Link please.
Some genetics have that lanky sativa leaning habit, some are short stubby and bushy indica type.
Sometimes plants will stretch because of insufficient light, and while that doesn’t seem to be the case, its worth trying to drop the lights or bump up the output slightly.
Blue spectrums can help maintain a compact form, although too much blue in later flower especially tends to affect the outcome.
Stretch in flower is normal, nothing wrong in the OP, just a genetic dice roll and happy plants. The real solution is buy a bigger tent!
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Great reads, thanks for sharing @shag .
Guess it comes down to caveats. You do have some negatives with a -DIF which outweigh any stretch for me. As mentioned:
Side Effects of -DIF
There are some side effects from the use of -DIF. These include reduced leaf area, change of leaf orientation (plants exposed to +DIF tend to have upright leaf growth while plants exposed to –DIF tend to have horizontal leaf growth), shoot orientation, reduced chlorophyll content, leaf nutrient composition, lateral branching and carbon partitioning.
What they fail to mention is the waste of resources, carbos, produced by the plant due to high night temps, or situations where you don’t get a big drop in day to night temps like you might find in the Kush areas.
Years ago I moved from a Gulf coastal area where there was very little +DIF, to an area inland and a much higher elevation where there can be a swing from say 95F during the day highs to 70F at sunrise. It makes a huge difference in EVERY crop I’ve planted whether it be cannabis, shade or fruit trees such as oaks, olive, peach…the quality of my wine grape vineyard, or my veggie garden. Things just grow twice as fast and twice as big here than in the balmy coastal region I moved from.
As mentioned by me and the article, backing off on the P and increasing light can reduce stretch as does training.
Also, some plants have a strong or moderate response to -DIF, some plants have little to no response.
I’m growing pure indicas now. I welcome some stretch! They’re runts compared to the vigor of hybrids and pure sativas.
Uncle Ben
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FWIW, I just finished out my Cann. Lapis Mtn. indica many days/nights in the greenhouse where temps might be at 85F during the day and 45F at night. (My heater setpoint is set at 34F.) The plant finished extremely dense with fully “ripe” chunks deep into the canopy.
March 9 harvest
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A double top will give you shorter, bushier plant. A single topping will create a Y shape and doesn’t really slow down the height much. (Probably not a huge deal indoors, but it also makes for a weak structure and the plant will split at the Y with the bud weight.) A second topping (I normally do the 1st at the 5th node, and the 2nd tops at 3rd nodes) will make the plant much shorter.
But as I mentioned, not an indoor grower, so best to get some indoor advice on SOG training if you’re doing sativa (leaning) plants, as they’re going to be more tall and lanky.
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Some good info here.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/uncle-bens-topping-technique-to-get-2-or-4-main-colas.151706/
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Hey @shag thanks for posting that DIF info I knew I’d read it somewhere on the net.
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@RatsboggleBiological this is a 4x4, can’t go any bigger in this room, lol. I guess these girls were just really happy, vigorous growers. I’ll take that over stunting them any day! Thanks!
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@shag Thank you I’ll check it out!
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Thanks @Razor
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Ben, why do you go all the way back down to your 2nd node on the topping? Seems like a you’re taking out weeks (a month+ outdoors) and then only ending up with 4 stems. The auxins are going to travel down the main stem some distance, so I normally don’t see much side branch growth at 5 nodes.
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To get 4 main colas. Please watch the videos, posts and threads folks have posted on YouTube or look at the many pictures I’ve posted in 6 or so forums. uncle ben's topping technique - Hledat Googlem
To reiterate, you cut above the 2nd true node to get 4 main colas. Above the 1st node to get 2 main colas. Talking dominant apical terminals as in an oak tree, same principle, same dormant buds and hormonal responses are involved.
You’re not taking out a thing, this plant response has nothing to do with timing. In fact the response is immediate and the growth is the same as the next guy who didn’t prune but left his faves as is.
If you have a vigorous, healthy plant you’ll see a big push of growth from the axils of where the petiole attaches to the “trunk” immediately. Try it with your next seedlings. My technigue will ONLY work with seedlings exhibiting alternate phytolaxxy, opposing branches. Not alternating.
Will post old pix from like 25 or so years ago.
3 days after topping.
2010, before topping. If you look close @Razor you’ll notice there is actively growing foliar activity in the axils of the nodes. So, in essence, when you cut you’re just sending all that “energy” into those plant parts, which become the new dominant leaders.
Same plant after topping
Scaffold profile after harvest
Another OLD shot, 2 colas under 600 HPS, just before harvest. Sensi Skunk, the real deal way back then.
4 colas. This was a seed from Bros. Grimm In-Out Mix. Paid only $1/bean for these. At least 25 years old now. Still have a few!
Just before harvest
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These were for outdoors. Growth was very fast. I dug a hole about 3" deep, dropped a 3 gal. pot into it, kicked the dirt up around the pot, and ran an emitter off one of my field irrigation lines. If memory serves me correct this was the Original Haze from The Flying Dutchmen.
July, 4 tops
November 11
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@Razor post #1 and #19 will clear this up.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/uncle-bens-topping-technique-to-get-2-or-4-main-colas.151706/
As an aside, I also cover the self defeating act of defoliating in post #31. Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas | Page 2 | Rollitup
#49 has some good outdoor shots of 4 main colas @Razor. Uncle Ben's Topping Technique to Get 2 or 4 Main Colas | Page 3 | Rollitup
Post 62 -
Not a problem friend, but what makes you think my topping approach is hard on (stresses) a plant? That’s simply not true, quite the contrary. It’s natural and the plant responds with new foliar output within 24 hours. You cut and don’t fuss with it until harvest but since you brought it up, Low Stress Training is an oxymoron IMO. I’m not the one doing repetitive un-natural stuff to my ladies…tieing 'em up with rubber bands, string and such. I have played games using dress ties and a brass headboard though.
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What a beautiful and DENSE canopy.
Hope you have some Fun with this effort!
Growing pure indicas so it’s not needed. This, simple, clean and quick technique is used to deal with lanky sativa types.
Tom Hill’s Deep Chunk, old school, still in veg. Turned out to be male.
Another male, Sensi Kush indica still in veg. Being there is little to no stretch with these pure indicas, there’s no reason to mess with them.
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Thanks, but keep in mind this was many years ago, like 13 - 26 years ago. Not my first rodeo.
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So these are Bud-memories we are Squeezing this morning.
Alas, it was such good Bud… 13-26 years ago, Wow I love all the info captured in that Grow-Log OG’r
That why I love this place! Not cuz its been done before, cuz its still going on
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Thanks Ben, don’t want to hijack Everthingzen’s tread, but still not understanding the purpose of wanting only 4 colas. Is the technique for the stem structure strength (which looks nice in your pictures), height restriction, etc? For a tent grow why not just do a SOG (classic manifold), and outdoors why just limit colas to 4? (Don’t have a rollitub account so couldn’t see your photos.)
If you’re looking to reduce height (as I often desire since I don’t like being on a ladder picking worms all summer 
) and smaller colas (which help with rot) pretty easy to make a ton of bud sites.
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