of temps. Quality is so much better than cranking out poor plants with low quantity. Take time and grow them a little slower, it will pay off with big dividends!
I've never heard of using a fan to "exercise" them, in fact I don't use a fan at all in my growing. Nothin hi tech here either, plain and simple setup. Tall, spindly, weak seedlings is a sign to me of inadequate light or too high of temps. Quality is so much better than cranking out poor plants with low quantity. Take time and grow them a little slower, it will pay off with big dividends!
HeadMaster
New Member
or u can shake it weather then bending and risking a snap.
FoolsParadise
Active Member
I have some spindly seedlings that didn't get enough light while we were on vacation (almost 6 inches and three sets of true leaves). If I LST them, could they support more weight when they flower?
Jasonlee247
New Member
It confused me. Is it possible that I could get away with growing my bud with just the lights I have now ? (8 cfls 4' long)
It REALLY is a budget thing more than ever !
Those are flourescents, not compact. you could move your seedlings closer to one of your bulbs. that would work for now. Your budding is gonna be hurt without something else (unless I missed something.)
Which wouldn't surprise me at this moment.
Those 40-watt tubes might be producing 3000 lumens each (more than a 39-watt CFL), but that light-output is across the entire four-foot bulb. Also, you would not have significant penetration into a canopy.
At present, I would think that a good portion of the light that they are producing is being wasted (although large quantities of light are not needed for sprouting).
If the space is large enough for a small HPS - say in the 150-watt range, or even possibly a converted 70-watt outdoor/security fixture - then it might be helpful to use one for top-lighting while keeping the tubes as supplemental light (with 6500K tubes to mix with the <3000K spectrum of the HPS, or with <3000K tubes to add to it).
But that would be something to worry about after plants have sprouted.
Sometimes you can find small-wattage HPS (like the 70-watt) fixtures on your local Craigslist, trading papers, or at surplus auction sites. But they will be in an all-in-one configuration and you'd want to remote the ballast and rig up a reflector setup that allows you to reorient the bulb to the horizontal (thankfully, HPS bulbs are universal - unlike many MH ones - and this would not affect bulb life).
A 70-watt HPS isn't great on penetration or output either, but should be better at each than 70 watts of CFLs.
Or you can add CFL bulbs.
Or you can redesign your space so that it is just wide enough to hold your four-foot fluorescents in a horizontal (flat) orientation, pack them in close together (the fixtures can be cannibalized and everything mounted to a wooden frame to get them even closer together), and run a scrog grow. That does much to work with their lack of penetration as you would be able to keep an even canopy. Assuming that your buds didn't grow very tall then tube type lighting would produce usable bud. AND if you've got 8' ceilings (or higher) then you could conceivably run TWO scrog grows (stacked) in the same amount of floor-space that you would require to run one. This is one way to work with the lack of penetration. It is also how the scrog idea came about.
So... A few options.
At present, I would think that a good portion of the light that they are producing is being wasted (although large quantities of light are not needed for sprouting).
If the space is large enough for a small HPS - say in the 150-watt range, or even possibly a converted 70-watt outdoor/security fixture - then it might be helpful to use one for top-lighting while keeping the tubes as supplemental light (with 6500K tubes to mix with the <3000K spectrum of the HPS, or with <3000K tubes to add to it).
But that would be something to worry about after plants have sprouted.
Sometimes you can find small-wattage HPS (like the 70-watt) fixtures on your local Craigslist, trading papers, or at surplus auction sites. But they will be in an all-in-one configuration and you'd want to remote the ballast and rig up a reflector setup that allows you to reorient the bulb to the horizontal (thankfully, HPS bulbs are universal - unlike many MH ones - and this would not affect bulb life).
A 70-watt HPS isn't great on penetration or output either, but should be better at each than 70 watts of CFLs.
Or you can add CFL bulbs.
Or you can redesign your space so that it is just wide enough to hold your four-foot fluorescents in a horizontal (flat) orientation, pack them in close together (the fixtures can be cannibalized and everything mounted to a wooden frame to get them even closer together), and run a scrog grow. That does much to work with their lack of penetration as you would be able to keep an even canopy. Assuming that your buds didn't grow very tall then tube type lighting would produce usable bud. AND if you've got 8' ceilings (or higher) then you could conceivably run TWO scrog grows (stacked) in the same amount of floor-space that you would require to run one. This is one way to work with the lack of penetration. It is also how the scrog idea came about.
So... A few options.
so heres what im working with... i cant figuer out why the stems wanna use the cup for support so much... i know its bad but i have been putting a fan on them during the day. ossilation of couse, but they get so tall and then they wanna lean on the cup... i wanna transplant them into a pot but i dont know if the stem's are ready any thoughts ????
They are stretching like that for a couple of possible reasons... your light may be too weak and or too far away... I run flouros no more than about 8 to 12" away depending on the heat produced.
W/that said... it could also be that they are too cold and trying to get to the heat of the lamp!
Also... as long as the stems are... I bet you have roots everywhere at the bottom of those cups... they don't look to have half the soil they could/should have!
Now... when you transplant... (very soon), just bury (another inch or two) some of that lumber so the plant isn't so tall... it will make them quite a bit stronger too!
W/that said... it could also be that they are too cold and trying to get to the heat of the lamp!
Also... as long as the stems are... I bet you have roots everywhere at the bottom of those cups... they don't look to have half the soil they could/should have!
Now... when you transplant... (very soon), just bury (another inch or two) some of that lumber so the plant isn't so tall... it will make them quite a bit stronger too!
madmedmary
New Member
grandpastoner, lots of 'em nowadays. All the 70's hippies. yea stoners. as i recall,ya'all young whippersnappers, we would jog a few miles way back on the property and plant some seeds. monthly drive a load of H2o to the girls but make that daily jog to the "happy plants" grow trees. in fall, deep into it, we cut the trees at the ground, hung them in the barn a couple weeks,in Kansas, in Nov. Its a bit nippy. hang the girls up in the hay loft, 2weeks later start sweating the tops and have a very very maryjanie Christmas. And all my hippie buddies and they would bring their kids. Kids played, parents had a smoking good time and all was well in Kansas, back in the day. 
____2day the "hippies" are in a b.f.hurry to get a crop grown,harvested,cured and sold for BIG profits as quickly as they can make a turnaround. . . . No having your friends over w/ their kids and just have a SMOKIN GOOD TIME and eat and drink the munchies away.
____2day the "hippies" are in a b.f.hurry to get a crop grown,harvested,cured and sold for BIG profits as quickly as they can make a turnaround. . . . No having your friends over w/ their kids and just have a SMOKIN GOOD TIME and eat and drink the munchies away.ganjaninja420
New Member
this is the problem i'm having....could you point me in the right to direction of a solution?....thanks
xave420
Well-Known Member
u need to get some 6000k or higher cfls above that because it looks like they are too stemmy what light and soil are u using it seems like whatever lite u got on there is too far away.
boldnbeautifu
New Member
What if you have no lights ..but just using natural light of the sun ..how do you make them grow stronger and up ..mine are laying side ways. sorry no pics.
I don't understand this light thing...im growing my plants in a tent indoors. now the research sez 18 hours on 6 hours of in the dark?.
do you take in the consideration that the moon is putting light on the plants and they are not in total dark.so what am I missing here?.
thanks rodger
do you take in the consideration that the moon is putting light on the plants and they are not in total dark.so what am I missing here?.
thanks rodger
Hi rodger and 
to 
. I really don't know much about the kind of spectrum that moonlight puts out, but I do remember in my first grow years ago that it was important not to stress the girls with light during lights out. A couple of mine ended up herming on me because I just couldn't help peeking at them in the dark, this could be the reason why the importance of the dark period.
Anyway welcome to the best place in the world. There are a lot of helpful people here to help you out with questions.
The fist thing I learned a long time ago was to have patience and try not to rush thinks as this would only cause me problems but I finally learned. Hope you enjoy the new home you found and happy growing!!
to . I really don't know much about the kind of spectrum that moonlight puts out, but I do remember in my first grow years ago that it was important not to stress the girls with light during lights out. A couple of mine ended up herming on me because I just couldn't help peeking at them in the dark, this could be the reason why the importance of the dark period.Anyway welcome to the best place in the world. There are a lot of helpful people here to help you out with questions.
The fist thing I learned a long time ago was to have patience and try not to rush thinks as this would only cause me problems but I finally learned. Hope you enjoy the new home you found and happy growing!!
Even on the brightest full moon, it's light is about 1,000,000 times weaker than the sun.
PROBLEM is I started my 3 plants in a 12oz paper cup. DIRT. I used MIRACLE-GRO Moisture Control Potting Mix protects Against
Over & under watering !. I want to change to ORGANIC when I transplant am I causeing my self problems by mixing the 2 ??.
or is there something I need to do just the dirt in the cups
Over & under watering !. I want to change to ORGANIC when I transplant am I causeing my self problems by mixing the 2 ??.
or is there something I need to do just the dirt in the cups
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