Before anyone gets butt hurt, this is meant for discussion and sharing of ideas. When I first started growing, I kept reading about how important it is for your grow to be "light tight" (no light allowed in) during the period of darkness. I read all kinds of stuff that said they can hermie or it'll mess up the cycle if its not, but... When plants grow outside naturally, there is no such thing as "light tight". Both star light and moon light make it easy to see plants at night. During my 2nd and 3rd grow, I know my closet wasn't light tight, and I had no problems at all. So what do you guys think... does a room need to be light tight or is that just a thing that people repeat because they've heard a lot of other people swear by it?
I can see how if you had a perpetual this g going it could be problematic..like if a flower room is dark and if a grow light touches em I can imagine it causing stress..but if no lumens hit it I know green bulbs can be used..but say ur tent is open enuf for household lights to creep into the tent but not creating enough strength to promote growth..it shouldn't effect it
That's what I thought, but wasn't sure. I was standing outside when the idea hit me that nothing growing outside can be made light tight.
I cant see my hand in my room, but at night outside on the darkest night I still can, so I think us indoor growers are just a little over anxious about our plants, although plants use different spectrums than we see. Aside from a scientist performing this test, I don't see how any stoner can really say when so many other factors affect a outcome. Pinhole leaks are what you're talking about and not a full on gap under a door right?
Dudes, IMHO, the light leak thing is WAY overblown! I have grown for the last 15 years in the den closet with the door wide open 24/7 to lower humidity (except for the very rare occasion of the landlord actually coming over to fix something- like maybe once every 2 years ). The den window's light shines directly into the closet, plus there is a couple of CFLs lamps in the room, so there's constant "light leaks"! By modern stoner lore, I should have nothing but hermies, right? In those 15 years of growing, I have had THREE hermies! (And at least one seed (gifted) was from a known hermied-spoiled grow- her sisters were just fine, though. ) Now maybe the Ganja Goddess just loves me 'cause I'm "Granny" and has put an "anti-hermie" blessing on me. ( ) But I really think this "light leak" thing may be just an excuse for poor genetics and other sloppy gardening practices! FYI- Sex in cannabis is a sliding scale. Plants can be "pure female" and can't hermie unless hit with chemicals to create "feminized" seeds. They can have the genes to allow going hermie when stressed. They can be 50/50 and are just plain hermies no matter how nice you treat them. And there are male plants that hermie a few female flowers and the "pure males". Also ask yourself, are all outdoor plants hermies? (Of course not!) Yet the moon gets full and bright every month and shines on them! That's a pretty bright "light leak". Yes, stress CAN cause a hermie- it is an excellent survival trait in wild plants. BUT, we have been breeding for decades to REMOVE the genes that allow a plant to hermie! "Light leak" hermies (plants so fragile genetically that they will hermie from any stress) will become more and more rare as we continue to breed our cannabis to omit those "less-desirable" genes. Granny
I would say the whole light tight thing is kind of a reinforcement technique. If your grow area is light tight it ensures things will have a much more difficult time getting into your grow and possibly ruining your plants. It makes sure your plants are disconnected from the outside environment which will help to regulate temps and humidity in your grow area. The main reason however is to ensure your blooming ladies dont revert back to veg sending ur hard work down the toilet. I dont think people worry so much about hermies popping up from a lil indirect light seeping in.
Good to know you can get away with that sort of leak and have a good harvest. Like Pandamonious said though, might as well aim for light proof, that way if you come up short you'll probably have pinholes at worse.
I take my clues from mother nature. Outdoors cannabis grows just fine under weeks of near full moon light, but its' intensity is soft compared to day light
Moon and stars don't produce enough light to affect any thing moon light is reflected sun light and starlight is billions of miles away. I have minor light leaks and no I'll affect
Leaked light every grow, never stressed, never had a hermie. Small light is fine just dont wake them up they are sleeping(Roots are growin). Another stoner myth. Weak bullshit plants hermie. why? Because they are so stressed they think the end of the world is coming and they do everything in their power to stay alive. As a matter of fact does anyone have a healthy vigorous hermie photo? one with say 10 blades on the leaf or more? I doubt it. Hermie is probably not genetic. Being susceptible to hemie-ing can be.
I'd say anything over 2-3 lux is risking it. I've used a lux meter on my phone during full moon and never had it go higher than 2 lux.
That's my thinking now too. But when I first started, the whole "Light Tight" thing had me so paranoid that if the tiniest bit of light got in my whole grow would be ruined. Not stressing about it is a weight off my shoulders.
The moon and stars comment are not relevant because the light from a full moon is less than 0.02 foot candles in intensity because of the extreme distance travelled. By contrast a sixty watt light bulb is 200 more times brighter than the full moon. It is a scientific fact that flower initiation stops in short day plants when the dark cycle is interrupted by light intensities greater than 2 foot candles. Light interruption is not a factor in the vegetative stage and is not a problem. Your plants will not set flowers when interrupted by light in the flowering stage. This is evident in pictures of large plants growing outside and the neighbor keeps the nearby porch light on. The side exposed to the light stays in veg, while the dark side flowers. Light interruption does not cause hermaphroditic plants unless your plants are not stable and are already prone to hermaphroditic tendencies. The problem with light leaks is that flowering is slowed or stopped. Yes it does matter. PW
I like the grow area to be "light tight" because in the off chance someone is next to your leaky grow room and thinks you are keeping "ET" locked up in your closet. Very hard to explain.
You would have to measure your light intensity at ten feet and see if it exceeds the threshold to stop flowering. PW
Its not a cheap tent.. But I have a bit of a heat issue in it..if I close the tent it stays around 87..way to high for flowering..but if I open it and use a box fan to pull out more air it stays in the 70s..using 400bwatt hps..I also have a 4 in inline fan with carbon filter.. I exhaust into the wall..using less than a foot of ductwork..