Tiny plants and sideway roots

[lopSide]

I'm calling this run a bust and want to figure out where I messed up before starting over. The roots on my plants never really pushed down through the bottom of the net cup and most of them just crept out the sides and stopped there. Now the plants have decided to flower while they're still tiny, way earlier than I expected, so I'm thinking clearly I missed something important along the way. Was it a problem with how the roots were developing, or did I trigger flowering conditions too soon?
I'd really appreciate any insight so I can correct things on my next grow instead of repeating the same mistakes

 

[Kevin_Winnicot]

Side roots stalling usually means the water level or aeration wasn't quite right. If the bottom of the net cup stays too wet, roots won't chase down. They'll just hang out on the sides. Also, if your light cycle leaned short on hours, yeah that'll flip them early.

 

[wonder man]

The roots probably weren’t getting the right balance of moisture and oxygen early on and that's why they pushed out. Make sure the water level is just below the net cup so they’re encouraged to reach down, and keep the light schedule firmly in veg next time

 

[LeQuintrec8]

The roots probably weren’t getting the right balance of moisture and oxygen early on and that's why they pushed out. Make sure the water level is just below the net cup so they’re encouraged to reach down, and keep the light schedule firmly in veg next time

Thanks for the tip! I’m still pretty new to hydroponics, started a few weeks ago with some lettuce and basil in a DIY setup. I’ve been struggling with root growth, so this helps a lot. Question though, how do you tell if the roots are getting too much water vs not enough? Also, does the type of light affect root health or is it mostly about the schedule? Appreciate any advice!