You are only going to get so much additional stretch out of a ruderalis hybrid, but introducing (or increasing the amount of) far-red light (IR) in veg or during early flower will stretch it:
âââWe get asked a lot about how these photobiological ratios apply to cannabis. The good news is that my laboratory has a state license to
ââstudy cannabis. So we've applied these ratios to predict cannabis growth, and they have the same value in cannabis as they do in all other
ââcrop plants. Adding far-red is both good and bad and that's why the sensors are so important. You want to add the right amount at the right
ââtime to get full advantage of it. More far-red can make cannabis plants taller. Thatâs usually bad. But it also helps expand leaves. That's
ââgood, and there's evidence it can help with slightly earlier flowering, which is another benefit. So this is emerging research.ââšâš
ââ
ââDr. Bruce Bugbee. âPredicting Stem Elongation and Leaf Expansion: Percent far-red is a better predictor than PPEâ, YouTube,
ââ
www.youtube.com/watch
â
ââ
ââ
âââIn controlled environments, Bugbee suggests applying far-red photons early in the lifecycle to help close the canopy and capture
ââall available photons, then minimizing far-red during stem elongation early in flowering to keep plants short. With that phase finished,
ââBugbee says, the last four weeks before harvest open the door to apply far-red photons again.â
ââ
âšââBruce Bugbee, âFar-Red Lighting and the Phytochromesâ, Maximum Yield,
âšââwww.maximumyield.com/far-red-lighting-and-the-phytochromes/2/17443ââ
I will be covering up the IR diodes on my light during early flower this grow. Bugbee's entire video on far-red (Far-red: The Forgotten Photons) is an easier watch than the nerdy one from the above quote.
ââ
ââDr. Bruce Bugbee. "Far-red: The Forgotten Photons, Dr. Bruce Bugbee", YouTube
ââ
www.youtube.com/watch