how dark does it really have to be?

Dutchmast3r

Dutchmast3r

Active Member
So i got my lights set from 10am-10pm..and by 8am its light outside and its coming threw the curtains slightly and on to my tent. i mean its not a wholelotta light, i cant see anything but the outline of my plants. is tht too much light? or ok?

my option is to put a sheet over the tent but tht wud keep heat in during the day while im at work..what do ya think?



View attachment 2153511View attachment 2153512
 
What kind of tent do you have? I too am a tent grower, and have never been able to see anything from outside the tent no matter how much ambient light there is. Move your light schedule from 8 to 8. How long into flower are they?
 
Yea.. what tent do you have. If you can get light penetration through it then buy another one. I mean kind of defeats the purpose of the tent.
 
How bright is it outside on a night with a full moon ?
That's the most light you can get away with.

But its best to get it as dark as you can.

I have a sky light in my room that I covered up so it stays semi dark in my room
I run my lights at night too

Maybe you can cover up the side of your tent that's is getting hit the hardest by the sunlight coming through
 
Personally, I think too much is made about light exposure/photo-period interruption during flower. I've seen people stressing out about tiny lights from surge protectors, LED displays on timers (absurd)etc. While there is no doubt that cannabis requires about 12 hrs. of darkness to trigger the flowering response, I do believe that small amounts of ambient light have little or no effect on their end-yield or quality. A lot of speculation exists claiming that even small amounts of light causes hermaphroditic flowering but I would suggest this is more likely to be caused by unstable genetics and/or poor growing techniques or stress factors. It may be purely anecdotal but I've had numerous successful grows done in a small walk-in closet with slatted bi-fold doors. For the most part, this closet is dark during the "off" period but there is also little doubt that some ambient light gets through the slats. If I were you, I would stand in the tent after the lights are off and allow enough time for your eyes to adjust. If you are unable to see well enough to see your plants clearly it is likely to be dark enough for flower. Another alternative is to simply change the time when your lights are on (on during the day).
 
ya i cant see threw the tent from the outside. im talking if i look thru the top i can see the shadows of my plants..its a used tent i got for $40 its got mylar in it its just worn down..but the outside is tan? idk why and its breathable so minor light gets threw but its easy to cool.

i cant change the schedule because it works with my schedule so i have time to tend to them when i get home from work at 9pm.
 
Carl Spackler said:
Personally, I think too much is made about light exposure/photo-period interruption during flower. I've seen people stressing out about tiny lights from surge protectors, LED displays on timers (absurd)etc. While there is no doubt that cannabis requires about 12 hrs. of darkness to trigger the flowering response, I do believe that small amounts of ambient light have little or no effect on their end-yield or quality. A lot of speculation exists claiming that even small amounts of light causes hermaphroditic flowering but I would suggest this is more likely to be caused by unstable genetics and/or poor growing techniques or stress factors. It may be purely anecdotal but I've had numerous successful grows done in a small walk-in closet with slatted bi-fold doors. For the most part, this closet is dark during the "off" period but there is also little doubt that some ambient light gets through the slats. If I were you, I would stand in the tent after the lights are off and allow enough time for your eyes to adjust. If you are unable to see well enough to see your plants clearly it is likely to be dark enough for flower. Another alternative is to simply change the time when your lights are on (on during the day).
Click to expand...


ya like i cant tell leaf from stem but i can see the outline of the plant against the light backround.
 
KushXOJ said:
How bright is it outside on a night with a full moon ?
That's the most light you can get away with.

But its best to get it as dark as you can.

I have a sky light in my room that I covered up so it stays semi dark in my room
I run my lights at night too

Maybe you can cover up the side of your tent that's is getting hit the hardest by the sunlight coming through
Click to expand...

my bad i ment 10am-10pm..light off at night
 
Well as long as you cant see through the tent and see the light from outside the tent then it doesn't matter...but if light is getting in tent it is no good...and some plants don't mind light leaks, while it will make others hermie fast..just depends on the strain..I have tent with a couple of small light leaks, but most of my strains are unaffected by a little light, but I have one strain that I just have to block in with other plants, so they get the light coming through around the hole for the cords...that way the sensitive plant is unharmed, and the others sure don't mind...so some plants can take some light, while others just can't...or won't...It is my most sativa that can have a good deal of light during dark and still not hermie, and my super indica one that can't handle any lights...makes sense since indicas are grown in the mtns where it is darker than the tropics that sativas usually hail from...
 
I hope it is a really big not light proof tent for $300...My tent is pretty light impervious except where I had to cut other holes and am lax about fixing things, unless they are a serious problem...lol. Anyway it is pretty light proof, and it was only $70...it is cheap though..the zippers are starting to tear off at the tops..anyway I have used it for a few years, so $70 for a few years of daily use, not bad I don't guess...
 
if you can only barely see the outline of the plants even when close to them once your eyes have adjusted to the amount of light in the room
that is dark enough

when the room is totally dark you cant even see your hand or even the outline of your hand when it is an inch away from your eyes lol
once your eyes have adjusted to this level of darkness it only takes the tinest amount of light to see the outlines of things
even the light from an led on a power cord can light up a huge space in this level of darkness , your eyes will see it as lots of light
but the plants cant be hurt or interrupted by such low levels of light
the plants do not need total darkness and would never get that outside with moon light and street lighting

peace :)
 
alright cool. think im set with what i got. just didnt want a hermie. i mean its dark enough to where they showed sex within 2 days of flipping.
 
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