I recently tried hydro as a side experiment. Because this was somewhat unplanned, I don't have a full nice box built, and I'm using a small closet instead. The closet is probably only 2 ft deep and maybe 4 ft wide, very small. I've been leaving the door cracked to help let some of the air circulate, but worry at night and in the morning about light leak. I'm currently running 12/12 (flowering) and the days right now with sunlight are longer than that, so the room the closet is in isn't completely dark during those times. Granted, I have the blinds down on the windows, but you still get the morning sun effect. I've resorted to placing a large section of cardboard across the bottom 2/3's of the door opening. It helps block direct light onto the plants during dawn/dusk when the grow lighting is off already. Is this light going to be a problem? What exactly happens with light leaks?
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How dark?
- Thread starter anon0988
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Yes it's going to be a big problem. You have to get your plants to complete darkness. Your plants could stretch, have airy buds to no buds, produce male flowers as well as other things. Just a little light from a power cord is enough to mess up your whole grow.
Yeah, that sounds right to me.
I would cut a hole in the ceiling, and get a duct fan to suck air in, if I were you.
Of course you would need a screen, to prevent pests from entering.
I am freaking about light leaking in around the doorcrack, I got some thickass weather stripping to seal that up.
I would cut a hole in the ceiling, and get a duct fan to suck air in, if I were you.
Of course you would need a screen, to prevent pests from entering.
I am freaking about light leaking in around the doorcrack, I got some thickass weather stripping to seal that up.
rocketman420
Member
yea snype nailed it. you don't want herms and you will get them, I did from buying a cheap shitty tent that had some tiny pin hole light leaks. what kind of light are you using? you can get cheap duct fans off ebay 240cfm for $30. I use one on my veg tent for my 600 w MH and it works great.
I don't understand how predictable daily early morning & late evening light leaks cause hermis. It's just a longer day length from the plant's perspective. It might inhibit or prevent flowering, I'm sure.
I can appreciate that other kinds of leaks might encourage hermis, particularly ones that the plant interprets as day length changes.
I can appreciate that other kinds of leaks might encourage hermis, particularly ones that the plant interprets as day length changes.
That was kind of my thoughts. In nature, the sun isn't controlled by an off/on switch, and the day fades in and fades out. According to an online resource I found, my area current gets around 14h30m per day between sunrise and sunset. Once it goes dark, the room is pitch black, however for a bit in the morning and at night when lights are off the room isn't completely pitch black. Like I said, I ended up getting a large section of cardboard and covering the bottom 2/3 of the door opening, so any light that gets in the closet comes in above the hood. If the plants are so photosensitive, how does it work in nature?
Either way, after a trip to the local hydro store the other day I found they have a used low rider hood that I'm going to pick up for $75 and put to use with an extra 400w ballast I have. In order to put that to use I'm going to move it out of the closet and into an area I'm going to be preparing today.
I believe that it works in nature, b/c the relative intensity of the sun is so high, that even though there is still light, it is essentially a drop in the ocean.
This is how it has been explained to me.
I would still try and fix that light issue, as stated it might prevent flowering, with the days being too long, and I been told by veteran growers that minor flaws in the lighting schedule can lead to big flaws in yield and/or potency
This is how it has been explained to me.
I would still try and fix that light issue, as stated it might prevent flowering, with the days being too long, and I been told by veteran growers that minor flaws in the lighting schedule can lead to big flaws in yield and/or potency
It seems to me that photoperiod plants are all about the rhythm of the sun. They dance to it, and that rhythm tells them what moves to make. When the rhythm is seriously interrupted or irregular, they don't know how to act, where they are in the choreographed routine built into their genes, so they'll make mistakes.
Yeh, I know that's heavily anthropomorphic, but it gets the idea across.
I dunno that tiny pilot lights on cords or equipment really makes a difference, and I'm not going to run side by side experiments to find out for sure. I just avoid it. I'm confident, however, that light leaks in a tent in a room where people come & go, turn the room lights on & off at irregular times & intervals will do bad things.
One of the cooler things about autoflowers is that light leaks don't matter when the light is just on all the time. They dance to a different drummer. They're perfect for newbies trying to get their setup & their system dialed in, damned near foolproof. I say that as a newbie myself, considering that I hadn't grown in nearly 30 years before A64 passed.
Yeh, I know that's heavily anthropomorphic, but it gets the idea across.
I dunno that tiny pilot lights on cords or equipment really makes a difference, and I'm not going to run side by side experiments to find out for sure. I just avoid it. I'm confident, however, that light leaks in a tent in a room where people come & go, turn the room lights on & off at irregular times & intervals will do bad things.
One of the cooler things about autoflowers is that light leaks don't matter when the light is just on all the time. They dance to a different drummer. They're perfect for newbies trying to get their setup & their system dialed in, damned near foolproof. I say that as a newbie myself, considering that I hadn't grown in nearly 30 years before A64 passed.
