WW Fem. How to keep her small next time

[Mich000]

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently on my first grow, I've been on 12-12 light for almost 7 weeks now.
And I would like some advice so that the next grow is a little more relaxed

My Setup:
- Stealth box size 40x60x120cm ( 15x24x47 inch) with a small access hatch at the front (+/-90 cm between pot and light)
- 8 x Philips Tornado CFL 23Watt
- 12v exhaust fan with DIY carbon filter
- 12v circulate fan
- Hydro with top feed. ( Clay Pebbles)
- Aquarium circulate pump (for top feed and spray bar)
- Aquarium heater.
- DIY 250Watt heater ( silicon heater pad on aluminium plate)
- DHT22 temp. and humidity sensors
- PH sensor
- EC sensor.
- Arduino MKR WIFI control board (DIY)


Im growing 1 plant White widow feminized van RQS

The problem I have is that my plant is way to big.
I started with 12-12 light when it was +/- 25cm (10 inch) height (assuming it wouldn’t grow more than 200%) but I think it add least grow 300% and I had to do a lot of training daily to keep it from growing against the light. (Without LST it would have done 400% I think)

My goal would be to harvest 250 gram ( 8.8oz) a year, having to do something at most once every 2 days (like moving lights, training, water changes etc.).
I have a webcam and I can read/control all electronics remotely every day. and in an emergency I can intervene immediately

Here is my grow dairy :
20-03-2021 start light on 24-0 ( didn’t have the heater then and it was getting to cold when I turn of the lights)

18-04-2021 changed to different nutrition, I was using the wrong stuff for hydro ( Terragrow plagron) I think the plant was showing magnesium/calcium deficiencies. I switched to COCO A and B + powerroots from plagron
After this change it starts growing fast.
Topped my plant 1 time

22-04-2021
Switched light to 12-12

13-05-2021
Stopped with powerroot, started with greensensation
The plant is showing a lot of pistols
And still growing fast.

20-05-2021
Fast grow stopped.

Now:
Some pistols are changing colors.

So I have some more seeds of the same strain that I may want to use for the next round, but I don’t want it to get this big again.

Could it be that the problem with the nutrition caused the fast grow?
Or maybe something else ?
I understand that pot size will also limit the size of the plant but how does this work for hydro? My reservoir is 40x60cm (so plenty of space for the roots)

Thanks.


2 day before i switched the lights to 12-12

Yesterday picture from the front

some closeups

My water tank

 

[mysticepipedon]

I think you need to find a different strain that stays small.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend one, because the small plants I have came in packs of seeds that also included tall phenos.

 

[Mich000]

I think you need to find a different strain that stays small.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend one, because the small plants I have came in packs of seeds that also included tall phenos.

oke thanks,
White Widow from RQS is advertised as 60 till 100cm indoors.
If i look add the RQS site its already one of the smallest... ( its not going any lower then 60-100cm)

I assumed the plant would grow a maximum of 2x its size after light went to 12-12. (I think I've read this in several places)

 

[frogyrogy]

If I remember correctly they have a couple of different spectrums for those cfl's and if you don't have some blue the plants think it's shade and can stretch like crazy trying to get the bud sites up out the shadows of taller plants. Just my 2 cents and something to consider, your light's spectrum may not be the cause at all.

 

[Microstraincollector]

I think you need to find a different strain that stays small.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend one, because the small plants I have came in packs of seeds that also included tall phenos.

Try Royal Dwarf from Seedsman... Smallest I've seen advertised... I've never grown it though. Guess adding a net to hold it down could work... Stinks that you get the system dialed in and the plant outgrows it... Great looking root system!

 

[Jose7070]

Next time try some topping and lst and hst that should do the trick , you can keep almost any strain short ,check out totogrow on YouTube he does bonsai and stuff and his plants are basically micro grows

 

[Treecutter]

That's pretty easy to answer. Give them more light. 8 Phillips 22 watt lights will cause it to stretch if you don't have them right on top of them and the may still try to stretch if there not getting adequate light.

I actually do this with auto flowers that I grow just for seed so I keep my breeding space small. I hit them with intense light. There just like you, your not going to stretch to touch something hot and intense, if your not getting the warmth and light requirement your going to stretch to the source.

Thats why when people use low watt lights for seedlings too long, they stretch and fall over before the stalk has developed.

Here is an entire auto tDark Devil that got intense light its entire life.

 

[Treecutter]

Also not many picks here but I'm pretty sure its trying to reverse to veg.

 

[Narsbars]

That's pretty easy to answer. Give them more light. 8 Phillips 22 watt lights will cause it to stretch if you don't have them right on top of them and the may still try to stretch if there not getting adequate light.

I actually do this with auto flowers that I grow just for seed so I keep my breeding space small. I hit them with intense light. There just like you, your not going to stretch to touch something hot and intense, if your not getting the warmth and light requirement your going to stretch to the source.

Thats why when people use low watt lights for seedlings too long, they stretch and fall over before the stalk has developed.

Here is an entire auto tDark Devil that got intense light its entire life.

You are so right. I put a pair of photos into 12/12 on October 5. Last night, Nov 2 I had cause to move my wiring around and found I had screwed up and put them on 24/0 for the last four weeks, they look great at 15 to 18 inches but barely grew in a month, maybe two inches to the 15 and 18 inch they are at now. Hoping the real switch to 12/12 last night will get them going. I was wondering why all of those prefems never changed....