How much/little light leaking does it take to interfere with dark cycle?

For example, is it possible that the small amount of light that is given off by a surge protector (the grounded indicator) or by a dehumidifier (digital display) is enough to disrupt the dark cycle? Do you cover these lights up?

Yes. Tape over them.

The little red leds if that what you mean shouldnt be a problem at all but any bright light even pin holes can cause hermo plants or mess with the photoperiod

cues said:

Yes. Tape over them.

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I agree just to be safe

People get way too worried about the notion of light leaks. Have you ever taken a walk at night when there is a moon and clear skies? It;s anything but pitch black, and outdoor plants do just fine if you have the correct genetics to start off with. In reality though if you bought good genetics then you should not be having to worry about hermies regardless of what you do to your plant.

tip top toker said:

People get way too worried about the notion of light leaks. Have you ever taken a walk at night when there is a moon and clear skies? It;s anything but pitch black, and outdoor plants do just fine if you have the correct genetics to start off with. In reality though if you bought good genetics then you should not be having to worry about hermies regardless of what you do to your plant.

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yey ya tip top tw@ we actually agree on sumfink!!

Anything with more lumens than a close full moon can mess with a plants photoperiod. The sun doesnt pop up for 30seconds in the middle of the night in nature

I was meaning light leaks such as opening a door for a peak during dark. Your right about street light etc but that isnt always the case ive had plants in my vege garden go from flower to veg from when id park my car the headlights would hit the plants every night. A friend had one that never flowered because of a street light on it every night (street lights are often hps like grow lights).
Hermo is a defense mechanism so the plant can try produce seed if it is in danger of not completing its natural life cycle so it would be more to the plants strength than genetics imo. Feminised seeds can be produced by fertilising a hermo plant and alot of companies used this method to produce them from what ive read, so the hermo possibility should be a natural thing in the plants genetics no matter what.

Yeah, I guess I ought to tape up those little lights just to be on the safe side. The hermie thing is definitely a concern. There is a plant that is just starting to show some preflowers, and though I have little experience, it looks to me like it might be showing both male and female parts, depending on where on the plant I look.

Is this one of the ways that a hermie will start to reveal its identity? On one inner node it looks like pistils are starting to protrude. However, spin the thing around, and on the other side of the plant, at the same level, it looks like a small ball on a stick. (Sorry, no pics right now...)

could be, ive only ever had them in the late flower stage and i just get a couple seeds which i actually dont mind at all lol. That sounds hermish tho but without pics hard to know. You can always just pick off the male bits and sometimes they stop growing

in indoors its a little different. yes, tape over any light that isnt green and do not open door during dark period.

superstoner1 said:

in indoors its a little different. yes, tape over any light that isnt green and do not open door during dark period.

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Hey superstoner, could you possibly also weigh in on the hermie issue? I know it's hard to say without pics up, but is it possible to determine if something has gone hermie when there are only a couple tiny preflowers showing? There seriously are only 3 preflowers after about 5-6 weeks, and one looks like pistils, and the other looks like a ball on a stick. They are still tiny, but still....

yeh opening the door is one thing but a few light breaks here and ther aint noffink,.,,, like my man said bak ther,,,you think out in nature its pitch black? after all nature is whatwe are trying to copy but indoors?

i have left my doors open, bump the timer and change my lighting ect ect i have never had a herm........a​nd several light leeks

Well.... I haven't done much any of those things, and think there might be a hermie still...

IC3M4L3 said:

yeh opening the door is one thing but a few light breaks here and ther aint noffink,.,,, like my man said bak ther,,,you think out in nature its pitch black? after all nature is whatwe are trying to copy but indoors?

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without man made lighting yes, the only thing natural is the stars, moon, fire and a few weird creatures with their own lights. none of which can give enough light to change anything except fire but fire isnt an everyday thing for plants

Plants grown under artificial light are more sensitive to light leaks than outdoor plants. The reason for this is that the sun is so much brighter than any hps lamp, that by contrast to daytime, a starry night with moonlight is still dark enough for the plants to flower. Hence, they don't need nighttime to be pitch black. Indoors you can still get away with small light leaks. I had a few pinholes and a taped up glowing button on the extension cord in my tent, but no problems with hermies. Having said that, if you're growing indoors, it's always best to make it as dark as possible during the night hours.

well i run 2 600s and a 400 during flower and i have a few light leaks because my veg tent is in the same room running 18/6 so for 6 hours the light shines out the bottom vent away from my plants..3 grows all different breaders and strains never had a herm. its far from complete darkness in my room..not ideal, tho if i cud get it darker i wud..nuggets cudnt come out better unless i had co2

ppl are anal when it comes to light leaks its not huge and consistant than dont worry about..u get a herm..something else must of happen too not just a small leak

i've actually hit my timer to ON and gave my plants 48 hrs straight of light 5 weeks into flower and STILLLL not a herm

tip top toker said:

People get way too worried about the notion of light leaks. Have you ever taken a walk at night when there is a moon and clear skies? It;s anything but pitch black, and outdoor plants do just fine if you have the correct genetics to start off with. In reality though if you bought good genetics then you should not be having to worry about hermies regardless of what you do to your plant.

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Mine have always been in a room off a main room, there used to be very thick carpet under the door that seperates. I changed over to tile years ago so there is a two inch gap between the door bottom and the tile. The light leaks all the time, also I get drunk, go in there for a minute at night and forget to turn the lights off lol. Never had a damm seed, not one. I do my best but like he said nature has been doing this stuff for hundreds of years with no issues at all. Good genetics and proper care and feeding, no stress and you will be fine