To successfully grow your weed plants from the seed, they need a few things. Water is vital to allowing your plants to grow and flourish. Cannabis plants need water to grow. Even succulents need water! However, did you know you can actually overwater your plants? It’s true, and too much water can damage cannabis.
The same is true of light and your light source/light intensity. Plants need light because it is what powers photosynthesis, which is how plants generate energy for themselves. Even auto-flowering marijuana plants, which flower based on age and not on light exposure, need light to grow. That being said, you can indeed give too much light to your weed plants. You were trying to give your plants the light they need, but you overdid it, and it damaged your weed plants. We don’t want that to happen to you. Here are some signs of too much light on weed plants, and also what to do to avoid giving your weed plants an excessive amount of light.
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Why do I need to know the signs of too much light on weed plants?
Weed plants need balance to grow properly and thrive. The too-high light intensity can throw off the whole process. If a weed plant is getting excess light, it has to work to overcome that. It will be overheated, and it will also dry out. This will lead to nutrient deficiency, which will hinder how your weed plant grows. Your buds will be looser and airier. That’s not good! You want full, thick, tightly-packed buds. That’s why the signs of too much light on weed plants matter. Strong light creates too much heat for the plants, and it also messes with nutrients and water absorption.
What is the ideal lighting setting for cannabis plants?
The ideal light for cannabis plants will depend on the specific growth stage of the plant. In general, cannabis plants require light in the blue and red spectrums for optimal growth.
During the vegetative stage, cannabis plants require more blue light, which promotes vegetative growth, and less red light. Light in the 400-500 nanometer range (blue light) is important for promoting vegetative growth and the development of leaves and stems.
During the flowering stage, cannabis plants require more red light, which promotes flowering and the development of buds. Light in the 600-700 nanometer range (red light) is important for promoting flowering and the development of dense, resinous buds.
Some common types of lights used for growing cannabis include high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights, metal halide (MH) lights, and light-emitting diode (LED) lights. HPS and MH lights are commonly used for larger-scale indoor growing operations, while LED lights are becoming increasingly popular for both indoor and outdoor growing due to their efficiency and versatility.
Choose a light that provides the appropriate spectrum of light for the specific growth stage, like the seedling stage, of the plant and provides the appropriate amount of light for the plant’s needs. Also monitor the plants for signs of heat stress (and cannabis light stress), such as wilting or discoloration, and adjust the light as necessary. You want as many green colors as possible, otherwise, you’ll know you have signs of light burn.
What are the signs of too much light on marijuana plants?
Basically, you need to be looking for cannabis light burn. Your leaves will experience leaf burning if they are getting too much light. A leaf that is suffering from light burn will turn yellow, particularly the tops of the leaves that are closest to your fluorescent lights. The veins of the leaves will remain green, but otherwise, yellow leaves are a sign that your plants are suffering from cannabis light burn. Now, there are other things that can lead to leaves turning yellow. Nitrogen deficiency, for example. Do the signs of too much light on indoor plants differ from the signs of nitrogen deficiency? Yes, in one way. Yellow leaves of a plant suffering from nitrogen deficiency will fall off on their own. Light-burned leaves will be yellow, but they won’t be falling off, and they won’t be plucked off the tree easily either.
Does more light mean faster cannabis growth?
While light is important for the growth of cannabis plants, simply providing more light does not necessarily mean faster growth. Indoor plants require a specific amount of light in order to grow optimally, and providing too little or too much light can actually harm the plants and slow down their growth.
In general, mature plants need about 12 to 16 hours of light per day during the vegetative stage, and 8 to 12 hours of light per day during the flowering stage or seedling stage. Providing more light than this can cause the plants to experience light stress, which can lead to stunted growth or even plant death.
In addition to the amount of light, the quality of the light also plays an important role in cannabis growth. Different types of light, such as fluorescent, LED, or high-pressure fluorescent lights, can have different spectrums of light that affect plant growth in different ways. For example, blue light is important for vegetative growth, while red light is important for flowering.
Therefore, while providing the appropriate amount and quality of light is crucial for cannabis growth, simply providing more light does not necessarily mean faster growth and can even be detrimental to the plants.
Does more light mean a higher yield from cannabis plants?
Providing the appropriate amount and quality of light is important for cannabis growth, but simply providing more light does not necessarily mean more growth. Cannabis plants have a maximum rate of photosynthesis, which is the process by which they convert light energy into chemical energy to fuel their growth. Once this maximum rate is reached, providing additional light will not result in increased growth.
Moreover, excess light can actually have negative effects on cannabis growth, especially during the flowering phase. For example, excess light can cause the plants to experience cannabis light stress, which can lead to stunted growth, nutrient deficiencies, and other issues.
Be sure to provide cannabis plants with the appropriate light cycle and quality of light for their specific growth stage. During the vegetative stage, cannabis plants generally require about 12 to 16 hours of light per day, while during the flowering stage, they require about 8 to 12 hours of light per day. Additionally, different types of light, such as fluorescent, LED, or high-pressure sodium lights, can have different spectrums of light that affect plant growth in different ways, so it is important to choose the appropriate type of light for the specific growth stage of the plant.
What happens if a cannabis plant gets too much light?
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for cannabis light burn to know that your weed plants are getting too much light. Here is another of the signs of too much light on weed plants. There is a simple test. Put your hand, palm down, at the top of your plant. Try to keep it there for 10 to 15 seconds. If you can’t do that comfortably, the lights are too hot and too intense for your plants, and they are getting too much light. That’s the thing about the idea of too much light on weed plants. It’s more about your grow lights being too hot for your plants. Lights emit heat, in addition to the light rays. This combines to do damage to your plants and to cause a light burn. Another way to tackle the signs of too much light on weed plants is some sort of digital monitoring tool. Hey, if you have a digital thermometer for cooking meat, why wouldn’t you get some sort of digital tool to monitor your weed plants? They’re more important than meat!
What are the signs of light stress on cannabis plants?
Fortunately, it is easy to avoid having too much light on your weed plants. Sometimes, it is as simple as moving your grow lights further away from your plants. That will lower the light exposure, and the heat from the lights, that your weed plants are facing. Now, in an indoor growing situation, you don’t have infinite space.
Light distance is key for indoor growers to prevent light bleaching. Try to bend your taller plants to keep them from getting intense light and suffering marijuana light burn. Or, maybe the thing to do is to get light bulbs of lower wattage. Generally speaking, if your grow area is smaller, say two feet by two feet, you want 100 watts worth of light bulbs. If you have a larger space, such as eight feet by eight feet, 1,000 watts is recommended as well as maintaining proper light distance. Your space may be different, though. This is something you can experiment with if you are seeing signs of too much light on weed plants.
How do growers avoid light stress when growing cannabis plants?
If you grow healthy plants outdoors, it is way less likely you will see the signs of too much light on weed plants. After all, when you grow weed outdoors your light source is the Sun, and it’s not going to be getting too close to your plants. It’s staying there millions of miles away, with no adjustment required (or possible). Of course, there are other considerations that go into deciding to grow your weed plants outdoors rather than indoors. One of those considerations? Finding the best strains to grow outdoors. If an outdoor grow is an option, and you want to go that route to try to avoid the signs of too much light on weed plants, these are great strains to grow outdoors:
- White Widow
- Durban Poison
- Super Silver Haze
- OG Kush
- Moby Dick