Light Leaks Question

Some that I can not get straight in my minds is "Why the absolute darkness when flowering?" Grow rooms are supposed to imitate nature but night time is not completely dark. There's the moon, street lights, car lights. and just plain ambient light, and a multitude of other light sources, yet the plants seem to manage without going hermi. Why does the slightest light leak mess up the plants in a tent?

DancesWithWeeds said:

Some that I can not get straight in my minds is "Why the absolute darkness when flowering?" Grow rooms are supposed to imitate nature but night time is not completely dark. There's the moon, street lights, car lights. and just plain ambient light, and a multitude of other light sources, yet the plants seem to manage without going hermi. Why does the slightest light leak mess up the plants in a tent?

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I think the short answer is that in a tent indoors with a controlled climate, plants get a little soft and content with their conditions. So a little bit of stress really flusters them into nanners

TCH said:

I think the short answer is that in a tent indoors with a controlled climate, plants get a little soft and content with their conditions. So a little bit of stress really flusters them into nanners

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I'm also wondering, since all cannabis contains the hermaphrodite genes if a plant herms in the wilderness and no one sees it, did it really?

I think it's genetic more than anything. I'm not saying you should allow light leaks, but some plants don't seem to care much, and others throw nanners if you look at them funny.

Light leaks are 90% just an excuse people use when the genetics they are growing decide to herm, or they have stressed the shit out of the plant another way and don’t want to take the blame.

Plants do not need absolute darkness, as proven by nature and many growers like myself that have grown for years without total dark. I used to have constant ambient light in my last grow because I had to leave the bottom of the room open to get air flow. You could see just like a full moon night inside. The Key was it was never direct light or strong enough to initiate photosynthesis.

Along with my own tests I’ve seen others put small leds into their grows to try to keep the plants vegging without using more electricity. the result was even with the low wattage leds the plants still began to flower like usual.

What they need is an absence of “useable light”. That is why the full moon, a car or street lamp(from a distance) doesn’t affect them. None of those light sources produce enough consistent useable light to cause the plant to “wake up” and photosynthesize.

On the flip side if you have plants close enough to that street lamp or even a security light in the yard it might mess with the plant and cause it to herm or even reveg.

TCH said:

I think the short answer is that in a tent indoors with a controlled climate, plants get a little soft and content with their conditions. So a little bit of stress really flusters them into nanners

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That's a bit of what I thought. What do you think would happen if there was a controlled light leak from day 1? I'm talking about just enough to break the dark so that it's more the natural amount of light.

DancesWithWeeds said:

That's a bit of what I thought. What do you think would happen if there was a controlled light leak from day 1? I'm talking about just enough to break the dark so that it's more the natural amount of light.

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did you bother to read my post I specifically addressed that question.

Thundercat said:

did you bother to read my post I specifically addressed that question.

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Yes I did. And thanks, I appreciate what you wrote. That's really about what I thought. Sorry I didn't answer yours right off. I had started my post and stopped to go to dinner. By the time got back and hit the post button yours was already up.

This was just a point of curiosity. I probably won't even use my grow room except for starting plants for outdoors. But I do want it ready if I need it. I know that some light leaks in around the door but that can be fixed. I am interested in the nightlight you used. Also, I'd think that the color would be important.

Sorry if I came off short, I didn’t mean to. Im working on getting a new job and haven’t smoked in 3days and I’m definitely a little edgy.

Thundercat said:

Sorry if I came off short, I didn’t mean to. Im working on getting a new job and haven’t smoked in 3days and I’m definitely a little edgy.

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Ouch, that sucks, but congrats on the new job. All my best.

How Dark is Dark Enough? Darkness level requirements for plants with Dr. Bruce Bugbee

I want to thank everyone for your answers. That was something that didn't really make sense to me. I am debating on starting up the grow room again. I would like to try indoors with a little light, as in the video, and high stress training instead of LST.

I am thinking about one more grow in the grow room. If I do it will be to try to imitate the outside. That would be one large pot, maybe 25 gal, with amended native soil, the same nutes I use for outside, a little nite light, and HST. If it works, good. If not it really doesn't matter because I have a fair stash and don't need it. It just appears to me that taking a strong outdoor plant and babying it weakens it.

People make to big of a deal out of light leaks. Its wack genetics or bad growing that causes hermies. I have my veg room next to my tent and I know I have some light leaks and probably a Lil star field inside if I looked too. No problems from it. I of course care and try 2 minimize the issue, I know its not perfect and I have no issues

Thundercat said:

Sorry if I came off short, I didn’t mean to. Im working on getting a new job and haven’t smoked in 3days and I’m definitely a little edgy.

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I hope you get the job, or got it. what kind of work do you do?

MedicinalMyA$$ said:

How Dark is Dark Enough? Darkness level requirements for plants with Dr. Bruce Bugbee

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That's a good video. It calls for watching at least a couple of times. Had to keep the volume down because Ms DWW is still asleep. Between that and @Thundercat 's explanation, and others, I got my answer.

DancesWithWeeds said:

I hope you get the job, or got it. what kind of work do you do?

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I've done a variety of things over the years. Most recently I was production manager on a mushroom farm. Unfortunately, my sales team wasn't cutting it and the mushroom market has taken some big hits just like the weed market and the farm shut down. I have been blowing glass the last 9ish years. I did retail management for several years until I had a motorcycle wreck.

Currently, I'm really lost and don't know what I'm gonna do next. I quit smoking when I heard back from Union Pacific Railroad. I need to take the pre-hire evaluation test this weekend and hopefully, I can get in for an interview the end of next week. I've been using a toxin cleanse since I stopped smoking that is supposed to have me completely clean in 5-7 days, fingers crossed.

Thundercat said:

I've done a variety of things over the years. Most recently I was production manager on a mushroom farm. Unfortunately, my sales team wasn't cutting it and the mushroom market has taken some big hits just like the weed market and the farm shut down. I have been blowing glass the last 9ish years. I did retail management for several years until I had a motorcycle wreck.

Currently, I'm really lost and don't know what I'm gonna do next. I quit smoking when I heard back from Union Pacific Railroad. I need to take the pre-hire evaluation test this weekend and hopefully, I can get in for an interview the end of next week. I've been using a toxin cleanse since I stopped smoking that is supposed to have me completely clean in 5-7 days, fingers crossed.

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Can you order some urine tests off Amazon or the like and be sure?

curious2garden said:

Can you order some urine tests off Amazon or the like and be sure?

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I'm pretty sure I can get them locally at the same place I bought the cleanser actually. In the past I've always taken clean piss or used a short term masking flush, but I was never trying to get a realyl good job. A few of the jobs I've applied for like the railroad would be good enough jobs I figured it would be best if I actually got clean.

Thundercat said:

I'm pretty sure I can get them locally at the same place I bought the cleanser actually. In the past I've always taken clean piss or used a short term masking flush, but I was never trying to get a realyl good job. A few of the jobs I've applied for like the railroad would be good enough jobs I figured it would be best if I actually got clean.

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That's my concern. With an actual transportation job they might use DOT cut offs which are much stricter. I'd make sure I tested clear.

Damn, @Thundercat , it's a bitch to be in a situation like that. Hope you get your job. How long before you have to take your test?

If I didn't use MJ I would much rather have a pee test than a lie detector like my niece. She never smoked at all. She thinks that it was because she had been around it. That was for some local government job out in Calif.