A question of light ... and lack thereof.

We all understand the importance of ensuring our grow rooms and grow tents are free of light leaks, right?
We know that even the tiniest volume of light will be enough to stress out our plants to such a degree that they'll spontaneously take on characteristics of both genders and consequently ruin the crop. We all know this right?

So here's my question. If we need to ensure our grow rooms are so dark, we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces ... how on earth to outdoor growers get away with it? Honestly, with all the light pollution around, why do outdoor crops remain unaffected? Streetlights, traffic lights, star light, moon light, city lights, campfires and even goddamn fireflies throw light at night ... and yet outdoor crops remain good as gold.

Why am I taping over my timers led indicator, when the goddamn moon isn't enough to freak out my plants?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Peace.

When grown in an environment they become adjusted to it. They always have a light source of some kind outdoors, although weak at times. Indoors they usually see no light during the dark period, if that gets changed so they start seeing light after being acclimated to total darkness, it can trigger a response. I've run full cycles with light leaks in my tents without issues, because they were there the whole time.

It takes a certain amount of light overt a set time to mess with the flowering hormones, unless you have major light leaks, a few pinholes shouldn't be an issue.

ALittleBumbleBee said:

We all understand the importance of ensuring our grow rooms and grow tents are free of light leaks, right?
We know that even the tiniest volume of light will be enough to stress out our plants to such a degree that they'll spontaneously take on characteristics of both genders and consequently ruin the crop. We all know this right?

So here's my question. If we need to ensure our grow rooms are so dark, we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces ... how on earth to outdoor growers get away with it? Honestly, with all the light pollution around, why do outdoor crops remain unaffected? Streetlights, traffic lights, star light, moon light, city lights, campfires and even goddamn fireflies throw light at night ... and yet outdoor crops remain good as gold.

Why am I taping over my timers led indicator, when the goddamn moon isn't enough to freak out my plants?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Peace.

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A lot of people talk a lot of stuff like it's fact but you don't often see it backed up with credible evidence. What I am getting at is some people say it matters, some say it does not. Why gamble?.

Question. .........does the green light on an led count as damagable light........i have a ballast in my flower room that has a built in(green)led timer.....surly if it would do damage they would document that on the box......

What about growing autos or feminized? How would light in the dark period affect them? Autos I don't think it would matter, but what about feminized? I grow both 18/6 until autos are done, about 80 days then 12/12 but I don't have any light leaks.

G

Greenhouse;save said:

Question. .........does the green light on an led count as damagable light........i have a ballast in my flower room that has a built in(green)led timer.....surly if it would do damage they would document that on the box......

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Green is safe...ish.
Plants don't absorb green spectrum light so it's not likely to do any damage

Flowki said:

Why gamble?.

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Exactly!
Lots of rules we learn about growing are a one rule for all kind of thing. Its playing it safe to minimise risks. We all have different climates, strains, soils, nutrients, water, air quality ect...
Just because lots of strains can take a light leak or ten doesn't mean every strain can.
Just because one plant grew great in really high humidity doesn't mean every plant will.

plant do use green light but can handle a small amount of light at night

It's the internet, zero qualifications are needed to post information good or bad. Follow advice without research at your own risk.

Good questions.. I'll throw in my 2 cents, but I can't really provide any answers.

I've seen outdoor grows where the grower just hangs a few CFL's to extend the veg period and keep the plants from flowering.
I've also had plants take forever to flower and I have concluded it was likely lights from my timers etc, in small areas.

I'll go out on a limb and guess it's pretty dark in my tent, but certainly not light tight. I've resorted to throwing a dark sheet over my tent to help keep light out of the zippers etc. My tent pretty much sucks, but it works..

Light from the moon and street lights is pretty diffused and as mentioned it probably has a lot to do with what the pants are used to.

There are pictures of out door plants in Jorje Cervantes book that are half flowering and half vegging from a streetlight on one side.

And the moon is only a reflection of light. It doesn't actually light up the plants the way we see it.

And about green light. A little display led or a 15 watt green cfl away from the plants will not affect photoperiod from my research but closer or more green light may.

A grower here reported that the green led (60w?)
Over his flowers stopped flower production on all the plants under it. But not the ones farther into the corners. Much brighter light than I use so YMMV.

That reminds me I have to pot up some outdoor girls. The vegetable seedling keeps me quite busy. Street light falls on one spot where I keep one, never been a problem.

Some plants like Salvia divinorum will literally bleach out and kill any parts that receive light at night.

ANC said:

That reminds me I have to pot up some outdoor girls. The vegetable seedling keeps me quite busy. Street light falls on one spot where I keep one, never been a problem.

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So what is your point? The published pictures of huge half flowering plants near a streetlight are fake?

No, I said, I've grown outdoors in a spot that gets streetlight at night. I am merely saying it isn't always a problem.

P.s. plants use green light to signal that stomata need to close, this reduces calcium uptake and transpiration.

My last two plants were grown in a cabinet that isnt even square... light leaks have to be substantial to make a plant either hermie or reveg.

Nugachino said:

My last two plants were grown in a cabinet that isnt even square... light leaks have to be substantial to make a plant either hermie or reveg.

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I keep completely dark rooms and tents. I had a hermie problem on a plant and determined a pinhole light leak at the spot was the cause. Taped over the pinhole and no more nanners appeared. And they only appeared on that plant in that location.

So I can only determine that environment and genetics come in to play here.

I grow new plants from various seeds all the time so I say. Better safe than sorry.

I've got light leaks all over the place, vents from room to room are not blocked, no led lights are blocked, my old worn light lock curtain is chocked full of little illuminated holes. I've got red, blue, yellow and green indicator lights on during lights off period full time.
My power has failed causing lights to cycle when it was supposed to be dark, once room was illuminated for three days straight while I was gone. No hermies here.
I saw a hermie, it was called Blueberry, piece of shit useless to me. I corrected the confusion in its down line only to discover it was a flavorful piece of shit to me every time. RIP Bluedingleberry

I think hermies come from hermie seeds from cross dressing hermie growers , thats all I can figure.
goofs used to push the stress levels in order to hunt for a fem seed, resulting in many confused genetics. thanks DJ

Guess im yet to come across that problem then.

No matter though, every grower knows there are products that stop sexual confusion in plants. greenhouses have used them for decades. marijuana growers should have them on their shelf to save a rare expression. I know one called Reverse, used it twice, one fan leaf application and the confusion is gone for clone after clone after clone. I treated all of my topdawgs in the clone room recently, I saw some confusion in some, not hermie, just growing on the wild side.

chemphlegm said:

I've got light leaks all over the place, vents from room to room are not blocked, no led lights are blocked, my old worn light lock curtain is chocked full of little illuminated holes. I've got red, blue, yellow and green indicator lights on during lights off period full time.
My power has failed causing lights to cycle when it was supposed to be dark, once room was illuminated for three days straight while I was gone. No hermies here.
I saw a hermie, it was called Blueberry, piece of shit useless to me. I corrected the confusion in its down line only to discover it was a flavorful piece of shit to me every time. RIP Bluedingleberry

I think hermies come from hermie seeds from cross dressing hermie growers , thats all I can figure.
goofs used to push the stress levels in order to hunt for a fem seed, resulting in many confused genetics. thanks DJ

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Chem. With all due respect. The plants that come from the plant you are named after tend to show late nanners. Some even at week 5 it starts.

In my experience with Chems, Diesels and Og type plants the most complex potent highs come from the least stable of them.

The trouble free back crossed overbred stuff is flat and boring (but still very potent sometimes) in my opinion.

I also still have never seen more than a couple hidden seeds regardless of the amount of nanners I may have picked.

It depends on what the breeders intentions are. Bringing out the awesome sativa qualities to the front also may give the finicky plants for our purpose.

Perfect example is Sannie Herijuana. Bred from the same Motorebel plant as the one the crosses I grow started with.

But Sannie's plant is years backcrossed into a stable indica hybrid. Boring. Potent. Sleepy short lived high that is no fun to me.

The herijuana- jack I grew last year came out like a Vietnamese Thai plant. Even had buds on the leaves and attached to leaf petioles. Also had 20 nanners at least by week 11. And had a trippy old school high to go with it.

Has nothing to do with Fem seed production at all. Most breeders see only $$$. They can't have a nanner show up in this mis-informed industry full of beginners who got their education on a public stoner forum.