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Bloom Stretch

oldjarhead100

oldjarhead100

New member
I have posted this question before but let me rephrase it .
Does the length of time a plant stays in Veg affect how much bloom stretch you get
I get 3-6 inches of bloom stretch after I flip the switch.
I do have my plants in veg for a longer time up to twelve weeks could this be why I dont get alot of bloom stretch
This grow I have noticed some growth on the side plants (not under main hps ) I put them in the bloom room when plants under light are at 6 weeks this gives them a chance to start the bloom process .
I have noticed that some will flip after a month in veg so I am thinking that I'm letting the plants get up to there full height before I put them in .is this possible
 
I think it depends on more than just strains I have grown at least a dozen different strains and have no bloom stretch or very little but thanks for your reply
 
Independent of strain I think the biggest determining factor are light intensity and light distance. I try not to put to much emphasis on how much my plants stretch, preferring to concentrate on the quality of stretch, getting good node spacing. I’d rather have 3-6 inches of stretch with 4-6 nodes than 12 inches of stretch with the same 4-6 nodes. IMO, a quality strain with good genetics won’t stretch into a zone of light intensity it doesn’t feel comfortable with. Adjusting the height of your light during stretch may give you more stretch. You also could try flipping when the plants are shorter if your light is at a fixed height. Finding the sweet spot of each strain is probably the biggest leap you can take as a grower.
 
If your question is about the proportion of after-flip growth relative to how big the plant is when flip is started, yes there is a limit.

If you veg a plant 1 month or 5, it will add something like 12-20 inches, depending. A 1 month old, 16 inch plant will add 14 inches, and appear to double. A 5 month old 4 foot plant will add 16 inches, and only add about 25%.
 
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I have wondered about this too. In the past I have grown the same strain three different times with each having a different stretch. The best results came after 6 weeks in veg. My thinking, without any hard evidence, is that moving lights a little further away from plants causes them to stretch more, like having lights too far from seedlings. I know this goes against conventional wisdom that plants in flower need more light than in veg but I am still trying to figure it out too.
 
I thought I read something somewhere about removing fan leaves can affect stretch. If you remove both fan leaves at a node, it supposedly slows the stretch. If you leave one side intact, it still stretches. I don't know if that's true or not, but maybe reference that against your defoliation techniques.
 
I vegged my last group for 8 weeks and my 5 girls stretched between 4 and 9 inches. The least was a Nirvana Aurora Indica and the most was a Nirvana AK-48.
 
I normally veg for 6-8 weeks and it seems that stretch is VERY dependent on strain. I've had very sativa dom phenos that added 24" during bloom and strong Indica(Aurora) that barely stretches. Sometimes it's just a crap shoot.
 
Take this with a grain of salt, I have not tried this yet. A guy with much more experience than I, told me that before he changes light to 12/12, plants get 36hrs darkness, helps kick them into flower and reduces stretch.
I did notice little stretch on a couple plants vegged 8 weeks, but also employed lst and major defol at switch to flower.
 
One time vegged up to my chest, got little stretch.now I flip at 2foot plant height cuz if I double I can still reach that depth.
 
Strain is easily the most important factor to how much a plant will stretch. Plants that are less than 4 weeks old when you switch to 12/12 often tend to stretch a lot but I think it's because they take longer to start flowering. It can be really hard to predict. I feel like the given "height" of a plant by the breeder is often the best hint. "Tall" strains tend to stretch a lot, while "short" ones don't. I've also noticed that fast-growing plants which are "long and lanky" in the vegetative stage tend to stretch more than plants that tend to grow squat from the beginning. I love hearing what others have to say, too, because I think there are a lot of factors that go into it, and as growers we haven't figured them all out yet :) More about growing different strains together.
 
I have only grown different strains together. Have different heights on same strains. Pheno-geno type? 2 of same strain 1 needs LST the other not. And same strain stretches differently after the flip. Some grow faster to the light, ( as well as stretching because there isn't enough light) turn to the light source, (a nature occurrence) some not. (Why I like having 4 lights in flower ( and in veg although just had to switch to two 4 foot fluorescents rather than my fried 4 2 foots). If there was a norm we'd all be doing it, there would be no WTF moments, and we'd be relinquishing the ability to read/perceive our individual plants. ( Those of us who grow a few at a time). THEN throw in outside growing.
Hell- I am still trying to figure out optimum veg time and think that is also strain specific (and some plants like defol more than others it seems to me).
EVEN if I grew 8 of same strain I know they would not do the same thing as I have grown 3/3/2 for 8 plants...Each one is different.
"There ain't no cure for love"...Leonard Cohen🌱
 
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