Timing and light

I just received a couple of free autos, Auto Gelato's.
I have never grown autos before, so what lighting schedule should I use?


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18/6

Autos are often overthought . They are plug and play ... most will go 10 weeks regardless of breeder harvest times.
They like simple stress free grows .... no complicated feeds . You can use a good bagged soil and run an auto well into its halfway point
( up to week 6 ) on just that soil and ph water. Then a simple top dress of “ more soil “ watered in.

Most autos are wired for about 90 days average of life .... with a couple of exceptions ( like super autos for example ).
Sativa heavy or “ leaning “ autos can run a bit long ( because of the Sativa ) so they get done when they get done.
Some strains can be topped and such, but if it’s your first run with autos I suggest running them as they are , learn the needs and simple grow techniques of autos , then you can experiment from there.

Any ole light schedule will do as long as there's light....I've run autos on 12/12 for 15 yrs....Getting 1.5-2.5 oz per plant .....out of 2 ltr pots. Reduced costs and care certainly far outweigh any reduced yield.

Where do the reduced costs come from?

@Budzbuddha gave you an excellent run down of autos and I agree 100%.

Personally I run my autos 20-4. It's mostly a personal choice. That's the beauty of autos they can really be under any consistent schedule. I dont like the idea of 24 hours on personally. I think a small dark period helps the plant develop a better root system and theres lots of research out there to support that theory. 12-12 works too. More hours off = cheaper hydro bill.... but more hours on = more energy going into the plant to be metabolized. Like I said. Personal choice.