Plants Drooping after 14 Hours of Light

foolsgoldroses

Active Member
Been growing in soil for a few years now but decided to go hydro and bought a flood and drain is system. 18 plants are grown in clay pebbles under 4 600watt lights. feed is at 12 and PH is kept at 5.6 rising no higher than 6. plants are now 4 weeks in veg and 13 of them are 18inch tall and look nice and healthy but the other 5 are about 10 inch tall, very thin with very few leaves, this though isn't the main problem. for the last week and a half after the lights have been on for 14 hours, within 15mins all the plants leaves droop big time. i have tried feeding plants from twice a day to 5 times a day but still the leaves droop at exactly the same time every night. can any one please put me out of my misery and explain what is going on, i never had this problem in soil, and i knew by going hydro i would probably experience a problem or two, but this has got me stumped.
 

foolsgoldroses

Active Member
the humidity was a bit on the low side, betwen 35 and 45%, so i have 2 humidifiers running constant and even turned one light off after 12 hours which got it up to 60% but this still didnt help the problem. any ides what else i could do and will the leaves drooping after 14 hours cause any damage to the plants.
 

foolsgoldroses

Active Member
the temps are at between 74 and 78. thinking of leaving 2lights on tomorrow with the humidifiers on to get the humidity up a bit more and see what happens. i am currently flooding the system 3 times a day, is this enough.
 

bubblerking

Well-Known Member
the temps are at between 74 and 78. thinking of leaving 2lights on tomorrow with the humidifiers on to get the humidity up a bit more and see what happens. i am currently flooding the system 3 times a day, is this enough.
3 times a day is fine take some pics that will save a lot of the guessing game are they all the same strain
 

foolsgoldroses

Active Member
will try and get some pics up, yeh they are all the same strain, its amazing how quick the plants droop after the 14 hours of light, you can see it happening before your eyes and takes about half hour. i am feeding canna nutes by the way.
 

sparkafire

Well-Known Member
water? You should be watering every 2 hours or less with lights on and your first should be about 15 min after the lights are on with the final about 1/2 hour before lights out.

my 2 cents
 

caddy

Well-Known Member
Same thing happens to me. I just take it as they're getting ready for the the dark. A few hours before lights out (6am - 12am) they start to sag.. by the time I check them in the morning around 7:15am after the lights were on for an hour and fifteen minutes they're perked right back up.

You and are nearly on an identical schedule as well for how long you've vegged if you're from seed.
 

foolsgoldroses

Active Member
mine are from cuttings mate not seed, what are you growing in, this is the first time in hydro for me with a iws flood and drain system with clay pebbles. when i grew in soil i had 18 plants in veg for 4 weeks and flower for between 7 and 8 weeks under 5 600 watt lights and never had any major problems and always got between 85 and 105 ounze. will be intreasted to see how i do at the end of this crop.
 

iloveit

Well-Known Member
My Blueberry plant droops quite alot during lights out & then perks back up as soon as the ligghts are switched on Im not sure why (during lights on temps @ 27C humidity is at 30-40% & during lights out temp drops to 22C humidity at 30-35%.
I was told as long as they perk up during lights on its ok.
 

caddy

Well-Known Member
mine are from cuttings mate not seed, what are you growing in, this is the first time in hydro for me with a iws flood and drain system with clay pebbles. when i grew in soil i had 18 plants in veg for 4 weeks and flower for between 7 and 8 weeks under 5 600 watt lights and never had any major problems and always got between 85 and 105 ounze. will be intreasted to see how i do at the end of this crop.
Probably wouldn't matter whether its clone or from seed. I am running an 8 site DWC 30 gal tub for the mothers. About 2 hours or so before lights out they sag slightly, 1 hour or less after lights on the next morning they're right back reaching for the light.

Soil growing is just slower. There should be the same expectations (or more) assuming everything else involved with hydroponics is met and followed and with that is a faster harvest over soil.
 
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