light leak & stress to plants in veg?

amsterdam_goodies

Well-Known Member
So right now I keep my lights on 18/6. IN the past i have done 24/0 but I think I like to keep things natural for the most part...

What am I wondering is, during the 6 hour dark period, in the vegetative state can my plants be exposed to a light leak or to stress from light during these dark hours?

Also, I am not talking a substantial light source or anything, maybe me watching tv in my apt with the closet doors closed and light possibly passing under the crack on the doors sliding path; nothing like turning lights on for 2 hours then back off or anything like that. Anybody have experience with this? It's kind of important because I dont want to ruin my plants or have them hermie or something because of something as small as a tv light
 

smokeh

Well-Known Member
well since u can put ur lights on for 24/0 in veg then really theres no such thing as light leak. but i know what u mean.

if there is only a slight crack of light which isnt on the plant (under the closest doors) then ur ok. so if ur light leak is shining on the wall and not the plant then u should be ok.

can u not put some reflective sheeting on the inside of the closest doors to eliminate the leak?
 

amsterdam_goodies

Well-Known Member
I MIGHT be able to, it's pretty hard to explain without taking a picture to show you(lost my cam :( )... but yeah its like a 8 foot wall to wall closet with a track that has 2 mirror doors, 4 feet wide each, that slide left to right... I dont know if you can visualize this or not but the light leaking that I am talken about occurs at the extreme left and the extreme right where the door meets the wall... It was kind of poorly constructed by the landlord so the wood on the sliding mirror door doesnt entirely touch the wood on the wall, maybe by 1-2 cm? Then on the floor under the closet a little too...

What kind of sheeting would you recommend? I want to be weary of temps too as that has been a minor issue. I've tried to think about means of light proofing the inside but I cant figure out how to do it without obstructing the doors sliding path. For the reflective sheeting to stop light from leaking under the door it would have to hang and cover the 1-2cm crevice between the bottom of the sliding door and track it slides on...

lol hope ur nice and stoned cause i sure am ;)
 

lifesagarden

Active Member
i too had this situation from 24/0 went to 18/6 and had some light leaks here and there been runnin it this way for about 4 months now in veg with no problems
i sex my plants a couple times a week <check for hermys> make sure you have strong female signs
good luck hope this helps
 

smokeh

Well-Known Member
i think i know what u mean.

i forgot the name i have for reflective sheeting. its the cheapest stuff. black on 1 side and 80% reflective white sheeting on the other.

can u not put reflective sheeting up and let it hang over the gap a bit?

- sorry not 100% sure what u mean
 

amsterdam_goodies

Well-Known Member
ya i suppose I could, I dont know how effective that would be though... the fans would probably blow the sheeting that was hanging back and forth... i cant really tape it down because there is carpeting and idk... whtats the80% reflective called again? polymer?
 

smokeh

Well-Known Member
i think its got a few different names. i cant remember what its called. if ur looking on a grow site though they will have stuff thats 80% reflective up to 95% reflective.
 

amsterdam_goodies

Well-Known Member
i dont like to order from sites or having anything delivered to my house... last year I got a t5 delivered to me in this gigantic box that could have probably fit a human body, it was all stpaled together ha
 

Problem Child

Active Member
Thick expanding foam weatherstrip is what you need. it's got an adhesive on one side, all you do is make it "meet" the closet door, where it closes, so when closed, it fills the gap..
 
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