Does anyone have consistent results with transition techniques to reduce stretch?

Kkesu

Active Member
I'm thinking about transitioning into flower next week, has anyone had any good techniques to reduce stretch? My tent is only 5 feet high so limited in grow space.
 

chemphlegm

Well-Known Member
I have the perfect transition.
your plant will likely double in size from veg to flower.
plan well, or top the vegging plant before you initiate flower, to the desired height you can support.
scissor the top down right to your perfect size, now, adjust timer to 12/12 and leave it alone.
If a plant becomes unruly in flower bend the top, twist it, crack the stem btween your fingers, tie it down
to desired height.. there are chems that control vertical growth too, but thats silly imo
 

MrGhettoGrower

Well-Known Member
When topping do it 2 weeks minimum before you go into flower I'll top after the 5th node and trim the bottom two nodes off them veg to they reach my desire height!
 

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
I slowly transition to 12 over a couple of weeks and use mixed spectrum, not sure if it helps with stretch though, never did a side by. I like a bit to open up the plants in my trays. There are strains that do stretch more than others, White Russian is a wild stretcher.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking about transitioning into flower next week, has anyone had any good techniques to reduce stretch? My tent is only 5 feet high so limited in grow space.
No. They stretch, period. Unless you use a now banned hormone..

I have the perfect transition.
your plant will likely double in size from veg to flower.
plan well, or top the vegging plant before you initiate flower, to the desired height you can support.
scissor the top down right to your perfect size, now, adjust timer to 12/12 and leave it alone.
If a plant becomes unruly in flower bend the top, twist it, crack the stem btween your fingers, tie it down
to desired height.. there are chems that control vertical growth too, but thats silly imo
THIS is EXACTLY right (and well put too!)

NICE!
 

Kkesu

Active Member
I have the perfect transition.
your plant will likely double in size from veg to flower.
plan well, or top the vegging plant before you initiate flower, to the desired height you can support.
scissor the top down right to your perfect size, now, adjust timer to 12/12 and leave it alone.
If a plant becomes unruly in flower bend the top, twist it, crack the stem btween your fingers, tie it down
to desired height.. there are chems that control vertical growth too, but thats silly imo
I'll have to try that if it gets too big, just worries I'll mess it up lol
 

upnsmoke13

Well-Known Member
I just harvested my first supercropped plant. It was a really tall pheno, so when I flipped, it headed for the moon! Ended up having to bend the main top & several side branches with no negative effects! Go slow & be gentle but they can straighten themselves after some bending, I ended up tying my bend tops - so they would stay bent!
 

CanadianDank

Well-Known Member
Use your MH for the first 3 weeks of 12/12.
Pinch and bend main stems.
If possible try to lower your temp (say about 5 degrees lower than your night time temp) for the first 2 hours of lights on and half hour before. (if your night Tim temp is 75 and your lights come on at 8am, you would want to lower your temp to 70 from 730am until 10am) do this first the first 2 or 3 weeks of 12/12.
Maintain a low phosphorus level in your nutrients for the stretch period as well.

Doing these things have all proven to be beneficial in reducing stretch, I was actually just reading into it.
 

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
Pretty sure I wouldn't bend and pinch stems to lower stretch (supercropping). I only supercrop if I have to, which means I fucked up :(. Supercropping for me has not had any benefit to growth but has saved a plant from getting burnt. It has actually stressed a plant a few times in that it changed it bud formation to almost a super foxtail, green spoon like structure. Topping before flower will spread out the stretch keeping it shorter but I've never tried temperature manipulation other than keeping temps. closer at lights out but don't think it did much.
 

CanadianDank

Well-Known Member
Pretty sure I wouldn't bend and pinch stems to lower stretch (supercropping). I only supercrop if I have to, which means I fucked up :(. Supercropping for me has not had any benefit to growth but has saved a plant from getting burnt. It has actually stressed a plant a few times in that it changed it bud formation to almost a super foxtail, green spoon like structure. Topping before flower will spread out the stretch keeping it shorter but I've never tried temperature manipulation other than keeping temps. closer at lights out but don't think it did much.
I supercrop all the time leading up to week 1 of flower, but everyone's set up will require different techniques of course.

The temperature manipulation is a commercial greenhouse growing technique. They do it alot with tomatoes and such.
 

CanadianDank

Well-Known Member
These are my Acapulco gold by Barney's farm.

Four plants in 5 gal of soil all from seed.

20171001_160925.jpg
Managed them pretty well we're about 3 or 4 weeks since flip, fairly even canopy taking into account the different phenos.
 

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
These are my Acapulco gold by Barney's farm.

Four plants in 5 gal of soil all from seed.

View attachment 4019966
Managed them pretty well we're about 3 or 4 weeks since flip, fairly even canopy taking into account the different phenos.
I've just never found it advantageous to supercrop. I think topping and LST help to achieve an even canopy without the stress. Even topping if done to much or after 12/12 seems to slow things in my setup. The great thing about growing is everyone has his or her teqniques and they all will grow great plants.
 

REALSTYLES

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking about transitioning into flower next week, has anyone had any good techniques to reduce stretch? My tent is only 5 feet high so limited in grow space.
Well for one what light are you using and what strain is it? How tall is the plant? how big is the grow area?
 

Kkesu

Active Member
Get the sting out ....but.....with a 5ft tent YOU should have allowed for this.......how big r ur plants now.....?
I had 2 plants but now I'm just down to one,(the other clone was really damaged when I got it but it's growth stunted about 3 weeks ago) I've been tying it down in all directions so it's only a foot high from the top the pot, but 22 inches from one end to the other, I only have a galaxy hydro 300w(really 140) and my tent is 32" x 32" x 63"
 
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