Less bushy with less light???

On that note something most people do not know about boron. Boron deficiency, is the second most widespread micronutrient deficiency worldwide after zinc. It's especially common in the eastern United States and Canada. Number one symptom of boron deficiency, is dwarfism. Boron deficiency can cause significant losses in crop quality and production. It can affect a plant's vegetative and reproductive growth, resulting in: reduced fertility, death of meristem, and inhibition of cell expansion. The main symptom of boron deficiency in plants is stunted and distorted growth. This is because boron is essential for cell growth and differentiation in plants, and plants without enough boron continue to divide cells without differentiating them. Good to know.

Hmm…you want it short and stalky before flower. Light travels in straight lines (unless you're talking about it moving through curved space). Photons, which have different energy levels, lose energy any non-vacuum medium. Plants in low light environments will tend to stretch. Plants in high light environments will tend not to stretch. Plants don't stop growing because they don't want to leave a "zone" - plants will grow into a light. I'm not sure about "magic intensity" is but the light saturation point for cannabis is 800-1000µmols in a non-CO2 enhanced environment. That value varies among different strains and it varies with environmental conditions. The light compensation point for cannabis is 64µmols - below that, a cannabis leaf consumes more glucose than it generates and, if the entire plant is receiving only that level of light, it will die. If you want taller plants, you can increase your light levels or use a light that does not generate blue photons. Blue photons inhibit cell elongation which is why "veg lights" are used - they grow plants that are short and bushy. If you reduce the amount of light that you're giving your plants, plant quality and plant yield will suffer. If you want shorter plants, use a veg light which has a high percentage of blue photons. However, the more blue you use during flower, the more your diminish crop yield. Per Bugbee's research, for percentanges of blue photons between 4% and 20%, crop yield was reduced by 0.77% for every percentage of blue photons above 4%. Characteristics of cannabis plants that are not exposed to "enough" light are that they are tall (stretching for the light), they don't have a lot of leaves and branches, they have significant internodal space, and they suffer from diminished yield. Conversely, plants that have been given "high light", which Bugbee says starts at a DLI of 45 moles, tend to be more dense (more leaves and branches), are shorter, have shorter internodal space, and have superior plant quality and crop quality.

Yeah the "dense, airy buds" got me too lol. I don't think I'd lower intensity to promote stretch unless there is other signs of light damage. First, stretch happens naturally and usually quite aggressively during early flower. A plant that might appear crowded often opens up a bit post flower stretch. Secondly, as an indoor grower your most limiting factor in your grow is gonna be your grow light. It's the single most important driving factor that translates to your yield. Weakening your light will reduce yield. Train branches more horizontal to open up crowded plants or look at strains that grow taller.

Lowering light intensity can promote stretching. Adding Red light also promotes stretching, blue does the opposite.

Hi, Yes, lowering the light intensity can promote stretching in cannabis plants. Here's why: Light Intensity and Plant Growth: Cannabis plants naturally stretch towards light sources to maximize photosynthesis. When light intensity is reduced, they tend to grow taller to reach more light.   Trade-offs: While stretching can be desirable for some growers, it's important to note that lower light intensity can also lead to: Reduced Growth: Less light generally means slower growth overall. Increased Risk of Bud Rot: Stretching can create dense, airy buds that are more susceptible to mold and mildew. Good luck buddy.

Yesssssss... idk why no one ever talks about this. When your plant is in early flower in the strech less is more the plant will strech and make more nodes. There's a golden zone 2 little light and they will be lanky and not grow as many nodes trial and error. Usually I'd your gonna top your plant and try and main line or something push the light hard at 1st so you keep the plant short but yes stretching a plant out some will