Shift the light schedule or extend the "night" in bloom?

[Loowern]

Hello everybody, hope y'all having a good day today!

This is my first grow and I come against a bit of a hurdle, I am supposed to have a family friend overnight in about a month, and that is ~1-2weeks from harvest.

The problem is that I need to have my closet door open to let some fresh air in to the grow, at least when the light is on.

I can't make any holes in the closet because it's built in the wall and I only rent the apartment.

My grow wakes up at 8PM and goes to sleep at 8AM. My friend is arriving at 11PM and will leave around 12 hours later.

So as far as my thoughts go, I will either have to extend that one night to about 30 hours or slowly shift the light schedule to 11AM-11PM, like 30min a day or something.

Which is the best way forward for plants in bloom?

I'm leaning towards the 30 hour night because the 8PM-8AM light schedule is way better when it comes to my and my plants safety. But how will that effect the plants 1-2weeks from harvest?

Any thoughts about my problem will be greatly appreciated!

 

[crisscross]

I faced the same problem in early bloom. My experienced grower friend told me that plants are tough and just move the timer. In her experience timers screw up often and sometimes go unnoticed for days--even weeks before someone even notices.

I think if you moved it 30 minutes each day the plant would barely if at all notice. Also if you just went dark for 30 hours it shouldn't be an issue either.

Think about it: bulbs and ballasts are bound to eventually fail and when do you notice they fail? when they are on--and when they are needed. Sometimes the plants have to receive less than perfect conditions. It's part of life.

That being said there was no scientific study supporting this hypothesis but in my recent experience and in my friends's experience we have seen no problem. Good luck.

 

[Loowern]

Thanks alot for the fast reply!

I feel my worries just melting away

Forgot to mention that one of the two strains I grow are quite hermie prone (WWxBB from FMS) and that made me more worried then I apparently have to be.

So a 30 hour period of night it is, if not anybody else have any objections about that?

 

[DirtyCarpet]

Just my opinion: As I understand it, the plants respond to the hours of darkness and respond hormonally, so (as much as possible) you try to keep a steady "lights out" schedule. Conversely, the plants don't "count" the daylight hours, they just use the light to grow.-Did you ever notice how long it takes a plant to re-veg from a flowering plant? I imagine you could just have a long "lights-on" period one time until your dark period coincides with your foaf's visit (maybe adding an hour or so on each side of darkness, just to be safe). For example, the day before the visit lights-on is at 8pm. When 8am, leave the lights on still, until maybe 10pm (a 26 hour "day"). Lights out at ten, your pal arrives at eleven, and leaves at eleven the following morning (13 hours dark). Then I would turn the lights on for another long day, on at 11am until 8am the following morning. Lights out 8am, back on at 8pm=back on schedule.

 

[Hammerhead]

If your in flower and the lights need a time change its always better to leave them in the dark longer then in the light.

 

[DirtyCarpet]

Hammerhead, please explain why. I may be misguided and seek understanding. Peace.

 

[Hammerhead]

what would you like to know?? Extending the light period will stress the plant more then the dark period IME. When ever I need to change my schedule its always done at night meaning I extend the dark period longer until the new on time arrives. We also know that most if not all of the growing is done at night. If your plants are in flower changing the light period to longer on times could stress the plant and cause recessive traits to show like Nanners..

 

[Loowern]

Thanks for the feedback DirtyCarpet and Hammerhead !

I have always been under the impression that light off for a longer time just makes the plant mature faster, is that correct?

Thanks again!

 

[Hammerhead]

what do you want to know???? Plants dont mature faster with longer periods of dark. They do grow more in the dark but you need to have enough Photosynthesis going on. When the lights are on they build up and store energy. Lights out they use this energy to grow. Long periods of dark are not good. What I mean is days with no light is not good more then 48 hrs. No stored up energy no grow. letting your girls stay in the dark for 24hrs is ok. If I had to choose from 24hrs of light or 24hrs of dark well you know what I would do. Hope that helps

 

[DirtyCarpet]

I was led to believe that the 12/12 light cycle brought about a sexual hormone release in the plant which prompted the plant to bud. When the hormone reached a certain level, the plant would respond by switching growth patterns and begin to flower. I don't understand how longer days in flowering would stress the plants so long as other environmental variables were kept in check, and the night period continued to be long enough to keep said hormones at an appropriate level to continue flowering.

 

[Hammerhead]

yes the dark period makes these hormones. They keep building up until you see flowers. We have seen many I do mean many plants get naners from failed timers leaving the light on. There is no data that shows the same when the timer failed in the off position.

 

[dramamine]

Lengthening the light cycles in flower can cause the plant to think it's time to veg again. At a certain point, depending on the strain, it will revert back. Just as hormones are released to commence flowering, hormones can be released to go back to veg growth. You don't want that. Hence, Hammerhead recommending lengthening the dark cycle as the lesser evil.

 

[Hammerhead]

that is correct

 

[DirtyCarpet]

Diggit. Thanks!

 

[Loowern]

Thank you all for posting and helping me decide!

Hammerhead - I was thinking along those lines because I have read that some growers tend to put their plants under 24-48 hours of darkness right before harvest. I thought this was because the plants matured faster/better (?) in darkness.

Is there any merit to this or is it's just a "waste of time" ?

 

[Hammerhead]

I have done that a few times. Some people say it does im not sold yet.

 

[Yaxo]

Stick just one CFL in there so you don't have to vent because of heat. You sure will loose some energy from photosynthesis but atleast your cycle will be in place.

 

[Snoopster]

Holes are easily fixed with a bit of screen, spackle and some paint.

 

[Leroy Brown]

Don't go 30 hr's though, that's just crazy. At least give 'em a 3 hr day and unplug it right before arrival. But then yeah, continue on.

 

[Rambro]

just leave em in the dark. outdoors plants do fine and sometimes they go multiple days with barely any sun when its cloudy or storming.