From a fellow grower: I’m a relatively new grower and I only grow 6 plants at a time in a indoor grow tent with LED Lights. I wanted to ask you a quick question if you might have some insight you would be willing to share with me.
The grow lights I use have rope pullies that allow me to lower the lights closer to the plants when they are young. However, my plants grow to the top of the tent and then I have to remove the pullies and connect the lights directly to the top bar in my grow tent which is pretty challenging for me.
Can I leave the lights at the top of the tent even at the start of my grow without diminishing the plants yield and health?
Or is there a way to make the plants grow bushier rather than taller?
2 Likes
I recommend topping your plants , This will slow down the upward growth and allow the side branches to catch up and make a nice even canopy. Happy growing ! 
6 Likes
There is - by controlling light intensity. Light intensity governs node spacing on the plant. More light = closer node spacing = a more compact plant.
5 Likes
I agree with @kellydans and @MidwestGuy you can also leave the lights up and put the plants on something to raise them like milk crates then as they grow remove as needed to get the correct DLI
3 Likes
Light intensity and I believe length of day-light (Lights ON time)
Bring them to my house. My stuff always grows like a bush. Don’t ask how I do it, I don’t know but it is annoying
5 clones. I got som bushes also lol. First time grower so idk if this is good or bad. My plants look like noone else ive seen lst. I got the clones under fed limpy sad and 2 feet stretched … so i never topped them. Just Went into lst since were alrdy 2 feet and 9 nodes tall.
Idk what ima end up with lol
1 Like
If you hang your lights with 4 rope pulleys attached directly to the corners of your light you should be able to raise the light to within 6 inches to the top of the tent.
1 Like
Be careful about how close the light gets to the top of the tent. Most LED manufacturers suggest at least 12" of clearance above the light to prevent the drivers from over heating. There’s also a potential fire hazard if the driver does over heat and is too close to the tent fabric.
When I’ve needed to raise my lights close to the top of my tents, I’ve made sure to have clip on fans up there blowing on the drivers.
1 Like
For goodness sakes don’t hang your light right against the ceiling of your tent or enclosure! Learn the basics of training your plants, light intensity and spectrum. If you hang the light to close to the ceiling at best you shorten it’s life, at worse you burn your home down. Most manufactures have a 12"/15" rule about how far the lights should be hung from the ceiling. This can be cheated a very small amount by putting a fan in the top of the tent blowing air across the top of the light. And having a fan always blowing on the top of the light regardless of mounting height is always a good idea. Best way to control plant stretch and height is training and topping or using scrog netting or a combination. Light intensity plays a part also but more importantly is the spectrum of light. Old cheap pos china lights with old tech that should have never been brought to market that have veg and flower switches means nothing. But that false marketing and advertising is based in fact. The blue spectrum between 420 to 460 nm keeps node spacing tight and brings vertical growth control while bolstering root development and growth. The red from 640-670 nm promotes the growth of vegetation/bulk and both vertical and horizontal growth. The green, yellow and orange blend with the blue and red extremes to give us full spectrum and keep the blue and red from taking over. Good Luck!
1 Like
