total darkness?

what would be the effect of a plant being left in total darkness or with just a few hours of light per day for a few days straight or longer? would it induce budding or just kill the plant? How long could a plant last in these conditions?

i have shut my lights off for 36 hours in the past thing were fine.

well just starting u need 24/0 to get the plant going.. then when u want to start flowering u need 12/12 (12 hours light 12 w.o. ) i dont think it will effect it much if your a few hours off but i dont know

Depends on how mature they were in the veg stage. Typically, the more mature a plant is, the faster it wil go to flower when the light cycle changes.
I grow mature plants , that flip within a few days when the light changes. People that SOG or force to flower quick usually say it takes a bit more.