First grow - Wedding Cake - Is it normal to be this short?

[Bmacco]

Hi there,

This is my first ever grow, it's a wedding cake (from seed) which have been in the big pot for about 2 weeks and it's just over 4 weeks old since germination.



It was just FIM'ed in that picture, but from all the various guides when a plant is FIM'ed they are much taller than this one.

So I was just wondering:

• If it's normal for a plant this old to be this short, there are a lot of growths but the plant is condensed.
• I removed some of the large leaves blocking light to the new growths and some leaves that are quite low/almost touching the soil. Is this okay for a plant this old?
• The PAR at the top is 500 umol/m2/s, is this too high? I'm wondering if having high PAR reading is stopping the plant from growing taller?

If there are any other recommendations I'd be happy to hear it

THX

[SoOrbudgal]

To me she looks good for 4wks how close is the light? Is it on 18/6?

[Bmacco]

It's on 18/6, light is pretty far up I figured it was best to have it as high as possible as long as it got enough PARs at the top?

[dilvish]

More information on your set up would help. The plant looks fine but yes a bit small. Some start out that way.. Don't start taking off leaves...they are the food collectors and are responsible for the growth of the plant along with added nutrients. The leaves are solar/light collectors so hacking them off can make things worse.

At 3-4 weeks from germination you should have started feeding them by now if you haven't already begun.

Slow or stunted growth can be from a myriad of issues hence the need to know more on your grow...heat/humidity, watering practices, PH levels type of nutrients etc.

Is it an Auto or Photo? That will make a big difference in the coming weeks...

[Bmacco]

Ah I see.

It's photo, in a 3x3 tent (single plant) with LED lights. It's kept at about 60% humidity, around 24C (75F). Water about every 3-4 days, on a cycle with nutrients once, then root roids (some baterial mix), then just plain water (all through carbon filter). The soil is a living soil at the bottom and a canna soil mix up top - I'm trying to follow the super soil guide that's on here

I'm just looking to get it to the point where I can LST and shape it but at the moment it's very bushy and hasn't got much height to work with.

[Blowdout2269]

Umm...if you're using living soil at the bottom third of the pot, you should not be using synthetic nutrients. Just add water. Especially when the plant is this young(assuming that you've used a decent soil mixture up top).
You also should not be watering on a "cycle".
Water when the plant needs it.
Don't love her to death!

[AGH]

Looking healthy, even if she is a bit short!

A few things:
- as Blowdout2269 said, if you're doing organic (as I do) do not use synthetic nutes as they will wreak havoc on your soil biome!
- when you remove leaves, it puts some stress on the plant and it stops growth for a few days. Depending on how often/when/and how many leaves you removed, this could explain the below average height for this age. Hold off on removing leaves until there is strong growth again unless for some reason they absolutely need to be removed. Like if they microwave your cat - then by all means remove them.
- Watering every 3-4 days is about what I do but it's really based on the moisture level of the soil. It's easy to overwater organic soil grows but it seems like you're on the right track with that so good job!
- Your environment seems to be right on! Regarding the lights, I would look at and follow the manufacturer's recommended distance/intensity for the different stages of growth just to make sure you don't run into problems in the future.

Good job on going the organic route! Give it a week or so of doing nothing but watering as needed, get rid of those synthetic nutes, and keep us posted!