Plant's Night Time Droop. what is it?

hi there, so i take this as a trait or the attitude of my plant. but i know that is just a joke, but every day, when the light comes on, my plants are nice and perky after a good nights 6 hour sleep. then about 2 hours before lights go out at night, the larger leaves primarily start to droop. they really don't look bad, they just droop. the next day they are back up again. what is this?

my PH is good, the rez temp is good, is this a nutes thing? my 400W HPS light is 20 inches from the light. my smaller one is about 30 inches from the light and the smaller one droops more.

i appreciate anyone's imput on this. thank you

Your plant is getting tired! think about it, you just gave em an 18 hour day.. when regularly in the wild they get 12..14 tops..

relax, it's normal.

Plants have the natural tendency to raises it's leaves during the day to catch more light. During the night, your plant seems to droop because it is merely resting it's leaves.

thank you to both of you for you responses. i was thinking in the way you two were thinking in that the plant was just tired and wanted to relax. i like to think that way about my plants, but just wanted to make sure there was not 'green thumb' no no i wasn't thinking about.

one more question though, the top leaves (biggest plant 20 inches from 400W HPS light and smaller one 30 inches away) of both plants seem to have a very very slight tint of a darker green... is that too much light? should i put glass between the light and plant to let the light through but block some of the heat? thanks

Glass will block the energy from the light too(ever wonder why you can't get a suntan in a car?)

as for the colour change? i'm not sure.. again it could be completely normal... the leaves on my one plant are starting to go a dark green almost purple colour..

maybe if you post a pic?

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Originally Posted by kuri

thank you to both of you for you responses. i was thinking in the way you two were thinking in that the plant was just tired and wanted to relax. i like to think that way about my plants, but just wanted to make sure there was not 'green thumb' no no i wasn't thinking about.

one more question though, the top leaves (biggest plant 20 inches from 400W HPS light and smaller one 30 inches away) of both plants seem to have a very very slight tint of a darker green... is that too much light? should i put glass between the light and plant to let the light through but block some of the heat? thanks

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That's too close! 400 watt lights should be hung around four feet. Check out this link: http://greenmanspage.com/guides/lightguide.html
About the glass: It isn't beneficial at all. It will only act as a magnifying glass, and gather alot of unwanted heat around your plants.

The only reason if one was to use glass is if it was attached to an air-cooled ballast. Air-cooled ballasts are very very good investments, because you can put them almost as close as close a fluorescent lamp.

bobbong, yes i actually have received many sunburns and tans with my windows rolled up all the way even with my sun room closed, my shoulders got burned.

sensi also, thank you for your posts. so i know i may be too particular, but i'm taking your advice immediately and raising my 400W HPS light higher, however, the farthest that is physically possible to put the light is just a bit over 3 feet, plus the extra 6 inches or foot that the plant will still grow. obviously there is nothing more i can do at this point except to the best i can in moving the light away.... but i wanted yours or anyone elses advice if this 3 feet distance will be okay for the rest of the way. thanks

Use an oscillating fan.

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Originally Posted by kuri

bobbong, yes i actually have received many sunburns and tans with my windows rolled up all the way even with my sun room closed, my shoulders got burned.

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You need to be in the sun for a prolonged period of time to get a suntan/burn through glass.
I found this article.
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QUESTION: At a recent summer party, someone asked if you can get a suntan or sunburn in a car with the windows up. We were evenly divided on the issue.

What's the answer?

ANSWER: In a way, you're all right. Most glass, in cars or houses, blocks the kind of sunlight, called ultraviolet B, or UVB, that causes sunburns, said Dr. Robert Stern, chief of dermatology at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. So you're unlikely to get truly burned through the window.

But glass does let in ultraviolet A, or UVA, light, which can cause suntans, though very slowly.

And both UVA and UVB can cause skin cancer and skin aging, so you can be damaging your skin even through sunlight filtered through a window if you have long exposures, cautioned Dr. Thomas Ruenger, a dermatologist at Boston University School of Medicine. Exact thresholds for risky exposures have not been defined, but the longer the exposure (think truck drivers), the greater the risk.
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Or you can attempt to tie the top of the plant down.