# Internode

> The length of stem between two adjacent nodes; short internodes mean compact plants and tight bud stacking, long ones mean stretch.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/internode.html
- Also written: internodes, internodal spacing, internode length, node spacing
- Glossary category: Plant biology · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

An internode is the segment of stem between two nodes. Internode length is set by genetics and strongly modified by light, temperature and hormones (mainly [gibberellins](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gibberellin.md) and auxin). It is the main component of plant height.

## In practice

Growers talk about "tight internodal spacing" as a desirable trait: more nodes, more bud sites, denser [colas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cola.md). Typical indoor spacing in veg runs from about 2-5 cm (1-2 in) on compact plants to 10 cm (4 in) or more on stretchy ones.

What lengthens internodes:
- low light intensity or a lamp too far away;
- a high far-red to red ratio (shade-avoidance signal read by [phytochrome](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phytochrome.md));
- warmer days than nights ([positive DIF](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/dif.md));
- the first two to three weeks of flower, when most cultivars "[stretch](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stretch.md)" 50-200%.

What shortens them: higher [PPFD](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ppfd.md), more [blue light](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/blue-light.md), cooler days relative to nights, and training. A tall, gappy plant under a dim light is a light problem before it is a genetic one.

## Don't confuse with

- **Node**: the attachment point; the internode is the space between.
- **Stretch**: the flowering-phase surge in internode length.
- **Petiole length**: [leaf stalk](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/petiole.md) length, separate from stem spacing.

## Related terms

[Node](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/node.md), [Gibberellin](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gibberellin.md), [Phytochrome](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phytochrome.md), [Stretch](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stretch.md)

## Read more

- [Stretchy, leggy cannabis: a differential](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diagnosis/stretching.md)
- [Light spectrum: blue, red, far-red and UV, what's real](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/environment/light-spectrum.md)

## Sources

1. Taiz L, Zeiger E, Møller IM, Murphy A. 2015. Plant Physiology and Development, 6th edition. Sinauer Associates.
2. Spitzer-Rimon B, Duchin S, Bernstein N, Kamenetsky R. 2019. Architecture and florogenesis in female Cannabis sativa plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00350