Why 18/6????

[Mr.GreenJeans]

Why do so many of you use an 18/6 light cycle during vegging??? I used 24 hour a day lighting during the veg phase and had no problems. Is there an advantage to only having light 18 hours a day that I am not aware of (which is entirely possible!!!)

 

[RANDUMpurple]

Power bill savings..

Roots need darkness to grow white and healthy..

some others I'm sure

 

[cbtwohundread]

comes down to preferance.,.,.,i do 24/7 on veg u get faster growth.,.,imo.,.

 

[Mr.GreenJeans]

comes down to preferance.,.,.,i do 24/7 on veg u get faster growth.,.,imo.,.

That has been my (limited) experience, but I didn't know if for some reason the plants NEED the 6 hours of darkness. I figured if anyone knows the guys here at RIU would!!!!

 

[om3gawave]

It is for root growth.

 

[Dr.RR]

Just think about it. It grows natural on this Earth...and no place where MJ grows has 24 hours of light!

 

[darkdestruction420]

roots dont need darkness to grow, i dont know where you guys get that idea(you use 24/7 lights on for clones), lol. 24/7 all the way and my root systems are always very healthy and grow very fast, i have always used 24/7 and so do alot of people here, the 18/6 does save eletricity though so if your vegging with a 600w mh or something go on ahead. with cfls its not needed since they use lower wattage, during the dark period the plant focuses most energy into upward stretchy growth. i like my plants short and bushy, not tall and lanky.

 

[darkdestruction420]

Just think about it. It grows natural on this Earth...and no place where MJ grows has 24 hours of light!

and why does that matter? in nature plants also dont get water for a week or longer sometimes, that doesnt mean you should do it inside like that.

 

[Mr.GreenJeans]

and why does that matter? in nature plants also dont get water for a week or longer sometimes, that doesnt mean you should do it inside like that.

In nature, they don't get most of what they do while growing indoors (good fertilizer, controlled environment, regular watering, pruning, etc!!! So far for me, 24/7 gives me nice bushy short plants with LOTS of nodes. I've always been told to NEVER use clear planters because the light can damage roots, but I haven't heard of excess "sunlight" hurting plants in any way as long as they have sufficient water. While I guess the whole power useage thing may have some merit, I use a 600 watt MH/HPS (works with both). It has run for 8 weeks straight at a time, non-stop, with absolutely NO noticeable impact on my power bill. I KNOW that 24hrs a day works just fine, but I am trying to determine if my plants might do even better running 18/6.
BTW: actually, weed grown in Alaska (which is excellent, from my experience) is generally grown outdoors in 24/7 natural lighting --- at least that's what my buddies in Anchorage have told me.

 

[archaeo]

18/6
17/7
16/8
15/9
14/10
etc...etc...
So at what point will flowering be induced? It can't be just a 12/12 cycle that will induce. Is it relative to the veg cycle you're using?
So if I'm on a 24/0 schedule, perhaps as much as 16/8 will trigger??

 

[Mr.GreenJeans]

18/6
17/7
16/8
15/9
14/10
etc...etc...
So at what point will flowering be induced? It can't be just a 12/12 cycle that will induce. Is it relative to the veg cycle you're using?
So if I'm on a 24/0 schedule, perhaps as much as 16/8 will trigger??

It is entirely possible that it COULD. 24/0 pretty much guarantees no premature flowering (unless you're growing one of the auto-flowering strains). Most switch to 12/12 because it should make ANY strain flower.

 

[doc111]

18/6
17/7
16/8
15/9
14/10
etc...etc...
So at what point will flowering be induced? It can't be just a 12/12 cycle that will induce. Is it relative to the veg cycle you're using?
So if I'm on a 24/0 schedule, perhaps as much as 16/8 will trigger??

It really depends on the strain but for most strains sold by the major seed breeders 12/12 is the preferred and time tested light cycle for forcing flowering.

 

[luckydog82]

Well if you do run 24/0 I would recommend to switch to 18/6 or anywhere inbetween a week or so before flowering, as I ran 24/0 and switched straight to 12/12 and found that the plants took longer to start flowering then what i was led to believe 2-3 weeks instead of 1-2 weeks

 

[neph19d]

I always wanna leave them on long but I stick with 18/6 just to give them a break from everything lol. Plus its more like nature. I know I'd be pissed all day in the freakin sun. lol unless someone really proves 24/7 to be way better I'll stick to 18/6

 

[True Stoner]

Im doing 18/6 as well. If i was using CFL's then i would run them 24/7. My bro is using CFL's and runs his 24/7. Im using a aircooled 600 hps witha 6 inch inline fan!

 

[Heads Up]

Most of us aren't in alaska but you make a good point there.

I do 18/6 just to give my babies a rest, my electric bill a break and they flower faster than a 24/0 cycle. I have ten plants going, I put them into twelve-twelve last monday, by thursday one had shown her sex and as of today I have seven females and the other three I cannot tell.This is my first hid grow, I'm using a six hundred watt light also. There is also much discussion about the merits of exceeding sixteen hours of light a day.

I'm also not sure if you use a 24/0 cycle if they will start to flower with anything less than 13/11.

 

[Mr.GreenJeans]

Most of us aren't in alaska but you make a good point there.

I do 18/6 just to give my babies a rest, my electric bill a break and they flower faster than a 24/0 cycle. I have ten plants going, I put them into twelve-twelve last monday, by thursday one had shown her sex and as of today I have seven females and the other three I cannot tell.This is my first hid grow, I'm using a six hundred watt light also. There is also much discussion about the merits of exceeding sixteen hours of light a day.

I'm also not sure if you use a 24/0 cycle if they will start to flower with anything less than 13/11.

My current grow went 9 weeks at 24/0 under a digital 600 watt HPS lamp, then I switched straight to 12/12 6 days ago. So far I have positively id'd 5 females (all between 24 and 26 inches tall and VERY bushy --- I have no clue what strain because I used bag seeds from some rather good Mids) and chopped down 4 males. I still have 5 more that haven't showed sex yet.

I don't know if it's due to the HPS lamp, genetics, or the light cycle, but these are some of the bushiest (is that even a word? lol) plants I've ever seen.
Hopefully they'll give me some GOOD smoke in a couple of months!!!

 

[reeferMaster]

now u have thined them out and have ur girls u can set them back on 18/6, i always found it easier 2 sex seeds asap so u know if its going 2 be a fem or not, then any preflowering from thier will be a sign of stress or underwatering, i have just cheaked out these cool its a precise light cycle controller allows lighting duration of 8 -18 hours light and 6-16 hours darkness. using this u can basically copy nature, with this device i will be able 2 experiment all different types of lighting styles, good luck all