*READ* 12 hours light, 14 hours dark

BeatenByTheWorld

Well-Known Member
Longer light = more/better buds

A good friend of mine and I were sharing an idea over a few joints about a year ago and I though I would share the experiment results with you.

One major thing people seem to forget when dealing with plants is that they're not genetically preset to run on 24 hour days. As far as day and night goes, the only thing the plant recognizes is light and dark (and climate change but bear with me here)

Through alot of years of cultivation people decided the best way to flower is 12 hours light 12 hours dark. This makes sense since we have 24 hour days, and timers only have 24 hours on them, and everyone know 'bud production'(lamens term) takes place during the dark period.

He took 124 seeds from the same pound of bag weed and grew them in 3 crops.

This is an indica strain, and through all 3 crops the nutrients, air circulation, tempurature, pots, and lighting were all unchanged, and NO CLONES were used.

The first and second crop he grew he used the 24hr veg and 12/12 photo to flower. He vegged them both for 4 weeks then the first crop took alittle over 8 weeks For the trichomes to be at their peak, and the second just under 8 weeks. Total he had 62 females and finished with 98 ounce dried weight. Thats 1.58 ounces per plant

*****This is where the experiment takes place. The third crop he ran on 24 hrs veg for 4 weeks then switched to 12 hours of light and 14 HOURS of dark. This is where it gets interesting. In alittle under 5 weeks some of the plants were ready to harvest and by the middle of the 6th they were all ready.

Keep in mind the growing conditions were not changed other than the lighting schedule and all seeds are from the same bag.

18 plants generated 30.5 ounces of dried weight thats 1.69 ounces per plant, and the taste was VERY different than the previous 2. They had more of a skunky sweet taste, and they were just as potent if not more.

We determined potency by comparing it to already dried herb we'd frozen for just this reason to keep it fresh.

The only drawbacks we found are that it takes an extra day and a half avg. to cure, and you have to work the lights manually unless you get an expensive timer because they only come in 24 hours intervals.

Result: More dark = better taste and more bud avg over less of a lifespan.

Has anyoene else heard of this or tried it?

Im very eager to discuss this subject and I can answer any questions you guys have for him. I'd be interested in just how much the lighting schedule can be tweaked. He wants to try a 13/16 schedule next.
 

Iron Lungz23

Well-Known Member
I use 10/14 light cycle for the last 6 weeks of flower or as soon as they show sex, with awesome results! Now I've heard of your mates technique I'll be sure to give it a try!
 

Hydro929

Well-Known Member
Longer light = more/better buds

A good friend of mine and I were sharing an idea over a few joints about a year ago and I though I would share the experiment results with you.

One major thing people seem to forget when dealing with plants is that they're not genetically preset to run on 24 hour days. As far as day and night goes, the only thing the plant recognizes is light and dark (and climate change but bear with me here)

Through alot of years of cultivation people decided the best way to flower is 12 hours light 12 hours dark. This makes sense since we have 24 hour days, and timers only have 24 hours on them, and everyone know 'bud production'(lamens term) takes place during the dark period.

He took 124 seeds from the same pound of bag weed and grew them in 3 crops.

This is an indica strain, and through all 3 crops the nutrients, air circulation, tempurature, pots, and lighting were all unchanged, and NO CLONES were used.

The first and second crop he grew he used the 24hr veg and 12/12 photo to flower. He vegged them both for 4 weeks then the first crop took alittle over 8 weeks For the trichomes to be at their peak, and the second just under 8 weeks. Total he had 62 females and finished with 98 ounce dried weight. Thats 1.58 ounces per plant

*****This is where the experiment takes place. The third crop he ran on 24 hrs veg for 4 weeks then switched to 12 hours of light and 14 HOURS of dark. This is where it gets interesting. In alittle under 5 weeks some of the plants were ready to harvest and by the middle of the 6th they were all ready.

Keep in mind the growing conditions were not changed other than the lighting schedule and all seeds are from the same bag.

18 plants generated 30.5 ounces of dried weight thats 1.69 ounces per plant, and the taste was VERY different than the previous 2. They had more of a skunky sweet taste, and they were just as potent if not more.

We determined potency by comparing it to already dried herb we'd frozen for just this reason to keep it fresh.

The only drawbacks we found are that it takes an extra day and a half avg. to cure, and you have to work the lights manually unless you get an expensive timer because they only come in 24 hours intervals.

Result: More dark = better taste and more bud avg over less of a lifespan.

Has anyoene else heard of this or tried it?

Im very eager to discuss this subject and I can answer any questions you guys have for him. I'd be interested in just how much the lighting schedule can be tweaked. He wants to try a 13/16 schedule next.
Difference in weight seems negligable and is probably explained by the competition of light from thirty plants as compared to 18 in an area, differences in nutrient and ph along the way, differences in phenos and even genetics in your "same" pound of bag weed that could be anything and the fact that you didn't have clones. I assume you used a scope to check the trics? I thought I read that. Was this in Hydro or soil? The faster finish time is interesting but there are always lot's of variables.
 

tdiddy

Well-Known Member
I agree, results are negligible. Too many variables for that little of a difference. More light per plant is one immediate factor that almost certainly plays some role but it could even be that the second grow had a slightly higher H20 content when weighed. I'd take a quicker harvest any day, though.
 

jonro

Well-Known Member
Nice findings OP.

You say that "they were just as potent if not more".

Can you go into a little more detail as to what, if any, differences in the feeling of the high were? Like was the batch done on the longer darker period were a more happier, uplifting high? Or more of a couch lock high? Thanks.
 

treduece

Well-Known Member
Longer light = more/better buds

A good friend of mine and I were sharing an idea over a few joints about a year ago and I though I would share the experiment results with you.

One major thing people seem to forget when dealing with plants is that they're not genetically preset to run on 24 hour days. As far as day and night goes, the only thing the plant recognizes is light and dark (and climate change but bear with me here)

Through alot of years of cultivation people decided the best way to flower is 12 hours light 12 hours dark. This makes sense since we have 24 hour days, and timers only have 24 hours on them, and everyone know 'bud production'(lamens term) takes place during the dark period.

He took 124 seeds from the same pound of bag weed and grew them in 3 crops.

This is an indica strain, and through all 3 crops the nutrients, air circulation, tempurature, pots, and lighting were all unchanged, and NO CLONES were used.

The first and second crop he grew he used the 24hr veg and 12/12 photo to flower. He vegged them both for 4 weeks then the first crop took alittle over 8 weeks For the trichomes to be at their peak, and the second just under 8 weeks. Total he had 62 females and finished with 98 ounce dried weight. Thats 1.58 ounces per plant

*****This is where the experiment takes place. The third crop he ran on 24 hrs veg for 4 weeks then switched to 12 hours of light and 14 HOURS of dark. This is where it gets interesting. In alittle under 5 weeks some of the plants were ready to harvest and by the middle of the 6th they were all ready.

Keep in mind the growing conditions were not changed other than the lighting schedule and all seeds are from the same bag.

18 plants generated 30.5 ounces of dried weight thats 1.69 ounces per plant, and the taste was VERY different than the previous 2. They had more of a skunky sweet taste, and they were just as potent if not more.

We determined potency by comparing it to already dried herb we'd frozen for just this reason to keep it fresh.

The only drawbacks we found are that it takes an extra day and a half avg. to cure, and you have to work the lights manually unless you get an expensive timer because they only come in 24 hours intervals.

Result: More dark = better taste and more bud avg over less of a lifespan.

Has anyoene else heard of this or tried it?

Im very eager to discuss this subject and I can answer any questions you guys have for him. I'd be interested in just how much the lighting schedule can be tweaked. He wants to try a 13/16 schedule next.
interesting
 

goten

Well-Known Member
i dont get it :confused:



peace
theres only 24hrs in a day! i guess he is saying 14/14 is 28hrs! but would it not stress the plant by leaveing it in a longer dark cycle then with an equal light cycle 12/12? i just got to stick with my 12/12:peace:
 

Frigault

Well-Known Member
You could juste get a far red light turn in on 5 minutes prior to 12/12 and your plant yould go into flower mode 55 minutes quiquer every day and it yiuld make it seems like you would have gaine almost 60 hours of flowering time without changing a thing... Takes about 1 hour of darkness for plants to began flowering...
 

Nizza

Well-Known Member
its confusing though op says more light=more buds but he hasnt increased the light time only the dark time by two hours
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
its confusing though op says more light=more buds but he hasnt increased the light time only the dark time by two hours
Maybe he means compared to the 11 on / 13 off schedule? Yeah I was confused by that too.
 

myke

Well-Known Member
10 year old thread!Interesting though.Manually changing your timer everyday would be a pain.
 

Hempire828

Well-Known Member
I’m running mines now on 10/14... Just a little experiment... least I could see for myself before asking you guys..forgot to reset my timer after pulling some out the tent that I switch to 10/14 @ 8 weeks...didn’t wanna add more time said f it...
 

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
Ten years later you would think there would be a clear light cycle for max bud - obviously none make much difference as there isnt one or any clear one.

Some plant gains will fall into single digit percentages - hard for us to see :-)
 

Merlin1147

Well-Known Member
Last spring I ran a small trial using a 28hour day/night cycle. 16 on/12off. I vegged for 4 weeks then took a couple and put them in a tent at 16/12 using a 7 day timer. 7x24=6x28. So they got 6 light/dark cycles in 7 days but with 12 more hours of light per week. My thinking was, more sunlight during bloom, bigger buds. The control plants got 12/12. After 4 weeks the test plants never flowered or looked stressed. The controls started to show pistils after 6-9 days. I switched them back to 12/12 and they flowered normally.

I thought it was pretty interesting. From this, I think that flower initiation is really just a response to the level of metabolites, sugar and starches the plant is able to store for night use. If they wake up in the morning with enough in the tank, they continue to grow. If they low they flower. Does that sound reasonable?
 
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