Hi @Lauraroach welcome, you’re in a good place for help
3 Likes
The folks in this forum are great! They will help you with all your questions.
I am a newbie as well, but your plants REALLY need more light! If you buy a grow light there will be directions on how close the lights need to be above your plants.
2 Likes
Do not be afraid…Fear immobilizes us. Companionship fuels us and you will have plenty of that here. Welcome to our little corner of the world…skip the YT videos, mostly for profit. Here, you get information, not a sales pitch.
The plants…yes, not enough light (how close or strength of the lamp) and/or maybe not the right kind of light
When you have stretch happening, there are only a couple of ways to deal with it, and this is before you play with the lights. The plants come first so address the stretch. Some people add topping (soil) to support the stem, I find that most of the time my babies die when I do that. I get leaves, crumpled paper, straw…any material like that and surround the stem for support. I also have let them lay down.
Once you got that, it is time to look at the lights.
What light/s are you using…no one seemed to ask and you never mentioned it
How far is the light from the plants - distance
Step 2 will happen after you give us some guidance so we know what the next best thing to do is
3 Likes
Thanks for the help. I didn’t have them in the grow house after they sprouted up. I hate that I’m a live and learn kind of girl but like you said fear is not our friend. I have them about 20 inches from the light now. So… now that I have leggy stalks should I put them in 5 gallon cloth pots now? It was suggested to bury them a little further down so it shortens the long stalk. I just don’t want to kill my first babies. I’m hanging in there with these because the seeds are expensive. Thanks in advance for all y’all’s input. I’m not buying rolling papers just yet…lol
3 Likes
I would NOT put in 5 gal containers now…
What are you using for soil? Nutrients, if any? Water…RO or other, Ph
20" is ok or maybe 24" to start and move lower when things change / improve
Some people do bury them…MY OPINION…remember, it is an opinion…Sometimes the stalks do not like to be buried and have moist soil up against them. My method is what I said. I crumble leaves, papers (newspaper) and surround the stalk while supporting it. I water the outer edge so I do not get the material wet. I use enough to get right under the cotyledon (first 2 little round leaves. I keep them in their STARTER cups…(solo cups here). They can stay there, with just water, for 2/3 weeks EASILY. No nutrients, just water and not too wet. You should be able to get 2 nodes (true levels of leaves) above the cotyledons before you even think of potting.
Now, what type of seeds / genus are they? All Gelato fem? no auto flower, right?
You have 6 plants going. 6 x 5 gal containers is crowding a little. Remember, after vegging, these will grow easily to 5 feet or more if you do not trim and train. I would not go more than 4 x 5 gal. If you have any 3 gal, you will crop less but you will be able to get them all in the tent
Waiting on your thoughts
After thought…Fan…air circulation. We use small fans to circulate the air but they also help makes the stems STRONGER. Make sure you got fan/s going on. Not too much but gentle breeze
5 Likes
So glad @Mrb53004 is in for the win. What he said about crowding is right. Gelato tried to kick my ass, excuse my language it’s the nicest way I could put it. I left her in 1 gal pots and I’m hindering her potential, as you can see, however, I learned she likes it warm and not too much movement and/or touching going on. I let her just go naturally outside of the small pots. She can get tall for an indica. Also, I feel like my plants throw up hands when I take pictures, I have two tall and the rest are medium sized:
3 Likes
I have gelato and northern lights 3 and 3 . I made some soil with coco 10% pearlite 20% and 80% organic soil. I also used just the organic soil in three of them. I was not sure if it would make a difference so it was my experiment. They all grew the same. Lol… I will shore up my babies tomorrow. I had them under the lights for the day and tomorrow lights all day and then dark at night. Is that correct thinking? I live near Santa Fe so it’s very dry I have a humidifier in my tent so do I need to run it 24/7? I know lots of questions but I do promise to pass on the help y’all give me when I can in the future. We all help each other… I love that
2 Likes
Kmac03 those are some pretty babies you have!!!
1 Like
Great advice… I will be following your tips too
1 Like
Thank you! I can do better, but that’s the perfectionist in me. Ha! Next time I grow her, I clean up a bit. I just couldn’t let her challenge go unnoticed. 
I’m looking forward to following along. 
Welcome. I am a newby too but I started some plants with bad ligjts and they stretched 6 or 7 inches. I used dowl rods 12". And pipe cleaners to support them until they got enough stem to support themselves easily. I then backed off the support a bit at a time. Mine did not start to really veg (leaf out) until they got strong enough to stop stressing. They are now (under much better lighting) just about through the second week of flower and are looking pretty good considering my booboos. Work with them be patient and you should be alright.
3 Likes
Chop sticks… lol.
1 Like
They look better today and I added some happy soil to the solo cups. I will get some dowels and pipe cleaners to prop them up. Is 12 on 12 off enough light for them now?
No reason you cannot extend the light time. 12/12 is FLIP…plants wants to flower. They want like 18 hrs of light for starters. They will go into veg mode, then after they are a good size and trained, you FLIP so the flowers start growing. 7-12 weeks more and its Spring Harvest. A good veg on photo period plants (what you have) is 6-10 weeks, depending on how big they get. Remember, after flip, they will grow about 1-2 feet MORE.
Be careful if you are going to use the chopstick method. Try not to damage the roots as you insert. Remember, babies are much more sensitive than grown plants.
2 Likes
@Lauraroach, they have great color. I was trying to go back and read, but I’m having a time focusing at the moment. I understand using dowels for a brace, but what was the reason for not reburying them?
I did use the frog soil and filled my solo cups so the stalks were more supported. I will keep them under the lights more now that I know. You guys and gals are the bomb. I’m going to be a bud tender one day. I’m just not buying rolling papers just yet
2 Likes
Stick with this quote. Leave the other out, it cancels itself. Also, I believe in you.
1 Like
Unless it’s some “out there” strain, sounds to be sun-stretch/light stretch. Dim or lower your lights, adjust as needed until you find that sweet spot. The higher your lights are, the more the stem will keep stretching to try & reach it. If your seedlings won’t stand already, imagine them trying to hold up flowers - I’ve corrected this myself, when seedlings are very young & transplanted them, reburying a quarter inch or so of the stem. Then with your lights lowered & a slight breeze to stiffen the main stem, you should still be able to save them. Autos need a moist top layer of whichever medium you’re growing them in.