Extended periods of (unwanted) dark

I have to go on out of town occasionally, and other people live in my house that cant become aware of my grow op. So, from friday morning at approx. 7am to sunday approx 5pm I would like to turn off the lights...like to is an exzaggeration... really, I almost HAVE to if I'm not going to be parinoid all weekend, but, if it is greater than 25% chance of (serious, not set backs) harm to my plants, I will leave them on, and cover them, and make the room light tight, and pray no one goes in there (it's my closet, people go in there 2-3 times a year). So, my question is will all this dark hurt my approx. 2 week old seedlings? I read somewhere that after a few weeks you can hit the plants with 24 hours of dark randomly from the 18/6 cycle, to "thicken the foilage" I believe it said. So, at this early age, will I be able to get away with it, or is it too risky?

Thanks.

 

Yeah thats a long dark period and flowering hormones WILL be starting to increase because of it but it usually takes ten days or so before you see the first flowers starting to form.
Neccessity says you have to so do it, and when you return just treat the plants as if they need revegging, ie. give them constant light or 20 hour days for a week or two.

Thats what i'd do anyway.

 

OH MY GOD! This is a catastrophy! I've returned and the plants look terrible (to me, in my little experience). I left a bright, bustling, growing, healthy, strong, robustly green garden and have come back to sagging drooping, pale, discolored, small, shriveled, foul smelling (almost an air as if of rotting vegetables/vegetation?) plants. One plant cant even hold two of its branchs (the two correspond from each other, being opposite) up and they now bend down and rest on the soil. I'm hitting them with all the light I got and can, and hopefully they'll perk back up here. Any help/suggestions/tips/advice on what to do? I've watered them recently before I left and the soil is still too moist for it to be a lack of water. Anything I can do to help correct this problem, other than blast lights and hope?

Thanks.

 

That sounds bad but things can change quickly. Could it be that you have been overwatering them generally? Let the pots dry out alot between watering (ie. Don't let the soil stay constantly wet or moist).
The paleness 'could' be due to a lack of photosynthesis for 3 days? I'm not sure about this. If the soil is WET then to be on the safe side you may as well flush the soil medium with lots of PH balanced water (check the PH of your tap water ... tap water is often fine anyway), and give a foiliar feed with a half strength solution using a spray bottle.
I wish someone else could chime in here ... i'm not exactly an expert on these things.

 

I would just turn on the lights (as normal no need to lower them) and let the strong survive. The big worry would be damping off from having the soil too moist. The plants will not uptake the water in the dark.

The herb is a remarkable plant and can take some abuse.

 

I've been trying to make sure not to over water them, and I don't think thats it. I let the soil get COMPLETELY dry, at least on the top, and what I can see and feel. They're starting to perk up. I've read that CO2 is not good for beginners because it can cause problems to manifest quicker. Does this mean solutions could also occur quicker?

 

LL had it right (IMO) in that the lack of photosynthesis caused the plant to "pale". Cram a finger in the soil if it is dry lift the pot and judge the weight then water - pour a cup in (or so) and let it be absorbed for a few minutes then repeat until water starts to dribble in the pan. Pick up the pot and notice the difference in weight. This will help you know when to water. You can also tell when you see the lower fan leaves begin to droop.

Do not go fussing around right now with co2 and such until the plants have readjusted themselves. Besides if they are starting to recuperate things should be fine. Remember it is easy to overreact to problems and make the situation worse. Any corrective actions take a bit for the plant to respond.

Good Luck!
-B

 

My plants are growing in 2 ltr bottles with the tops cut off, and they're starting to get a littl bushy. The tips of the leaves keep curls downward and withering and drying, sometimes dying and becoming crunching and completely dried out (just the tips not the whole leaf). I cut off dead spots, and was wondering what this could be from? It's worse on lower leaves, so maybe a lack of light to them, but it's happening up top too, to a lesser degree. Over watering? under watering? Too much/ too few nutrients? When should I start giving them fertilizer? How many weeks approximately would you guess? Thanks for the help guys.

 

Hey Joe,

It sounds like a nute burn. Its tough to tell without pics. The leaf tips get torched and works its way up the plant. Be sure to put some drainage holes in the bottom of the bottles. You may want to consider a transplanting as well.

The herb does not need fertilizer at everywatering (especially at full strength) in soil. It tends to accumulate.

-B