First grow - stem too thin?

neo12345 said:

That seedling looks absolutely fine and normal to me, though I wouldn't have a fan on it just yet as it's too small. You would be better off pointing the fan at the light and maybe raising it slightly as that sounds quite close for a HID lamp at this stage, the seedling won't need much light and a 250w HPS will be more than plenty for that little seedling.

You should find the stem will stop stretching as much now as they do this from seed, as I said it looks perfectly normal so don't panic. Stop blowing it over and it will be fine!!

Good luck with your grow, what strain is it you're growing?

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Hi,

I did replant it, attached pictures to a previous post. It is OG Kush from Royal Seeds.

neo12345 said:

That looks way too close to me for a 250w HPS, you are going to fry them like that!!

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Yeah, I did raise them back to 10-12 inches.

Aircooled will definitely help, it makes no difference which bulb you veg under. Op as long as your temps are 77-78 you should be fine. Like mentioned above don't place the fan on the seedlings place the fan between the light and the seedlings to keep temp at bay.

mmvvpp said:

Yeah, I did raise them back to 10-12 inches.

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You could probably get away with 16-18 inches easily for little plants like that. You always get ones that grow slower or faster than the others, and it looks like that one is just a few days behind the others.

They are only little babies at the moment and you put them straight into the sun and a force 10 gale, well that's probably how they are feeling but you know what I mean! lol

Try to leave them alone now and not stress them out, and they should be growing into nice plants in a few weeks!!

Thanks guys. Temp seems decent for now, and i will leave the babies alone for a while Will be looking to buy an aircooler sooner rarther than later, since the temps are only going to get hotter as we get closer to summer

I've found getting a straw, cut it to size, then cut up through it long ways to allow it to stretch open when needed.

Slot it around your stem, push in a bit into the soil, not too deep or you will shred your roots. Then mound some soil around the bottom a little. I've found it holds them up straight long enough to let them get stronger.

Only holds them up though, doesn't fix problems.

That is something I've wondered, about cutting into the roots, I've read reasonable suggestions that a little root cuttage can actually be a good thing, kind of FIM for roots. I've never deliberately done it though to know if it would help or hinder. But I could see that if done correctly it would work.

mmvvpp said:

Ok i set the HPS around 10-12 inch from the plants. Now that they are so much closer to the soil, i was able to turn up my fan without breaking the stem. Also opened up the tent a bit - outside light is not a problem. Temp says 77-78 degrees now. Hopefully that'll be enough for a while.

I appreciate your suggestions, but an extra exhaust fan is not in the budget. The 55w would be manageable, but not the needed ballast.
What about this? That should give me a few extra degrees, not sure if the reflector reduction would be an issue though, the one i have now is somewhat larger - as you might be able to tell from the previous picture.

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It will make a difference. What do you mean by EXTRA exhaust? What's the problem with the ballast?
You can fixate whatever reflector you have onto the cooltube. No need to pay for another, too. That's if they make them all the same.

As you mentioned the HPS was already 13 inch from the plant, the problem is definitely not with light intensity. -

^su said:

Aircooled will definitely help, it makes no difference which bulb you veg under. Op as long as your temps are 77-78 you should be fine. Like mentioned above don't place the fan on the seedlings place the fan between the light and the seedlings to keep temp at bay.

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- but with light quality.

noham said:

It will make a difference. What do you mean by EXTRA exhaust? What's the problem with the ballast?
You can fixate whatever reflector you have onto the cooltube. No need to pay for another, too. That's if they make them all the same.

As you mentioned the HPS was already 13 inch from the plant, the problem is definitely not with light intensity. -

- but with light quality.

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Ah my bad. I didn't mean an extra exhaust, i ment a bigger one.
Regarding ballast. Didn't you say those 55w required some electronic ballast?

I dont think its possible to add my current reflector to a cooltube.

mmvvpp said:

Ah my bad. I didn't mean an extra exhaust, i ment a bigger one.
Regarding ballast. Didn't you say those 55w required some electronic ballast?

I dont think its possible to add my current reflector to a cooltube.

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If it isn't enclosed, then you just drill some holes on it where the screws are holding the circular metal hangers and attach it with the cooltube's screws.
And yes, they require a ballast, can't that be bought? It's your choice, and for simplicity should go with an mh. But if you like cool looking DIYsm then for sure make a 4 tube reflector with the ballasts on top.

noham said:

If it isn't enclosed, then you just drill some holes on it where the screws are holding the circular metal hangers and attach it with the cooltube's screws.
And yes, they require a ballast, can't that be bought? It's your choice, and for simplicity should go with an mh. But if you like cool looking DIYsm then for sure make a 4 tube reflector with the ballasts on top.

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Yes it can be bought Was trying to keep it somewhat cheap for the first grow. Will start with a cooltube to make sure i get the temp under control - have to have the tent open at the moment, which is a bit annoying.
Next grow it will be "cool looking" DIY or MH

You can also tip it perhaps. It will help the main stem thicken up. Just did it to mine. Was 4 feet high and had to use guide ropes to hold it. Tipped it 2 already. Thickened and stiffened it up no end. Down side is that its thicker then a hedge.