SOIL Growth Height

[yorkshire1987]

So, 3 months ago I got myself a little set up... a tent, extractor, filter and 1000w Mars hydro led light... that’s it. We had a few seeds left collected over a year and thought we would just give it a go with them (I don’t know the strains,it was a bit of an experiment). I germinated 2 successfully and planted them in smart pots with a decent manure compost and left them in the garden to grow to about 3 inches tall. They’re now on a 18hr/on 6h/off cycle and im happy they’re female. I’m feeding them with Organic Bio-Bizz Grow. The only noticeable health issue I’ve had is a few bugs that I’ve easily kept under control of. Lights have stayed at around 8-12 inches above the plants

Here’s the question, in about 12 weeks they’ve grown to around 2ft and have stayed at this size for about 3 weeks. Ive tried to keep everything as simple as possible, but I’m worrying I’ve missed something crucial.

am I being inpatient or is 12 weeks to get to this stage worrisome?

[buds73]

I'm no expert but I think I would defoliate a bit and switch them to flower. 3 months in veg is a long time and they can double and even triple in size during flower which could leave you with no space above plants for your lights.
Others here can probably give you better suggestions so I would hold off anything until someone with better knowledge than me chips in.

[FunkyButtLovin]

Nice bush amigo. A good combination of supercropping, lst and defoliation followed by a few more days in veg then flip and you'll be looking at a real nice harvest. A good scrog job from here would be phenomenal. Lots of clones to be taken off that one too if you're so inclined.

[yorkshire1987]

I'm no expert but I think I would defoliate a bit and switch them to flower. 3 months in veg is a long time and they can double and even triple in size during flower which could leave you with no space above plants for your lights.
Others here can probably give you better suggestions so I would hold off anything until someone with better knowledge than me chips in.

i think this is where I might of gone wrong or misunderstood, it’s my first grow.... In my head I was waiting for them to be fully grown before putting them on the flower cycle. Do you think they might be ready for flowering now?

[yorkshire1987]

Hahahaha oh dear. So I’m a complete noob, somewhere along the way I’ve got confused lol. I thought all the growth was in the Veg stage, and flowering was for when the plant had fully grown. Unwittingly, I presume what I’ve done is made a monster.... but it will pay off if I can control it? How long should flowering take until I cut down the plant?

[bboyfromwayback]

You got it right, veg is for growing the plant and with proper pruning and care you can keep a plant in that stage for years as a mother plant to clone from. Even the most powerful lights can only penetrate so far, that’s why you don’t see many huge bushes in veg indoors, it just doesn’t make sense efficiency wise.

[bboyfromwayback]

https://www.growweedeasy.com/best-height-indoor-cannabis-plants

That will explain it more clearly than I can

[FunkyButtLovin]

Absolutely, if you can flatten the canopy, control the stretch and keep them healthy you will be probably be harvesting a few ounces from each of those plants. Flowering could take anywhere from 8-12 weeks. You might want to invest in another light or two for flowering.

[yorkshire1987]

What kind of light can I use alongside my LED? Don’t really fancy paying out for another LED unit.

[FunkyButtLovin]

Nothing cheaper than a small LED panel or HPS is going to be very effective. The light you have will effectively flower an area approximately 50cm x 50cm to 60cm x 60cm.