Am I screwed? No more room for buds to grow...

[Cozy Amnesia]

First off, I'm a first time grower, so go easy

Here's the problem. The buds are starting to form, but they're are all nearly hitting the top of the container they're in (some are, most are really close). I've been able to keep the ones directly under the light away from it (except one got light bleached a little), but it's the ones that are not under it that have grown into the lid of the container.

Ok, the only thing I need to know is this: with vegitative growth stopped, how much space will the buds need to grow? What I mean is...will they grow taller than where the buds are now, or will they just fatten up around the current bud?

Here is what I'm looking at:






Just to defend myself, this last week I have been trying to control height by suppercropping and tying down the tops of the tallest ones. Those that I have controlled are right where I want them, but now there are several tops that are just barelly small enough to fit inside the tub.



If I need to, all I have to do is tie the branch to the pot it's in and bend it down a little. During the stretch I tied down some branches in what I have been calling the "candy cane" method. It's ok to pull the tops this violently during stetch or veg growth but once that stops I wouldn't recommend it, or suppercropping for that matter.

I'll post more pics or provide more info if needed, just ask.

 

[accessndx]

Training the tops down is your only way of handling the situation now. You don't want to be cutting tops off with developing buds. As far as when you can do this...it's really subjective. If the plant isn't too deciduous (woody) you can bend it almost anytime....except when you've got cola formation....wouldn't be the best to start messing with the toppers as they fill up.
However, if you DO decide to mess around with the developing tops....and one breaks by accident....it's not that big a deal....I've had entire colas snap through my own hasty actions.....when it's happened...I put the cola back in the proper position, and splint it. Within a few days it will heal. As long as the xylem and phloem are intact (these are the vascular bodies within the plant) your plant will continue to grow and live.
Good luck bro.

 

[FreezerBoy]

First off, I'm a first time grower, so go easy

It's a NOOB! Dogpile! We'll show that farggin icehole! ... sorry. Where were we?

Any way to fashion a mid-section? Like adding a leaf to the dinner table when company comes over. Maybe, don't know but, maybe, it's a better fix to make the cab taller?

 

[xen_dau]

Training the tops down is your only way of handling the situation now. You don't want to be cutting tops off with developing buds. As far as when you can do this...it's really subjective. If the plant isn't too deciduous (woody) you can bend it almost anytime....except when you've got cola formation....wouldn't be the best to start messing with the toppers as they fill up.
However, if you DO decide to mess around with the developing tops....and one breaks by accident....it's not that big a deal....I've had entire colas snap through my own hasty actions.....when it's happened...I put the cola back in the proper position, and splint it. Within a few days it will heal. As long as the xylem and phloem are intact (these are the vascular bodies within the plant) your plant will continue to grow and live.
Good luck bro.

Access has pretty much summed it up...

Or you could try and build a larger cabinet? Maybe switch to a closet?

 

[stihgnobevoli]

if theyre done stretching then you can just "break" the ones that are too tall in the middle. not enough to snap but enough to make a kink in the stem. when it recovers it will have a knot there but the branch will also be growing sideways instead of up. just break all the ones that are too tall and it will be ok. just make sure you dont snap the stem all the way through/off.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I agree with stigh with the supercropping. Seems that it doesn't delay things, and may even accelerate things a bit. (shrug)
If I do supercrop a branch, I will pinch it until it smashes before I bend it. It will be torture on you the first time, but trust me...she likes this punishment real well.
It makes her wet.

Don't be too gentle...put her where you want her. She will try her best to pop right out of it, and if you wimp it...she will.

*edit
I wanted to mention that I had a very vigorous stretcher two grow ago, and I supercropped the main cola very late into flower...like 10 days to finish, and the colas buds all turned up right away and got much fatter than they would have. It's a win situation.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Maybe I'm misremembering (so many threads, so little memory) but, I believe the topping, supercropping, candy-cane discussion was some time ago and that now we're looking for something more to try.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Maybe I don't understand what the problem is?
If you supercrop, and it gets back to the same height, we don't want to do it again why?

If veg growth is blocking bud sites, take out/tuck away some fans.

 

[mexilandrace]

build a scrog screen and put it on top, push the canopy down about 4 inches(some branches may snap) then secure it to your bottom tub.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Maybe I don't understand what the problem is?
If you supercrop, and it gets back to the same height, we don't want to do it again why?

If veg growth is blocking bud sites, take out/tuck away some fans.

I may not either and may have confused Cozy with another. But, if I haven't, he's tried topping, supercropping and bending and still has trouble. While canopy control maintains an overall height, it defeats the plants attempts to space out the buds. "Too much" control can increase condensation, moisture retention and the possibility of mold.

Perhaps additional fans along with daily inspections and shaking of plants can handle it. Stretching the cab was not an option for me but, may be for Cozy.

 

[tequila_sunrise]

dude I remember seeing a thread about your little grow tub. I was thinking how the hell you got that many plants in such an area and how you were going to keep em from touchin the lights. However, looks like your growth is going great!

personally, if I was you, I would design a bigger cab ASAP. Fuck... check craigslist for some cabinets under free. Or just search your local area.

 

[Cozy Amnesia]

Sorry guys that I haven't responded sooner.

Yes Freezerboy, I had started another thread (in micro section) before it was too late to do the suppercropping/bending and I had good success with that. But now it's too late to do that. I just opened up my cab to find several more lightbleached leaves, so something has to be done.

I'm just not sure if I can make it through flower. The main question I need answered is this:

with vegitative growth stopped, how much space will the buds need to grow? What I mean is...will they grow taller than where the buds are now, or will they just fatten up around the current bud?

Most of the tops are just shy of hitting the lid of the container, so if they do grow taller throughout flower, even by a couple of inches, than I need to build a new container or do some more suppercropping. If they don't grow taller than they are now then I might be ok. If it seems completely obvious to you just remember that I've never flowered a marijuana plant before.

Alright, here's the scenario:

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Why do you think it is too late to supercrop now, cozy?

 

[SuperThrowed]

supercrop them hoes

 

[Cozy Amnesia]

Why do you think it is too late to supercrop now, cozy?

The two plants in there have completely filled up all the space. I can't suppercrop the limbs so they point outward of the plant, the desirable way to do it, because I wouldn't be able to close the lid of the chamber. Even now I have to "tuck them in" with my free hand while the other slowly swivels the lid back on. I suppercropped a couple of branches so they're pointing toward the middle already, but any more done like that will make it too dense in the middle and I'd like it if my buds didn't root .

I just had to pull a branch back to keep from burning. It's getting way too tight in there, and more and more I'm thinking about completely redesigning my grow operation, but I need to do something soon.

Does anyone else think my best solution is to build a grow room/cab/whatever the hell is bigger?

 

[Cozy Amnesia]

How about this?

 

[FreezerBoy]

with vegitative growth stopped, how much space will the buds need to grow? What I mean is...will they grow taller than where the buds are now, or will they just fatten up around the current bud?

Too many variables. I let my last Thunk flower for 23 weeks. It NEVER stopped stretching and growing. NEVER!

I like the extension idea. Very Ghetto, very direct. Maybe some sort of covering around the midriff? Normally, no foil for me but, here, it may be the ticket.

 

[StayHigh149]

Foil is a good suggestion for the midrif opening.

I would snap necks also. Snap them, they will heal & just continue growing...but sideways.

I had to do it plenty of times when I was growing in Rubbermaids.

 

[alpinestar]

not exactly the worst problem you can have!


seriously though, bend the bud sites down, and prune out excess fan leaves and branches for any necessary space. the more budsites exposed to light, the more bud period

as for your question on whether or not it would continue growing:
depending on the strain, it can keep growing or just fill out - ive seen both happen in indica and sativa strains. the only thing that will tell you this is experience with that plant

someone here was able to grow a mexi sativa from seed in a computer case (ive done it with clones and had to do a lot of bending as well), so im sure youll be fine, the one issue that will be unavoidable, is that you will need to constantly check up on the plants (1 to 2 times daily)


oh!... almost forgot.... lower night temps will help reduce stretching a bit

good luck!

 

[Cozy Amnesia]

Ok thanks guys. I think some are growing vertically a bit, but most seem to be happy where they are.