Half my room is hermie-ing!

[frikn squirrel]

So here's the deal:

4 weeks flowering. 2x 1000watt HPS lights in air-cooled hoods in a 4x8 tent. 8 plants total, 4 under each light in 7 gallon soil bags.

All 4 of the plants under one light have bananas appearing on the top buds. None of the plants under the other light have any bananas.

I am tending to one of the lights, and a flatmate is tending to the other.

Does rule out light leak/environmental issues as the cause of the hermies? We are feeding different nutrient regimes, and have done different amounts of pruning/training/defoliating. In my opinion, it must be the effects of an incorrect nutrient regime or overzealous plant manipulation, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything.

So what do you think?

 

[vertigo0007]

How close to the light is the 1 thats herming? Are there any power strips or powered items of any kind in the room? The little lights on electrical u its can cause problems.

 

[frikn squirrel]

Yes haha, I learned my lesson the hard way about those power strip lights! I have a few layers of tape over the little electrical lights for the timers and power strips.

Just measured the light distance and it is 22" away on both lights. No signs of heat stress on any of the leaves, and the canopy temp is about 76f

 

[frikn squirrel]

Anybody have any thoughts?

 

[michaelswines]

Just curious what you meant by 'learned my lesson the hard way', has this problem happen to you before? If so, maybe there is some residual pollen in the room. In my experience, herms seem to come from two main areas, light leaks and genetics. Good luck.

 

[frikn squirrel]

I meant that in the past I had a grow botched because I did not consider the red lights on power strips... so I am super thorough about checking for that.

This is the first run in the new room, so I don't think there is any residual pollen.

Since the same strains are grown under each light, that rules out genetics. I've also ran the strain before without issue.

That leaves light leaks.... Ive sat in the tent for 15 minutes before and haven't seen any light. Its also bizarre that only half of the room is affected...

 

[BasementGrower]

u got diff strains or all one strain? if he is over pruning. that causes stress... tons of shit causes stress.. i say either have him cut his losses early.. or move ur shit or ur going to have tons of seed.

 

[TGT]

We're both tents purchased at the same time, place, model". Never heard of off gassing causing hermi's, but your case is unique. If all other possibilities are ruled out, then I would suspect it has hermi producing genetics and your over zealous pruning possibly caused it. Then again, it could be something we missed.

TGT

 

[wildgrow]

I still have to go with light leaks. Are the lights setup daisy chain fashion? Is the hermie side under the light closest to the exhaust fan? Sit in there again and look up. Maybe there is a tiny bit of light is coming in that way. Other than that, Im shrugging.

Hope you get it ironed out. Pull those herms before the whole closet goes to shit.

 

[Cali MedPatient]

My friend had an ongoing problem with herming, and getting seeds in all his buds. Different strains, at his house and his girlfriends. He's an accomplished grower, not a noob at all. He was using the H&G line, feeding up to 1600 ppms in potting soil, and pruning heavily even in flower. He eventually switched nutes, backed off on the ppms and hasn't seen any herms in a while. Just something to consider. Tell us more about what you are doing, what nutes you are using, what pruning methods etc.

 

[Hammerhead]

what strain is this ??? there are a few things that can cause naners... I just pulled a few naners off my SSK. This strain is known to do this at the bottom of the stem. I had a small cluster on one branch. after I removed it all seems fine..

Heat
Humidity
Light leaks and intensity
To much Nutrients
Bugs
Pathogens
over/under watering
Genetics...
Stress

 

[irobot sd]

Well if I read this correctly, you are tending one side and another person is tending the other (hermie) side? For starters lets explore this. I will ignore the obvious question "why?"
Are you present when he is mixing, ph, feeding? This seems like a careless scenario that could be fixed. He may or may not be fit for the job. You usually dont see 2 men grilling bbq chicken on a grill. If one thigh is perfect and another is pink & bloody its plain to see the route to take. Not being a dick just saying. I dont F around with my food certainly dont with tree.
For your problem (it may be too late this round) closely monitor his ppm,ec,ph. Also what strain is it? From clone or seed?

 

[frikn squirrel]

We are both running the same strains. The champaign is hermying the most bananas, the white widow has a few but hasn't progressed worse.

Both lights are in one tent, and we've used it before without issue - I don't think it is offgassing.

Yes, the lights are setup in daisy chain fashion. Thanks for the suggestion. We both sat in there again for 15 minutes with the lights off and didn't see any light sneaking in underneath the closer hood. The tent is in a room that stays very dark 24/7 (basement with no windows).

I don't see signs of severe overfeeding. The leaf tips are not burnt, there aren't many leaves curling down/up. If anything, the plants that are hermie-ing look HUNGRY - lighter color, smaller buds, less vigor, fan leaves dying. They have been feed compost teas made of guanos and worm castings (and some cal/mag+).

The half that is hermie-ing has been defoliated and pruned more aggressively in flowering. I suspect this is was the cause?


More importantly: what is the recourse now? There is still 3 weeks left. If all of the bananas are picked ,does that minimize the chance of seeded bud? We are about to turn on the other half of the tent (2 more lights) and throw some more plants in. Or do the hermie plants need to be pulled immediately to prevent an entirely seeded harvest of old plants and new plants

 

[Hammerhead]

whom is the breeder..it sounds like the recessive trait is showing. Not all plants will be the same even within the same strain. I have grown plants that ran fine run after run then 1 would show some nanners. This plants was just very sensitive to its environment. Im running SSK from BOG I found a nanner cluster at the bottom of 1 branch. I picked it off so far no more are showing. The genetics your running could be sensattive not much you can do about it... When I had a plant that was real good and started to namerI was on naner patrol until done. You have 3 choices. Pick them off until you harvest,Cull them, Do nothing let them finish as is. I would go with #1 if the plants are worth keeping.

 

[Canniwhatsis]

I would wager the guess of it being the over pruning in flower on the one flat.


Personally I do not buy into pinprick light leaks causing hermies, nor red lights. Perhaps I've just been gifted to have genetics that weren't prone light sensitivity,.... perhaps it's BS, and most likely,.... I still have more to learn.


One thing I have noticed is the less stress you put on a plant, the happier you keep it,.... the better the yield, and quality of the finished product.

 

[weeddaddy50]

Since its only a few plants....just pick them off and see what happens....I have been through it all.....hermi...light leaks....timers getting hit....check that....had a problem with a person helping me, they hit a timer and had a light comming on for 15 minutes right in the middle of the dark period...also geneics are a culprit....have a larry OG strain that will through nanners once in a while...usually it stress and high PPM will do it.....good luck.

 

[lovekush®]

So here's the deal:

4 weeks flowering. 2x 1000watt HPS lights in air-cooled hoods in a 4x8 tent. 8 plants total, 4 under each light in 7 gallon soil bags.

All 4 of the plants under one light have bananas appearing on the top buds. None of the plants under the other light have any bananas.

I am tending to one of the lights, and a flatmate is tending to the other.

Does rule out light leak/environmental issues as the cause of the hermies? We are feeding different nutrient regimes, and have done different amounts of pruning/training/defoliating. In my opinion, it must be the effects of an incorrect nutrient regime or overzealous plant manipulation, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything.

So what do you think?

heat stress in vegetative creates hermes. low humidity, low nitrogen, high potassium levels in vegetative can give these problems on plants grown from seed.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

Have you tried the Cervantes test ? Stick your hand out level with the top bud and see if it gets too hot ?

Even if one light is just 3" nearer than the other, it could have pushed the bud over it's temps limit and cooked her into producing hermies.

Tiny amounts of light are not the source, you do not need total darkness, at night outdoors the light levels vary massively, moonlight is frequently so strong you get a clear shadow..