SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!!!

[diesel513]

I switched my plants today from 2 4 ft t12s and put in two 150 Watt hps lights and 3 hours later one of my big plants has totally dropped the leaves are all drooped over there still green the lights are 2 feet above the plants and now the rest of the plants are following in its path idk what to do I did just transfer the 3 of the plants into 5 gallon buckets but that shouldn't affect the others I need some help please

diesel513 Reviewed by diesel513 on 01-23-2013. SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!!! I switched my plants today from 2 4 ft t12s and put in two 150 Watt hps lights and 3 hours later one of my big plants has totally dropped the leaves are all drooped over there still green the lights are 2 feet above the plants and now the rest of the plants are following in its path idk what to do I did just transfer the 3 of the plants into 5 gallon buckets but that shouldn't affect the others I need some help please Rating: 5

[pushit]

What's the temp and whens the last time they were watered? Got any pics?

[diesel513]

About 75 and idk how to upload pics but when the dark cycle hit I opened up my room and they were getting back up so I'm pretty sure its the lights

[Weezard]

You nailed it!

When you move to a stronger light, it's like moving to outdoors.
You must Harden them off by doing it gradually.

Under low light they grow extra leaf mass to capture that light.
Because of the low light, root growth is less aggressive.
Less water gets moved so the roots don't have to proliferate to keep up.

More light causes them to try to transpire more rapidly than their present root system can support.
You have seen the result. They look exhausted, yah?
If you can't raise the lights any higher, removing 10% or so of the fan leaf will have the same effect as raising the lights.
Then slowly increase the lighting as the roots grow to meet the challenge.

I give them a day or two of shade when I move them outdoors.
And, since I filter out the short wavelength UV in my greenhouse, that's all it takes.

Aloha,
Weezard

[diesel513]

OK so if I were to say have 2 timers and had the hps lights one one and the fluorescent bulbs on the others just have the lights switch every couple of hours?

[Weezard]

I suppose you could wake them up with CFLs, give them a few hours of HPS, then lull them to sleep with the CFLs again.
Sounds complicated though.

It only tales a couple, three days to harden them to more light.
Just sneak up on 'em with the bright stuff.
And watch the temperature when you kick on that artificial sun.
Temperature is a big player in growth speed.

Aloha,
Weezard

[Mal420xl]

i use a couple layers of window screen as a diffuser. just keep the light up hang the screen(replacement stuff comes on roll cheap) between the light and the plants closer to plants with hps i guess. and make it a couple layers thick. itll soften the light and you can take a layer off every day or so and they get by fine.

[diesel513]

I did the timers since I already have them I just left the fluorescents on hen the hps went off and left them on when they came back on there really are responding next I'm going to start limiting the fluorescent lights until they are not needed at all its just a matter of getting the times right is all thanks all