24/0 to 16/8 and back to 24/0

I'm on my first grow, just over 4 weeks in. It's dry in the grow room, 20% normally and 30% to 40% with my humidifier.

A few days ago I used my 10.0 UVB bulbs for the first time and I think I left them on or had them a little too close, I thnk my girls got a bit of a sun burn. Some of the leaves curled (new growth only), but no big deal, I took most of the curled leaves when I pulled clones the next day.

Today I was watering and noticed that the leaves felt very dry and alittle rough, kinda like fine sand paper. I thought I'd give them a few hours of dark for a few days so my portable A/C stops coming on soo much and allows the humidifier to make it more moist for a few hours. Maybe I'll mist them too with a little bit of nutes & molasses.

Can I go from 24/0 to 16/8 and then back to 24/0 again a few days later? Has anyone ever done it? Or do you think it can lead to problems?

Also any tips on moisturizing the leaves a bit would also be appreciated.

1 last question. When the lights go out, would 4 incandescent bulbs about 15 feet away effect the plants at all, if I used that as light to use for myself when misting.

+rep for good advice.

1 - Never change light time that fast you will cause it to hermi
2 - Never mist your leafs you will make the water act like a lens and cause hot spots and burn your plants and NEVER USE NUTES ON THE LEAVES
3 - If your worried about humid use a humid
4 - You should never let your soil dry out to much you should only water when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil is dry

TeckZero said:

1 - Never change light time that fast you will cause it to hermi
2 - Never mist your leafs you will make the water act like a lens and cause hot spots and burn your plants and NEVER USE NUTES ON THE LEAVES
3 - If your worried about humid use a humid
4 - You should never let your soil dry out to much you should only water when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil is dry

Click to expand...

1 - Thanks for the info +rep

2 - I was planning on misting right after the lights go out and the nutes give a strenth to use for feeding foliage (misting with nutes). I'd never mist with the lights on.

3 - I'm using a humidifier, but every time the portable A/C comes on it exhausts much of the humidity right out of the room. It never gets above 40% with the current set up in 24/0

4 - I usually wait till the leaves start to droop which as I understand it is my girls telling me they're thirsty. When I watered last, about 5 days ago, I let them go for another day after the leaves started to droop and I noticed a growth spurt that day.

If you changed your light cycle, how long would you wait before changing it again?

DannyGreenEyes said:

1 - Thanks for the info +rep

2 - I was planning on misting right after the lights go out and the nutes give a strenth to use for feeding foliage (misting with nutes). I'd never mist with the lights on.

3 - I'm using a humidifier, but every time the portable A/C comes on it exhausts much of the humidity right out of the room. It never gets above 40% with the current set up in 24/0

4 - I usually wait till the leaves start to droop which as I understand it is my girls telling me they're thirsty. When I watered last, about 5 days ago, I let them go for another day after the leaves started to droop and I noticed a growth spurt that day.

If you changed your light cycle, how long would you wait before changing it again?

Click to expand...

- I'd never change the veging light time but if you do I'd wait for 1 month manybe 2 if you want to see what the results are

- How big is the grow space? could you build a space for the A/C and have a intake and exit fan to help cut back on the humid that gets taken out

TeckZero said:

- I'd never change the veging light time but if you do I'd wait for 1 month manybe 2 if you want to see what the results are

- How big is the grow space? could you build a space for the A/C and have a intake and exit fan to help cut back on the humid that gets taken out

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, I'll +rep you again as soon it lets me.

You just saved me from making a mistake since I have to flower in a month max. Any suggestions on moisturizing the leaves with 30% to 40% humidity and without misting?

the room is 7' x 4' 8" with 8ft ceilings.

I'm not sure what you mean by build a space fo the A/C. I have to keep it right by the door so I can pull air from and exhaust air to the outside. The Portable A/C does both the intake & exhaust at the same time whenever it turns on, which is most of the time. This makes it dryer in the room since the humidity here is usually around 20%.

DannyGreenEyes said:

Thanks for the info, I'll +rep you again as soon it lets me.

You just saved me from making a mistake since I have to flower in a month max. Any suggestions on moisturizing the leaves with 30% to 40% humidity and without misting?

the room is 7' x 4' 8" with 8ft ceilings.

I'm not sure what you mean by build a space fo the A/C. I have to keep it right by the door so I can pull air from and exhaust air to the outside. The Portable A/C does both the intake & exhaust at the same time whenever it turns on, which is most of the time. This makes it dryer in the room since the humidity here is usually around 20%.

Click to expand...

- What kind of light(s) are you using?
- What temp is the a/c set at to keep the room at?

I've never noticed a big improvement with the misting & don't like the risk of mould so I just don't mist. As far as your lighting cycle, don't switch it around willy/nilly. It will confuse your plants to say the least
TeckZero is correct on liquid on your leaves burning under hid lighting, it does happen.
GWN

GreatwhiteNorth said:

I've never noticed a big improvement with the misting & don't like the risk of mould so I just don't mist. As far as your lighting cycle, don't switch it around willy/nilly. It will confuse your plants to say the least
TeckZero is correct on liquid on your leaves burning under hid lighting, it does happen.
GWN

Click to expand...

I dont belive in misting your plants indirect light , direct light or no light

you will help provide the right enviroment for mold to thrive and 1 mold that is a b17ch to get rid of once you've got it is powder mildew (spelling) its a air born mold that will cling onto the leafs and will slowly suffercate them

TeckZero said:

1 - Never change light time that fast you will cause it to hermi
2 - Never mist your leafs you will make the water act like a lens and cause hot spots and burn your plants and NEVER USE NUTES ON THE LEAVES
3 - If your worried about humid use a humid
4 - You should never let your soil dry out to much you should only water when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil is dry

Click to expand...

you cant make a plant go hermie before you flower it while its still vegging.
use a drop of dish soap per gallon of water to have it just roll off the leaves if you insist on misting,lol. and foliar feeding is used by many people......what is your humidity at right now? use either the lift the pot method or the top 2-3 inches dry mathod to determine watering.

I don't think it would harm, but you want to keep a steady regiment above 18. You need to gradually train the plant with the uvb, since it was exposed to UVB from the start. The grainy thick leaves, maybe due to too much N; although, I've heard that UVB may thicken and darken leaves, or it would be a characteristic of the strain. Indica characteristics maybe? Hard to tell without knowing all the conditions.

the uv light is for flowering only imo......the whole point of using it is so the plant makes more thc(its the plants sunscreen) to protect the buds.

darkdestruction420 said:

the uv light is for flowering only imo......the whole point of using it is so the plant makes more thc(its the plants sunscreen) to protect the buds.

Click to expand...

there are 3 diffrent strengths of UVB lights

2.0
5.0 and
10.0

If I do remember 2.0 is more for plants but you could use 10.0 and get realy goold THC you should do tests with each level and determin what works the best for you

TeckZero said:

- What kind of light(s) are you using?
- What temp is the a/c set at to keep the room at?

Click to expand...

I have three 400w HIDs, 1 MH and 2 HPSs.

I have the A/C set to 61, it's lowest setting, and I keep it at 80 degrees measuring under the lights at the level of the top of th pots.

I just had to raise the lights to about 21" above the plant tops because it recently went up to 51 degrees outside, where the A/C draws it's air. I raise and lower the lights according to the temp, and I turn them on and off if I have to also.

I'm currently runing 1 MH & 1 HPS and the least I've run is 1 MH

GreatwhiteNorth said:

I've never noticed a big improvement with the misting & don't like the risk of mould so I just don't mist. As far as your lighting cycle, don't switch it around willy/nilly. It will confuse your plants to say the least
TeckZero is correct on liquid on your leaves burning under hid lighting, it does happen.
GWN

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info +rep

I was only considering the misting to maily moisten the leaves and I wanted to do it with the lights off. But I can't turn the lights off, I'm going to be flowering in about a month.

With the humidity as low as it is here I don't think I have to worry too much about mildew, plus I have a fan oscillating full blast on them. They probably don't need it with the low humidity, but it also helps make the stems stronger so I don't have to LST.

darkdestruction420 said:

you cant make a plant go hermie before you flower it while its still vegging.
use a drop of dish soap per gallon of water to have it just roll off the leaves if you insist on misting,lol. and foliar feeding is used by many people......what is your humidity at right now? use either the lift the pot method or the top 2-3 inches dry mathod to determine watering.

Click to expand...

These plants are mature already so I don't want to take any chances on making them hermie.

I can't mist the plants because I can't turn the lights off.

The humidity is 20% normally and I have a humidifier that keeps it between 30% & 40%.

I think I've been watering at right around the 2-3 inch rul, or maybe even before it gets dry that deep. The top dries pretty fast due to the low humidity.

thcscreener said:

I don't think it would harm, but you want to keep a steady regiment above 18. You need to gradually train the plant with the uvb, since it was exposed to UVB from the start. The grainy thick leaves, maybe due to too much N; although, I've heard that UVB may thicken and darken leaves, or it would be a characteristic of the strain. Indica characteristics maybe? Hard to tell without knowing all the conditions.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, +rep.

Up until about a week ago I was getting minor nute burns from N and/or P. Probably and. I made a newbie mistake at the advice of a horticulturist at the local nursery. I added a little bone & blood meal to FFOF.

I had the 2 UVBs at about 21", it was the first time I was using it and I was trying to train them so I could move the UVBs closer over time. I had them on about 5 hrs. before I noticed the leaves curling which is when I turned them off of course.

I guess I have to start them out with shorter time periods and build on that first, I'll start them again in a few days. I want to put some new clones under the HIDs in a couple of days to help them get bigger a little faster.

It's not strain because I have 4 strains in there. Durban Poison, Blueberry, NY Diesel, and Opium (the strain not the opiate)

I'm pretty sure it was the UVB since that was the only thing that changed in the last few days. I just need to know how to fix it before I turn them back on.

darkdestruction420 said:

the uv light is for flowering only imo......the whole point of using it is so the plant makes more thc(its the plants sunscreen) to protect the buds.

Click to expand...

Well yeah I know what it's for, plus I want to use it to keep the mites away. Because it's soo dry here it's a constant concern, I don't even bring fruit home from the store anymore. lol

I had read that the plants tollerance will increase over time so you can move them closer. It said doing it as soon as the plants are "established" is a good idea so you can get them as close as possible as soon as flower stats. I had also read that it can help to create Tricombes before flowering even begins, which I don't beleive 100%, but want to see for myself.

TeckZero said:

there are 3 diffrent strengths of UVB lights

2.0
5.0 and
10.0

If I do remember 2.0 is more for plants but you could use 10.0 and get realy goold THC you should do tests with each level and determin what works the best for you

Click to expand...

I'm kinda stuck with 10.0 for now. I'm short on cash & not sure how good my rooting station is yet. I'll know in a couple of days when I put my first round of clones under the HIDs and see if any droop.

If I get a high rooting percentage and I don't have any problems getting $20 ea. for them, then I'll be able to spend money to do a little upgrading. But if I get a bad percentage then those plants will be going into flower early because I don't have the funds to last another 3 months and I can't work right now (long story).

DannyGreenEyes said:

I'm kinda stuck with 10.0 for now. I'm short on cash & not sure how good my rooting station is yet. I'll know in a couple of days when I put my first round of clones under the HIDs and see if any droop.

If I get a high rooting percentage and I don't have any problems getting $20 ea. for them, then I'll be able to spend money to do a little upgrading. But if I get a bad percentage then those plants will be going into flower early because I don't have the funds to last another 3 months and I can't work right now (long story).

Click to expand...

Yea.I raise , breed and sell lizards , fish and such for extra cash ontop of what I make working. TBH I'm making the money to get my grow up and going from selling lizards

After my first and bad experince with laced weed I've stoped buying from alot of people and only get from 1 or 2 people but I have chosen to start growing my own since its cheeper in the long run

TeckZero said:

Yea.I raise , breed and sell lizards , fish and such for extra cash ontop of what I make working. TBH I'm making the money to get my grow up and going from selling lizards

After my first and bad experince with laced weed I've stoped buying from alot of people and only get from 1 or 2 people but I have chosen to start growing my own since its cheeper in the long run

Click to expand...

That sound fun, raising lizards. Fish would be ok too, but unless they're piranah you can't have much fun with them. lol

Laced weed, not good. Hope it wasn't laced with anything too bad. They used to sell cheap wee in the projects of NY sprayed with bug spray so people would get a buzz.

A lot cheaper to grow your own, plus I'm sure you'll end up with better stuff. And of course safer.

BTW, does anyone know how to moisten leaves a little without turning off the lights?