2x4 environment issues leading to hermies

[Jaymes1]

Hi

Basic info is, this is my second grow. I am in NSW Central Coast and I have a 2x4 tent with,

• MarsPro II Cree128 LED.
• A dehumidifier inside the tent.
• A clip-on 18cm oscillating fan for circulation
• A portable AC connected to a HeaterMate thermostat-controlled power switch inside the tent
• Exhaust fan and carbon filter.
• I use Cyco Nutes in RO water.

The seeds are AK-47 from marijuanaseedshop.com. They were growing great with no signs of deficiency and am in the third week of flower. I had four plants in 10L Fabric pots but today I found that two of the plants had pollen sacs on them so pulled them out leaving only two.

I think the issue is this. There is a vicious cycle between the dehumidifier and the AC.

• I have the AC set on 25c (it comes on at 26c) and the dehumidifier is set on 68 with a 5% leeway (it comes on at 73). The humidity gets up to 80% without it.
• So, when the dehumidifier comes on, after a minute or so it starts to blow warm air, which increases the heat causing the AC to come on.
• The AC then drops the humidity down into the 50’s, but as soon as the AC turns of it doesn’t take long to get back up high enough for the dehumidifier to come back on.
• Rinse repeat
• I remove all the run-off after each water to try keeping the humidity down.
• I am sure there are no light leaks

I am at a loss as to what to do, if in fact it is the environment turning them hermaphrodite. Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated.

The 1st three pics below show the plants yesterday before I culled the hermies. The other two are the AC and inside set-up.

 

[Kingrow1]

Stop trying to adjust tent environment and focys on the room is good advice, i cant offer much else but dont make wind make good air exchange and circulation.

Sorry uts nothing more than the basics

 

[Jaymes1]

Stop trying to adjust tent environment and focys on the room is good advice, i cant offer much else but dont make wind make good air exchange and circulation.

Sorry uts nothing more than the basics

If your suggesting that I focus on the room that the tent is in, then that isn't an option. I would have to get an AC for that room and it isn't in the budget since portable AC's chew too much power and a Split system is too expensive. Also They have plenty of air exchange via the exhaust fan.

 

[Kingrow1]

You cant create a micro climate in a tent with a big exhaust strapoed to it and you will need to control the room not the tent as thats how it works.

My tent is linked to the climate it is in and theres no way round that

If your suggesting that I focus on the room that the tent is in, then that isn't an option. I would have to get an AC for that room and it isn't in the budget since portable AC's chew too much power and a Split system is too expensive. Also They have plenty of air exchange via the exhaust fan.

 

[Tangerine_]

The ball sacs on lower branches? If they are, just pluck em off and keep chugging. This occasionally happens on under-lit lower branches of seed plants. Future cuttings wont display this as they're older and acclimated to their environment.
However, if you have plants displaying intersex all the way to the top...that is a true herm and should be binned.

 

[Jaymes1]

The ball sacs on lower branches? If they are, just pluck em off and keep chugging. This occasionally happens on under-lit lower branches of seed plants. Future cuttings wont display this as they're older and acclimated to their environment.
However, if you have plants displaying intersex all the way to the top...that is a true herm and should be binned.

Yep there were sacs all the way from top to bottom. Amazing how quick they formed too.

I think (and I could be wrong) the issue was that I just had too much vegetation in such a small space, which was driving up the humidity causing the issues I originally described. With only two plants left from the original four, the humidity has stopped reaching such high figures and has stabilised at around 70ish. Thus the dehumidifier isn't working as much, which in turn means the AC isn't coming on as much.
That original environment just wasn't stable enough, with humidity constantly going from 50's to 80's and the temp from 24ish to 29ish. As I said everything is much more stable now.

I had planned on only having a small amount of main tops but the Cyco Grow-xl made them stretch way too much in veg (all it did was increase the internodal spacing). That combined with the early bloom stretch just put way too much in the limited space. No amount of tucking worked. Guess I learned something to take forward.

 

[CannaCountry]

Look at your AC and Dehu...if they have digital controls...they're lighting up your grow tent at night, even if they're green, even if it's not that bright. Ask me how I know. That's where I'd start. Secondly, as Kingrow1 mentioned, you'll need to figure out how to manage the room environment for optimal results. Good luck

 

[inDC4now]

Basic info is, this is my second grow. I am in NSW Central Coast and I have a 2x4 tent with,

• A dehumidifier inside the tent.

Stop trying to adjust tent environment

Welcome to Roll It Up @Jaymes1 and Happy New Year. Your system being in a 2x4 tent restricts what you can do and putting a dehumidifier inside is maybe one of those restrictions. Consider moving your dehumidifier outside the tent. If you need a larger unit then you need a larger unit. Instead of trying to adjust the tent environment control the "lung room."

 

[Kassiopeija]

had planned on only having a small amount of main tops but the Cyco Grow-xl made them stretch way too much in veg (all it did was increase the internodal spacing). That combined with the early bloom stretch just put way too much in the limited space. No amount of tucking worked. Guess I learned something to take forward.

You could do supercropping if colas shoot too high during the stretch. You could even do it right before transitioning in order to minimize growth of a stretchy plant.

 

[Jaymes1]

Thank you all for the info. It seems I have started with the wrong assumption that I could control the tent environment regardless of the room it is in. I will be saving to install a split system in the room now for sure.
Just to update on the grow in case anyone else finds this in a search. I have removed the dehumidifier from the tent and RH ranges from 55 to 75. The two remaining plants are in week 5 bloom and starting to fill out nicely. Temps with the AC still connected as described above, range from 27c - 23c. Which is pretty good since we have had some pretty extreme weather here this summer.

 

[Jaymes1]

Look at your AC and Dehu...if they have digital controls...they're lighting up your grow tent at night, even if they're green, even if it's not that bright. Ask me how I know. That's where I'd start. Secondly, as Kingrow1 mentioned, you'll need to figure out how to manage the room environment for optimal results. Good luck

Everything inside the tent that has lights have been covered with duct tape. I am certain that light leak isn't an issue, but thanks for the comment.