I'm using a Lumatek 1000w digital ballast, and when I plug it in in the morning it doesn't start up right away...I usually have to leave it in for a few minutes, unplug it, and the lights come on when I plug it back in. Which created this problem: I'm on 12/12 cycle and this morning i plugged it in at normal wake-up time, turned on the ceiling light to the adjoining room, and went back to bed. Woke up a couple hours later and the light still wasn't on. Unplug, plug it back in, and everything was good. My questions: Will the little bit of light from the ceiling light be enough to get them out of 'darkness' mode considering the lumens are MUCH less than the 1000w? Should I keep the same schedule and unplug at the normal time, making sure to get the light on at the correct time tomorrow morning? I know an erratic/not exactly 12/12 will mess with my yield like crazy.
I would just keep everything the same as it always was. There shouldn't be any negative effects, the wattage/intensity of the other lights you turned on doesn't really matter, its just the intro to light in the dark cycle in general. Ever heard of a timer? and yes, your plants can hermie if it happens alot.