# stregthining weak stems....



## DEATHMETALSTONER (Jun 5, 2009)

the baby plants' stems are weak and flimsy....and wont even hold the plants up.....after a few days of leaf growth...the plant falls over sideways....

(currently they are tied to support post to stay upright)

anyway how do you make the stems hard and 
able to hold the plant up high?

thanks
 



I am referring to growing tomoatoe plants


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## UKgirl420 (Jun 5, 2009)

a fan blowing on them will strenthen the stems ,,,,just dont  set on a setting to fast directley on them ,,eace:


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## Waspfire (Jun 5, 2009)

u can try burrying the stem close to the first set of leaves also u should have a fan blowing on the tops of them this helps strengthen the stems


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## smokingjoe (Jun 5, 2009)

with sufficient support it will do it itself; if they are inordinately long than you might like to lower your lights but be careful of heat.

A much less stressful method of supporting a plant is to go to Macdonalds and "obtain" a handful of straws.  cut them up into strips a few inches long and the split them down the middle.  Open the slit straw and wrap it around the trunk, it will naturally want to spring back into a cylinder shape and support your seedling.  As the stem grows into the straw it will fall off without damaging your ladies.


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## PencilHead (Jun 5, 2009)

Could lack of sufficient light be the initial factor?


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## Hick (Jun 5, 2009)

the "two" factors leading to weak spindely stems are light intensity and lack of air circulation..
improve on them and you will resolve the problem.


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## LassChance (Jun 5, 2009)

PencilHead said:
			
		

> Could lack of sufficient light be the initial factor?



The light is too far away, or they wouldnt be stretching. Meantime, you may think Im nuuts, but I do this all the time and it works:  Squeeze the stems gently until you feel them squish. For  two days or maybe three they will look awful, like you've broken them, but they WILL heal and be thick and strong. I pinch mine when they are two-three inches tall  and then pinch again with every new two inches of growth and by the time they are six inches the stalks are like pencils. If this idea is too scary, for sure use the drinking straws, but move that light closer!

I knowm Im not the only stalk squeezer in here!  LOL...it's the same principle as when you have a broken arm. Once it heals, the bone will be thicker at the point it was broken. The inner core of the stem is made of tiny cells, each one with a very thin cell wall.  Crushing the cell wall make the plant need to repair those ccell walls, bringing them back thicker than they were originally, cell by cell--If your plants are really long and "leggy", it may be too late for this, but remember it for your next grow and squeeze those babies when they're 2-3 inches.


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## DEATHMETALSTONER (Jun 6, 2009)

great idea dude....and ya they are like  2-4 inches.....but can you squeeze to hard where they cant repair themselves?


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## Hick (Jun 6, 2009)

> but can you squeeze to hard where they cant repair themselves?


not with a fan and sufficient lighting....


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## DEATHMETALSTONER (Jun 6, 2009)

thats another thing, the temperature stays at 68-72 degress in the room and with no hot light to heat the plants....-
(i have a fixed flourescent that admits no heat)
....-i would be scared to put a fan in there because it would just cool off the room even more....(i heard plants need to be around 80 but 70 is all i can work with...)

I could put a heater and a fan in there but is all that electricity worth it or can the plants survive harsh conditions?

THANKS


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## Hick (Jun 6, 2009)

temps between 70-80F are fine... but "just" as important, is air circulation. Plants _'require_' fresh air.. fresh co2 passing across the leaf surface for healthy vigorous growth.


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## dirtyolsouth (Jun 6, 2009)

HI,

Your garden NEEDS a fan for many reasons. In addition to helping build strong plants that can support themselves, air movement is necessary for good plant health. Air movement within your garden will help keep away bug problems as well as prevent fungus issues such as damping off with rotting stems. Your temps are fine... but without air movement you're going to have problems before too long.

imho...  they're much too young to start pinching stems...  supercropping is something I do from time to time when they're fully developed...   At this tender age you could easily squeeze the life out of your babies by pinching the stems too hard...  

Just move that air!

Happy Growing!


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## GeezerBudd (Jun 6, 2009)

LassChance said:
			
		

> I knowm Im not the only stalk squeezer in here! LOL...it's the same principle as when you have a broken arm. Once it heals, the bone will be thicker at the point it was broken. The inner core of the stem is made of tiny cells, each one with a very thin cell wall. Crushing the cell wall make the plant need to repair those ccell walls, bringing them back thicker than they were originally, cell by cell--If your plants are really long and "leggy", it may be too late for this, but remember it for your next grow and squeeze those babies when they're 2-3 inches.



LassChance is'nt the only one, STONER. I've used that procedure and it does work.
I have one about 8 inches high I pinched the other day-it drooped for a few days but its back on the road.
You only squeeze so tight and that is it-You will feel a very light crunch.
Make sure you got ventilation and circulation too.

Gb


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## DEATHMETALSTONER (Jun 8, 2009)

thanks everybody and i got a fan and banged 2 holes in my wall for incoming/outgoing air!!

should be easy from here on...


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 8, 2009)

DEATHMETALSTONER said:
			
		

> should be easy from here on...



:giggle::giggle:...you have just begun, germing is the _easy_ part.....


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## Shockeclipse (Jun 8, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> :giggle::giggle:...you have just begun, germing is the _easy_ part.....


Aint that the truth......


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## intellenoob (Jun 8, 2009)

if you've got a fixed fluoro set up, i bet the lights are too far away. you should move the lights or move the plants up to the light.


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## LassChance (Jun 9, 2009)

DEATHMETALSTONER said:
			
		

> great idea dude....and ya they are like  2-4 inches.....but can you squeeze to hard where they cant repair themselves?



I have had none die.  I squeeze until I feel it "give".  The top of the plant flops over and it LOOKS like it's neck is broken. Two or three days later it is back upright and visibly thicker. However, I squeeze mine when they are 2-3 inches and NOT tall and droopy.  I would suggest if you decide to do the squeeze, after you squeeze them, put a splint on, made from a split drinking straw.  That way, they will be supported upright while they are healing.  In three days, remove the straw and see if they stand alone. If squeezing seems too scary, just use the splint with the light moved closer. Either way, they will catch up in strength and eventually stand. The light is the really crucial thing. As long as it has to stretch toward the light, it will keep being spindly.  
All I can say is, it works for me. and I squeeze all my seedlings at about 2 inches, when they have their first two 'real" leaves. When they grow another two inches, I squeeze them again. By six inches, the stalk is like a pencil. Can I guarantee beyond any doubt this will happen for you?  Nope. I think it will, but I dont know it will. 

You've been given several great tips==bury them deeper, causing more roots to form along the shaft, using a fan, making splints. Squeezing works great on a short plant.  Ive never done it on a tall spindly seedling because I dont have tall spindly seedlings--I squeeze them before they get like that.
So, it's up to you--use all or any of these suggestions, but get that light closer, LOL.

Let us know how it goes.

Lass


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## LassChance (Jun 9, 2009)

GeezerBudd said:
			
		

> LassChance is'nt the only one, STONER. I've used that procedure and it does work.
> I have one about 8 inches high I pinched the other day-it drooped for a few days but its back on the road.
> You only squeeze so tight and that is it-You will feel a very light crunch.
> Make sure you got ventilation and circulation too.
> ...



Thanks, GeezerBud!  I was getting kinda scared, there...thinking maybe I WAS the only squeezer!

It DOES sound kind of radical and maybe even a bit nuts if you havent tried it...thanks again. 

Lass


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