If we had a power outage, how long would flowering plants last?

GroErr

Well-Known Member
A very similar thing happened to me at about the same time (wk 6'ish). Lost power for a day and the girls were in darkness for 36hrs. They didn't seem to mind.

Still a good question Mateus, that has not been answered yet :bigjoint:
Yeah, I think when power is out for that long unless you have a generator that can light the room it's better to just leave them in the dark.
 

ryan1918

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I think when power is out for that long unless you have a generator that can light the room it's better to just leave them in the dark.
Because your going to risk them turning hermie, vs getting enough light to keep the cycle going even if it's only a little bit
 

Skunk Baxter

Well-Known Member
yes even if it's a few watts, that way the light cycle is never interrupted I would only do it if I was in flower
A 100 watt bulb would easily light up that size room enough to maintain the light cycle. I have shop lights with CFLs in them standing by in the grow room in case I ever need to switch to generator.
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
imo a flash light in a room that size, all it would do would be to potentially stress them more. Whatever, you have to make a decision when shit like this happens and I chose to let them stay in the dark with no interruptions until consistent power came back. To me that makes more sense than trying to provide light with flashlights - lmfao
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Because your going to risk them turning hermie, vs getting enough light to keep the cycle going even if it's only a little bit
Then they'll hermie, interrupting them or giving them too little light could potentially hermie them too. So it's a chance you take, I chose one and if they hermie within the 2 weeks they have left I'll pick a few nanners or pull them early. Next...
 

Skunk Baxter

Well-Known Member
imo a flash light in a room that size, all it would do would be to potentially stress them more. Whatever, you have to make a decision when shit like this happens and I chose to let them stay in the dark with no interruptions until consistent power came back. To me that makes more sense than trying to provide light with flashlights - lmfao
Depends on whether they were in veg or flower. If they're in veg, there's a good chance you'd kick them into bloom. If they were already in flower, interrupting the light cycle for 36 hours is much riskier than... well... whatever you're risking by lighting them with dim light; I still don't understand what kind of problems you think that would cause.
 
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Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Some years ago the power went out for a week on us due to a freak October snow storm nobody was prepared for here in the northeast USA. 7 days in the dark seemed like an eternity but when the lights came back on the plants began to look worse than they were with the lights off. All the fan leaves shriveled up & fell off but none of the plants died. They all lived but it took about a month to recover them to their former glory. Had to put them back into veg & start flower cycle all over again but they grew back stronger & yielded well because of the extra veg & training time. It is amazing how resilient plants can be with all the hell we throw at them.
Adversity is a challenge to be overcome but you'll be a better grower because of it. If nothing bad ever happens you won't learn what to do when it does. For my setup at the time which has been upgraded since a generator wouldn't have been sufficient & even I had one I would've used it to run my fridge or a small heater.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
Yeah I thought it was better to keep them in one state until I had reliable power back vs. screwing around with temp lighting. This outage was caused by a freak ice storm so I had no heat for 21 hours. If I'd had a generator I would have tried to run the furnace and freezer before giving the plants light ;)
Yea if you lose power for a week lime drysift then your kind of screwed anyways. A week in the dark is rough but I'm sure some scrawny lights would be just as bad.

A shorter time like 1-3 days I would just leave them be.
 

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
I can run a 4 4' HO T5. My 30" TV (not the 60" plasma lol), fridge, water pump, pellet stove and a few of the house lights on a 4000 peak gen. Works great!!! Saved me a few times. After 21 days in the eastern ice storm without anything but a flashlight I bought one lol.
 

saiyaneye

Well-Known Member
A 100 watt bulb would easily light up that size room enough to maintain the light cycle. I have shop lights with CFLs in them standing by in the grow room in case I ever need to switch to generator.
Seems like the best/cheapest idea. Just have a backup 250w HPS or 100-200watts of CFLs.

Maybe a lawnmower attatched to an car alternator by belts and pulleys and a few car batteries then a power inverter :p lol
I think like a 5HP lawn mower engine can use like .75-1 gallon per hour. You can control the speed of the motor too
 

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
I dont think it matters much. As long as the lights are off when they should be off. You should be able to temporarily light the room up with a few cfl's & generator, I've had to do it a few times.
Don't worry, plants outdoors dont get full sunlight every day either. Now if you run something with a history of bananna sacks then thats another story.
 

ryan1918

Well-Known Member
Then they'll hermie, interrupting them or giving them too little light could potentially hermie them too. So it's a chance you take, I chose one and if they hermie within the 2 weeks they have left I'll pick a few nanners or pull them early. Next...
no they won't they have never hermied once, they would have more chance if I left them in the dark for 3 days when the are in flower..
 
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