What are light cycles and how do I use them?

:ciao::ciao:Well first thing you need to do is put your link in you signature so people can find you. That way when you post on someones journal they can get to your thru your signature. You can do this by going to user cp and going to settings and then to your signature and copy the link. Not a great description I know but I had to mess with it to get mine there and I can't remember exactly how I did it. Now on to the second thing.... I will see if I can find someone to help you with your question as I am just now in flower on my first grow and I used bag seed so I could try and understand what I am doing before I wasted my medical seeds. There are some awesome peeps on this site that are more than willing to help and have a whole lot more knowledge than I do so let me see who I can round up........:hmmmm::hmmmm::hmmmm:
 
Welcome to 420 Brother, you're gonna love this forum! I veg mine under an MH light on an 18/6 schedule. A member named DonPaul (as well as others I'm sure) uses a variation method by having his timer turn the lights on for a brief period durring the dark hours and it will keep it in veg while significantly reducing your electricity bill also; although I'm sure he has other beneficial reasons for using that method also. Hopefully one of them will stop by and share their thoughts on the subject with you.
 
Hey RodMo, hey Dennise.

For lighting in veg, this is mostly up to the grower. Whereas a SOG mass plant grower may choose to veg for about 3 weeks then flip into 12/12 flower, growers with less space and also plant count restrictions usually choose to veg out for a little bit longer. Being one of the latter class, especially when using ScrOG, I choose to literally build the plant to a form that will best suit the use of the scrog net, by topping young (4-5 nodes high), transplant to larger pots frequently to build a purposely dense root mass and even top each new shoot at least once more. Now my current space does not permit me to take the 2nd toppings as I'd be over ran with branching, but I am planning to be in more space ASAP. The more you push the growth outward to all 4 sides of the scrog net, the longer it will take the plant to accommodate your directives. Once you as the grower are satisfied with the skeleton you've helped create and you are in the largest pot you plan on finishing in, start a transition feed schedule then switch to 12/12 lighting.

Each time we defoliate, allow temps to get to high or low, light leaks, over/under watering, too much/not enough circulation etc each is a stressful event. Depending on the plant's diet, strain and pheno type (stereotypical plant characteristics), and also growing provisions the grower makes determines how much down time the plant will take to recover from the stressful event(s) and add this time onto your calendar. Because of how broad the amount of variables are, it is impossible for me as a grower to ask for predictions. All I can do is keep diligent in my study and graft new knowledge into my mind when possible. When you make mistakes, pay good attention so a lesson can be learned the first time. Expect that because you, like the rest of us, were not born with a green thumb, mistakes will happen, possibly more than you're comfortable with, but I can almost guarantee that this community will help you pull through your first grow with as large of a harvest as you are capable of producing!

So ask yourself, when do you want to switch your light schedule to 12/12?
 
Now that is some very helpful info Skybound!

I believe i should start a journal to keep track of my babies and to get input from experienced growers like yourself.

Is there any place i can find videos and/or read about these things you have just explained anywhere on the net? I have found some material but i'm sure you'd know of specific places and info since you've been through this.

Thanks <3
 
How vegetative growth time exponentially affects yield

This is a blog entry that one of my mentors wrote up and discusses longer veg time v shorter. just keep perusing around in 420 as everything has been saved since the site was created. Another good amount of info is in the How To section and I am constantly going back in to reread something.

How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

For the record, I am not a seasoned grower, I just try a lot of things as frequently as I can afford to with hopes of learning something new which I always do, usually by failures. As far as videos, sorry to say, but there are probably hundreds of thousands on YouTube and you'll just have to sort through it all and look for information that is widely held to be true. For instance if my video says 2+2=4, Dennise's video says 2+2=4, The Capn's video says 2+2=4, and Joe Schmo's video says 2+2=5, by process of elimination you can deduce that 2+2=4, so to is it with videos. Until MJ is widely legal, and someone sits down and really dials in the grow methods for each purpose on video, we each must suffer the old fashioned way of growing as we are not yet in that day and age.
 
RodMo said:
Now that is some very helpful info Skybound!

I believe i should start a journal to keep track of my babies and to get input from experienced growers like yourself.

Is there any place i can find videos and/or read about these things you have just explained anywhere on the net? I have found some material but i'm sure you'd know of specific places and info since you've been through this.

Thanks <3
Click to expand...

The green house seed company is so kind as to make grow videos of the popular stuff and are very detailed.
 
This is really great information from all of you.

I live in a semi tropical location and am having probs with keeping the temp down in my tent during the day. I am about to flip the switch into 12/12 so am going to take the advice above and have my dark time from 6 am to 6 pm, then hit the lights for the other 12.

I have the room aircon working at 22, but being in my man cave, the door might open and close and the rooms temp goes up pretty quick, so I am hoping by using the above method it will work better.

I can't for the life of me find the post.

Fingers crossed.
 
Hi,

currently 2weeks into flower 1st indoor grow, Bubbelicious autos. I have been getting conflicting information from all over the web on lighting for autos, most answers averaging out to "autos don't much care about light scheduling, 24/7 is ok". & that is what they have been on since sprouting.

So, do any of you think that my little girls would benefit from me switching to a light/dark cycle? If so, what ratio would be of most benefit, staged taper off to 12/12?

Vis vobiscum.
 
It can go any possible way. Autos come from Ruderalis cannabis that grow in parts of the world this is less affected by light cycles, like parts of Russia that get 6 months light, 6 months dark, so when mixing these genes into other strains of cannabis, the autos are produced.

By adjusting the light schedule, it may be possible to add stress because of the change in light, so you should do more research to determine if changing light is a stressful event. Ideally though, it is good for all plants to be given a dark period so it can redirect it's energy into developing the root system which in turn also translates to a fuller canopy or flower sites.
 
Help..Im a first timer too, i moved and lost my info, my plants have been in the Veg stage for a few weeks, is there anyway i can tell when its time to switch to 12/12 lightning?Auto Kush and CBD. Thanks for any advice
 
devgru10 said:
Help..Im a first timer too, i moved and lost my info, my plants have been in the Veg stage for a few weeks, is there anyway i can tell when its time to switch to 12/12 lightning?Auto Kush and CBD. Thanks for any advice
Click to expand...

If you are growing an autoflowering strain, it will go into bloom according to it's own internal clock under whatever light it has available. With these, it is best to cause as little stress as possible, like not topping it because the recovery time will likely hinder overall development which makes them great to learn with because they require little.

Photo period strains on the other hand are way more amenable in that the "indoor" gardener has ultimate control when the bloom period begins. With these strains you can keep them in a vegetative state indefinitely. I personally enjoy keeping a plant in veg for 3-4 months before introducing them to flower. I have a nice game plan for veg that get's me roughly a pound +&- per harvest. This I feel is the most efficient method for my situation.

On the other hand, b.real is sending his seedlings to 12/12 immediately which of course produces way less, none the less his wait time is the least of all of ours. So it all comes down to what your priorities are in your grow. If you have a bit of time, I suggest keeping your plant(s) in veg lighting of 18hours on and 6 hours off. This is the most widely used, publicly accepted vegetative light schedule among growers. Keep your flock in "veg" for as long as you like, but please do read through the How To page to get a better grasp of what options are available to you, and which ways you want to train your plant(s). My first grow produced a male, but the 4 months of veg I spent with him in veg taught me an awful lot of knowledge that I could not pick up reading, that I had to learn with my hands as well as my eyes. DO NOT be afraid to make mistakes, they are going to happen and they will also teach you everything leading up to them. I know you want the very best product imaginable, but your techniques will only improve with time and practice. The plant will survive any lack on our part within reason, and it will still give you some savory ass nugs!
 
Hey all, just to weigh in on the light hours debate.
I have little in the way of evidence and have read all the info including c3 plants don't need... Etcetera, but it doesn't seem to make much sense to me.
Problem for me is that I find it rather difficult to believe that a plant in vegetative mode, that evolved over millennia, on a planet with a daily darkness schedule hasn't (like most other species have), found a use for the dark hours. I have been growing for a long time which of course means nothing but my light schedule according to plant needs only ever varies between 16/8 and 18/6 and they're all doing fine all the time! Pretty girls need beauty sleep.
I have of course used just about every variation possible including 24/0 and continue to see little reason to use excess electricity for minimal perceived gain.
All of course just personal beliefs without a shred of evidence or any citations. logic?
Last day of autumn here... Have a ripper day folks.
Regards.
 
Hey guys ,
Just a quick question if I have a plant flowering with lights 12/12 from 6 am to 6 pm, is it possible to change the dark period to the day..?
Thanks
 
At the potential cost of stressing the plant that it hermies, yes it is possible.
 

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