Deal with Stretching Cannabis Seedlings – Many new marijuana growers may believe that having spindly, stretchy stems from seedlings is an impression of a tall plant waiting to flourish. However, it is a tell-tale sign of stress and serves as the bane of unseasoned cultivators.
The long stems don’t provide a stable base for the seedling, which can weaken their stems, stunt their growth, or even leave them vulnerable to pests and diseases for their entire life cycle. This will cause a tidal wave of adverse effects on growers, even those with an expert green thumb, as it will be challenging to take care of with its insipidness.
Why do Seedlings Stretch?
The elongation typically occurs to indoor plants that receive little to no sunlight, which produces its stems legginess, skinniness, as well as a sparse set of leaves. However, other factors come into play of a marijuana plant’s stretchiness, some biological reasons, and others aren’t. Here are the following top causes to deal with cannabis stretching and what you need to watch out for when planting new seedlings:
- Lack of sunlight either due to inadequate exposure or neighbouring plants stealing it
- Lack of nutrients in the soil
- Unstable temperatures
- Improper lighting schedule
On that note, plants that showcase sun-hungry behaviour typically happen to seedlings placed near a plant that likes to steal the light. The lack of red in the sun is reflected off when there are neighbouring plants, which means that having a red spectrum HPS lights can often nip the problem at its bud.
Other Factors to Consider Beyond Light
Keep in mind that lack of sunlight is not the sole reason for triggering stretching cannabis seedlings. Other factors come into play, such as the following:
- Space between plants
- High temperatures
- Not enough light
- Distance to the light
Why Stem Stretching is Bad for Your Crop
Stretching plants are often challenging for new and expert growers alike as the long stems mean they will need more energy, which could have been used to developing bigger buds instead of taller stems.
This means that elongation means it would be expensive to grow in spite of looking just as significant as any other marijuana plant. In addition to your yield decreasing, the fragile stems also mean that the seedlings are susceptible to injury, rot, disease, or pests.
How Do You Fix Stretching Seedlings?
By facing the root of the matter in its earliest stages, you can easily find many ways to correct the situation. The most optimal solution is to provide sufficient sunlight by placing them in places where there are high chances of light, such as a south-facing window for indoor growth.
If the option above isn’t available, you will need to support the light the seedlings are absorbing from the window by adding a small fluorescent bulb within a few distances from the seedlings. If you are already growing the seedlings under a grow light, be sure it is close enough to the seedlings to keep it from stretching out for more.
Another method to deal with stretching cannabis is to force the elongated stems to grow to thicken by brushing your hands over the stems and leaves a few times a day. Meanwhile, you will need to supplement this by blowing air into it from fans a few hours a day as a way to trick them into thinking they are growing in a windy environment. This action will prevent stretching seedlings from becoming weak.
In Conclusion
Stretching seedlings is often a sign of light deficiency, which means that the weak stems will be vulnerable to stress, injury, pests, and diseases. It can cause a plethora of problems for growers for most of its life, which is why knowing the signs and ways you can fix it are crucial to the wealth of your yield.
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