24/0 or 18/6?

I veg my plans on 18/6 but I know there are people out there that use 24/0?

What do you use and is there any benefits to using 24/0 over 18/6?

i like 18/6 to give them some dark it helps

Because I use regular W-Mart shoplights w/ 40W cool-white tubes for veg, I think 24/0 absolutely necessary for tight plants.

I can't imagine needing more than 18 w/mh.

if you dotn have to worry about the amount you're spending on electricity then definitely 24/0!!!

Wow. I'm surprised it’s such a close race.

I was reading the other day that 24/0 increases the chance of males and hermies. Has anyone had and experience with this?

The same article also said that during the dark hours is when most of the plants root development is done.

However I have also read that 24/0 can have a 30% increase in plant growth.

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information going around about this so I would love to get more peoples feedback and experiences.

lights on 24/0 can help get your nodes closer together as for the Root growth it depends if you use a root stimulet and when you water do you just water the area that has the roots or the hole medium , I my self have noticed that house plants grow faster when light is on 24/0

24/0 is definately faster and thats all that really matters too me.. I thought when the lights go out the plant goes in phasic mode. Basically does nothing.. So i go 24/0 and my veg always looks lush.

flipsidesw said:

24/0 is definately faster and thats all that really matters too me.. I thought when the lights go out the plant goes in phasic mode. Basically does nothing.. So i go 24/0 and my veg always looks lush.

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that and the reason why they grow faster and look realy good is because we are giving the plants constint energy to be able to produce the basic building blocks that make them grow , the more light the more light time they get then the faster they'll grow but with the right about of nutes they will grow even faster and healthier one of the reasons people do 18/6 is because they want to save on the power bill, once I get my grow area set up its gonna have alot of timers to adjust the lights on and off and so that when I get my flowering area going I can give it the most amount of light needed and cut back on veg lighting but use the veg light timers to adjust what lights go on and what lights go off and I'll need that when I do a 2 level veg area

You can always do 20/4, 22/2, 19/5, etc... There are no rules.

18/6 seems to provide for a healthier stronger grow (IMO)- for whatever reason (roots?) although 24/0 will sometimes put more growth on.

I think the strain has a big effect on some of this and this is probably partially (if not mostly) due to where the strains developed i.e. tropical equatorial Sativas would never see a long light photoperiod where they originated from

Light cycle doesn't have anything to do with males -- that is a myth that somehow keeps getting propogated.

It would be interesting to see controlled data that showed any differences, but it seems that the majority of us growers are just trying to get to the end result and really don't know what we are doing (this includes me for sure - although I think I've picked up a few things). Whatever works best for ya works best for ya. Good luck y'all!

PP

phillypete said:

You can always do 20/4, 22/2, 19/5, etc... There are no rules.

18/6 seems to provide for a healthier stronger grow (IMO)- for whatever reason (roots?) although 24/0 will sometimes put more growth on.

I think the strain has a big effect on some of this and this is probably partially (if not mostly) due to where the strains developed i.e. tropical equatorial Sativas would never see a long light photoperiod where they originated from

Light cycle doesn't have anything to do with males -- that is a myth that somehow keeps getting propogated.

It would be interesting to see controlled data that showed any differences, but it seems that the majority of us growers are just trying to get to the end result and really don't know what we are doing (this includes me for sure - although I think I've picked up a few things). Whatever works best for ya works best for ya. Good luck y'all!

PP

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I my self think it would be very cool if some one took the time to test that all out to prove once and for all what's better

i have done 17\3\1\3 and got 100% female but it could have been a coincidence i went 18\6 this time around and had 3 out of 5 males more testing needs to be done to see if it really works or if it was just a coincidence but that was my results........ normally i go 24\0 for clones until rooted 18\6 fer veg.

i used to veg my plants 18/6 untill my current grow, which i used 24/0 lighting. Giving the plant constant sunlight makes it grow a lot faster. as to say about hermies and males i my plant is only 5 days into flowering so lets hope not.

I use 24/0 but also if electric bill was an issue (T5HO cost 5 bucks a month 24/0) 18/6, also bulb life you use 1/4 less often last you 1/4 longer than 24.
IMHO

tusseltussel said:

i have done 17\3\1\3 and got 100% female but it could have been a coincidence i went 18\6 this time around and had 3 out of 5 males more testing needs to be done to see if it really works or if it was just a coincidence but that was my results........ normally i go 24\0 for clones until rooted 18\6 fer veg.

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What is 17/3/1/3?

Is that light 17 then dark 3 then light 1 and then dark 3? And if so what is the benefit of doing that?

Well it looks like 24/0 is winning. I have to say I am surprised as I was under the impression that most growers used 18/6.

Well, I have the Cannabis Grow Bible, and it says 24/0 is better. But, being from the Show Me State, I did decide to test it to be sure. So, I got 12 clones from the same mother. I happened to have two exactly identical small cabinets, so I put 6 plants in each one, ran one box 24/0 and the other 18/6. After a month, the 24/0 plants were quite noticeably larger and bushier than the six 18/6 plants. So, I stopped the experiment right there, figured that I'd seen enough for myself, and the Grow Bible's information was correct. And I've been 24/0 ever since.

The increased hermie thing is sort of a myth. The reason why 24/0 can cause more hermies actually has nothing to do with the light schedule, at least not directly. It has to do with heat. If you leave your lights on 24/0 and don't have adequate ventilation, then you get too much heat, and THAT results in more hermies. It's not the light schedule, it's the heat. If you have adequate ventilation, and have your temps well under control, then you won't have that problem; I've been 24/0 for years, but I keep my temps under control, no heat buildup, and thus have never had any hermie problems. If you need that 6-hour cooldown window because of inadequate ventilation, then that's life, and you should be 18/6, just to keep the temps under control. Otherwise, they just grow slower with less energy available to them.