Really need some answers

[chongsbuddy]

I have 4 plants in a 400 watt cab.I switched the lights to12/12 to see sex,but some strains showed really late so some had lots of hairs already.I switched back to 18/6 for 2.5 weeks and then said fuck it and put them back to 12/12.They have been this way for 2.5 weeks.Buds are coming nicely,but will anything happen?Should I expect a drop in potency or yield?Also,is it really bad to open your cab once in a while when the lights are off?

 

[f0urtwenty]

my best advice would be to watch carefully for hermies.

i would leave them alone during the dark period as much as possible. you should only expose them to light during the dark if there is a security risk or extreme plant health issues. if you must, use something like a miners helmet with a small light or the least amount of light as possible.

 

[chongsbuddy]

Will a blacklight work without interupting the dark cycle?Any other types of lights you can use?

 

[touringfunkband]

I have 4 plants in a 400 watt cab.I switched the lights to12/12 to see sex,but some strains showed really late so some had lots of hairs already.I switched back to 18/6 for 2.5 weeks and then said fuck it and put them back to 12/12.They have been this way for 2.5 weeks.Buds are coming nicely,but will anything happen?Should I expect a drop in potency or yield?Also,is it really bad to open your cab once in a while when the lights are off?

I'm curious as to what the reasoning was behind switching back and forth twice between veg and flower states? Did you not think you had vegged long enough in the first place?

Good luck on all yr grows!

 

[chongsbuddy]

I grew from seed and I was sexing them.Unfortunately,Some strains showed faster than others and some were 3 weeks into bud before the other ones showed their sex.I would have had to wait months for enough new growth to clone from so thats why I did what I did.I just started new seeds from the same strains and am going to do it right this time,I have a veg chamber and a flower chamber,so Ican put the girls in the veg chamber as soon as they show their sex under a magnifying glass.I have a cloning chamber too so I can constantly rotate my crop and have my flower cab full all the time!!!!

 

[cobain420]

Watch for hermies, that's pretty much all you can do.

Cannabis is a tough plant, but it doesn't like when you mess with it's light cycles.

 

[Guest]

green light is the only proven light that wont cause hermies when lit in a growroom on a dark cycle

 

[Guest]

Ya may want to do some serious reading up.

First off I dont know why you flipped the lights on your plants just to sex them. Taking a clone and putting that in 12/12 will give you the plant's sex without messing up it's light cycle.

Second, NEVER go in there when it's dark. Ya gotta understand how these lovely plants work. When they are in total darkness (moonlight levels) there is a hormone that is released. This tells the plant the current season based on the hormone levels produced. If it hits enough (say 12hours of darkness) the hormone triggers BLOOM.

If you give the plant 6 hours of dark, open the door and light a lighter. You have just set the hormone levels back to zero and the plant will think it's summer/veg time and revert. It also shocks the plant, can cause hermi's, slows down budding, makes em smaller, etc.

Lastly - If you MUST go in there, use a greenlight as it's the only thing that wont affect the plant's hormone levels.

My suggestion - keep it dark for 24hrs and then start up the 12/12 light cycle again. Base the 12hrs on for when you will be there and able to work on the plants. This way, when it's dark time you're already done - so no reason to go back in there! That and get ready for some seeds - chances are good these will hermi due to the light level tinkering....so hopefully they're some keeper strains!

Good luck!

 

[Guest]

If you cant determine sex of a seedplant by preflowers with a good magnifying glass,put a cut under a 10/14 photoperiod.Cuts dont have to root to show sex and you usually save a few days over 12/12 with the extra two hours darkness.

 

[chongsbuddy]

Thanks for the info guys,especially klutter.I am really starting to grasp the importance of light cycles!I will watch for hermies,so far so good.Bud are actuallylooking and smelling great.One plants buds are a little smaller,but the others seem to be filling out a bit more each day!If I dont visit my cab for a day,when I check then I can always notice an increase in size.Hopefully it keeps up(knock on wood)I will post pics tomorrow.See ya!

 

[Guest]

Glad we could help ya out Chong.

Truth is, the only way I learned this was doing what you did. I used to go in with a tiny little flashlight so that I could check pH/TDS during the dark hours. It was a really dumb move but of course, 'I was different'.

After that large harvest of seeds I learned the hard way.

The reality is most of us new growers kill our plants with affection, love and way too much care. We water way too often, adjust the pH 5 times a day and constantly are monitoring everything.

After a few grows under your belt it's funny how things change. Now it only takes about 30mins to check, refill, change out nutes, trim, etc everything.... and that's about the most time I spend with the ladies. Personally, I love nothing better than skipping a couple days as it's about the only time I can really see the buds fattening up.

 

[Guest]

yes, you are so right klutter over-loving is a symptom in many of the infirmary threads. but i always check my girls at least once a day (always during the photoperiod)

 

[Guest]

It's not so much over-loving or doing too much for your plants,it's ignorance of the plants requirements and I dont mean that in a bad way,we all start ignorant and go from there.I've invested so much time and resources into giving my plants "positive attention"and its paid off magnificently!Just like a human being,a plant get enough positive love and attention IMO.I really feel sometimes I can go no further with this love affair lol but then I remind myself "only dead people stop learning".

 

[Guest]

i hear ya man, i have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on equipment and countless hours reading about this wonderful hobby and it has really paid off...i have been tokin on my first dwc harvest since monday and i am loving every second of it

 

[Guest]

May you never run out,I havent in six years..

 

[Guest]

thats my hope...to never rely on the black market to get my favorite produce

 

[Guest]

I can't tell ya how many things I've had to throw back on ebay because I realized they just were overkill.

Soilman - Right on.... it's ignorance and the funny thing we all humans do - Thinking that if we do more, give more nutes, give more water well the obvious result would be a bigger plant that is done in 4 weeks instead of the needed 8. hahah. Can't rush these ladies.

The awesome thing is when you reach the point where you can walk into a room, glance at the plants and almost instantly be able to tell which ones are good, need water, need nutes, etc. So much nicer for the grower when they form that 'bond' with what they're growing.

Ok, enough rambling...I think Chong got it. haha

 

[Guest]

thats funny you mentioned just knowing when you look...i got home from work today on lunchbreak, did my routine check of the girls and realized oh shit, its too hot under the 150 with ambient being so high today. the instant i saw them i was like water...no, temps....ahhh too hot. so i raised the 150 to let the canopy cool down a bit