Too much light?

[valuablevariable]

Hi
can plants have too much light so that they get burned, not from heat, but from the light or the energy itself? All i have is 3 23 watt daylight CFLs rigged up nicely next to eachother with half of soda cans on back to reflect the light. Ive got 2 small plants no closer than 5 inches from the bulbs and they are getting burned hella bad. It shouldnt be the temperature itself in the box because its being ventilated nicely. So, even though i dont have huge wattage, could the plant be burned because of too much light?

 

[Doctor]

rule of thumb...... you can NEVA have to much light. im guessing theres a threshold after which the plant wont utilize tht much light... but no1s found it yet lol.

i cant see them burning at all considering ure using cfls... in fact you shud be moving the cfl up to and inch close to the plant....


i would think it to be neut burn..... flush your plant immediatly..... sounds like ure over fertillizeing

Keep us posted on its progress plz m8

 

[joekikass]

I would say no with cfls but ive never used them , others might say otherwise .

 

[morp]

could be hotspot burns caused by the can-reflectors. what do the burn marks look like?

 

[mogie]

The insides of the can reflectors shouldn't cause a problem. Do you ph test?

 

[mogie]

What is the temp inside the box?

 

[mogie]

Do you have an exhaust and intake for the air? Fan blowing on the plants too?

 

[babygro]

So, even though i dont have huge wattage, could the plant be burned because of too much light?

It's possible, but unlikely in your situation, low wattage cfl's simply dont' put out enough light intensity to harm plants, particularly not at 5 inches distance. However, as someone else mentioned, the can reflectors may well be creating hotspots and focusing the light in one area for long periods of time which may well burn the plants. It's a bit like the way a magnifying glass can focus light energy into a hot spot.

I'd remove the can reflectors and see if the situation improves.

 

[babygro]

rule of thumb...... you can NEVA have to much light. im guessing theres a threshold after which the plant wont utilize tht much light... but no1s found it yet lol.

On the contrary, if you actually observe and watch your plants you'll see them show you when they've had sufficient light. Their fan leaves drop down almost into a pyramid shape so they don't catch so much light, this usually happens in vegetative growth at the end of the lights on period and when they're getting close to needing a watering. It's not wilt or droop, it's a deliberate action by the plant to reduce the amount of light it's receiving.

 

[valuablevariable]

I dont fertilize the plants so thats not the problem, it seems like all the leavey are evenly wilting so i dunno if thats what a hot spot from the cans would look like. Like i said this wasnt a problem untill i added the 3rd light and closed off the box some more. Last nihgt i left the door to it open though so enough air gets in and they look even worse today. Ive watered them, dont think i over watered them, so id also say thats not it. Gd'damn

 

[mogie]

Ph testing is far more important. As is the temp of your grow area. Proper venting is also important. The reflector issue is way down the ladder you have items that need to be taken care of asap.

The inside of the can is coated with a thin plastic layer that dramatically reduces the chances of hot spots. If they were lined with foil hot spots would be a possibility. Besides we are talking about cfl's reflecting light not hid's.

 

[babygro]

Ph testing is far more important.

Only if he's growing in hydro, in soil ph is not critical, unless the quality of his irrigation water is so out of whack that it needs to be ph adjusted - which is very rare.

I've said it on here time and time again, soil buffers ph, the thousands and thousands of micro-organisms, microbes and friendly bacteria commonly referred to as the 'micro-herd' help to keep ph at an optimum level for plant growth - they work symbiotically with the plant root zone in breaking down fertiliser into a soluble chelated nutrient form ready for uptake by the plants roots. The micro herd doesn't exist in hydro - hence the much more critical factor of ph.

There's an outside chance his irrigation water is out of whack ph wise, but thats not the first area I'd be looking in.

 

[videoman40]

Yeah, 69 watts of lighting within a nicely ventilated area, as you stated, & 5 inches away too, is not the problem. I think it's just a fluke that it happened as you added your 3rd light, keep looking.
As Mogie already asked, do you test your ph?

 

[videoman40]

I understand your position baby, and although, we all have our own beliefs, ph is critical. You have no idea what his water source is, or what he's using for soil yet, so a blanket statement like that is not a good idea. A difference of 1 may not seem like a big deal to you, but the pH scale is logarithmic so a change of 1.0 reflects a tenfold change in acidity/alkalinity (eg 5 is 10 times more acidic than 6, and 6 is 10 times more alkaline than 5).
Check your ph dude.
Peace

 

[babygro]

I understand your position baby, and although, we all have our own beliefs, ph is critical. You have no idea what his water source is, or what he's using for soil yet, so a blanket statement like that is not a good idea. A difference of 1 may not seem like a big deal to you, but the pH scale is logarithmic so a change of 1.0 reflects a tenfold change in acidity/alkalinity (eg 5 is 10 times more acidic than 6, and 6 is 10 times more alkaline than 5).

Please don't lecture me about the importance of ph or how it works - I'm fully aware of it all and then some, I just don't put as much importance on it in soil as you Americans appear to.

For me, people pointing at ph is an admission they don't really have a clue what the problem is and far more often than not the problem has nothing to do with ph.

Yes I don't know what his water source is or it's ph or what soil he might be using, and you have no idea what part of the plant is being affected or how it's being affected - there's quite a few variables here we don't know - so we use a 'best guess' as to what might be causing the problem and in my opinion it has nothing whatsoever to do with ph.

You people contantly tell others to go and buy expensive ph test kits when the majority of the time whatever the problem is has nothing to do with ph and personally I not only think that's wrong - but a waste of money.

 

[videoman40]

I am not going to engage in an argument with you baby, I was not lecturing you at all, and I have no idea why you would insinuate such a thing, other than to hear yourself talk. Usually you do present some valid points, but today you havent. In fact you got off subject more than once in this thread.
Suggesting to check PH is simply part of the basics. Start at the beginning before you jump was all I was trying to impart to this poster.
Peace

 

[valuablevariable]

I am in europe and using water from the faucet. This is some of the cleanest mountain water there is so it should be alright. Im not just ready yet to go and buy a ph tester because it would be a big coincident if the ph happened to change that much after installing the light.

 

[videoman40]

I've heard that about your water somewhere before, perhaps you can post a picture, if you need more help. That would be helpful.
Peace

I am in europe and using water from the faucet. This is some of the cleanest mountain water there is so it should be alright. Im not just ready yet to go and buy a ph tester because it would be a big coincident if the ph happened to change that much after installing the light.

 

[babygro]

Usually you do present some valid points, but today you havent. In fact you got off subject more than once in this thread.[/COLOR]
Suggesting to check PH is simply part of the basics. Start at the beginning before you jump was all I was trying to impart to this poster.

Oh today I haven't made a valid point? Who are you to decide what's valid and whats not? You're getting a bit too big for your own boots pal.

You're suggesting starting at ph - because basically you haven't got the slightest clue what might be causing the problem - effectively, you're guessing.

If the original poster hadn't have asked if light could be burning his plant, your guesswork might even be on the right track, but if he's concerned about his lights, it's a reasonable assumption to make that whatever the problem is - is happening at the top of the plant, where new growth occurs. Common nutrient deficiencies/toxicities caused by out of whack ph usually show at the bottom of the plant first (although there are of cource rare exceptions) hence my reasoned opinion that it is not ph related - but light related.

I know you have direct practical experience of out of range ph affecting your plants, but it's wrong to assume everyone's daft enough to flush or water their plants with totally unsuitable irrigation water.

 

[morp]

post some pictures valuablevariable. maybe something to do with venting. also, what soil are you using? some soils have time-release nutrients which the plant absorbs when you water. ive heard miracle grow soils of this form can caus nute burn without any additional additves..

xx