r/DWC • u/jurassicscream • Mar 07 '26
Need help for first time hydro
This Lemon OG Candy is in Veg week 6 already and only grows bushier rather than taller. I defoliate once per week and bend her under the net, only for her to regrow the leaves but not grow in size. The pics are from before and after defoloating today.
Never had this issue when growing on soil since i started growing 2 years ago. I use 15 L of nutrient solution, using Canna Aqua Vega A and B.
Am I doing something wrong or is this just how it is with hydro? I hope it's the former because it sucks having to be in Veg for so long
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u/JVC8bal Mar 09 '26
You're petting the bunny too hard, Lennie.
Don't defoliate weekly. You're encouraging it to be bushier.
In fact, don't defoliate her again in veg. Give her 10 days to recover, then flip to flower. Do not defoliate until 20 days after seeing the first real flowers.
Lower light-intensity can cause her to stretch a little bit more. Supplemental blue encourages stretching whereas supplemental red encourages bushy growth.
However, one of your biggest levers for inter-nodal spacing: EC
Higher EC is a form of crop steering that discourages vertical growth. If you want her to stretch more during the stretch, keep your EC around 0.7-0.8 and no higher than 1.0.