Hey guys just starting another round of clones just wondered if everybody else puts theirs under T5 or some kind of fluorescent for 24 straight or 18/6?? Thanks
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Iāve never seen the advantage of vegging beyond 18 hours. Clones in particular seem to be helped to root by dark periods. 18/6 is fine.
-b420
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I agree with @Baudelaire. Unless you have some crazy-ass sativa thatāll start flowering on you no matter what, 18/6 is just fine. 
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Taking 300 clones this week, all will be placed under 24 hours of t 8 florescent lights. I have always used 24 hours, personal preference only, I am not saying it is better or worse, only that it is possible. I find that medium humidity of a clone plays a larger role in clone development than light intensity and type.
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I use T5s and T8s.
My preference is also for 24 hours.
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Iām went with 24 hours under my small 2 foot 2 bulb T5s. I also have a 8 bulb, 4 foot T5, a 400 watt MH, and 1000 watt single and double ended HPS. Should I transition to the bigger T5 or MH?
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I think the 2 footer would do fine. Just depends on your footprint. I usually can get a whole tray of clones to root just fine under one of those, as long as the clones arenāt too big. When you say transition, do you mean going into veg once they are rooted? Or are you talking about switching lights while cloning?
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Somebody should make this into a poll. It would be interesting i think.
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@Guthbuster Sorry I wasnāt clear. Once roots are through the rockwool cubes, and I transplant to 1 gallon pots I generally throw them under the 400 watt MH for a week then Iām gonna ease them under my new AC/DE hoods.
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Gotcha! I might would try to minimize the times you switch lights and transplant and all that good stuff but it sounds like you have a solid start, brutha. Happy growing!
Yeah thatād be interesting. So many variables though, from styles of growing to cultivars to types of lightā¦ lots of ways to skin a cat. I love hearing about everybodyās little tricks though.
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Minimum light. I find the more light the more the plants try to grow vegativly instead of growing roots. 18/6 is great. Leaving the lights on for 24hrs is a waste and can cause stress. Plants need sleep. They will sleep even if the light is on. But just like us itll be annoying to fall asleep with the light on.
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Right on. If you understand the plant, you understand that it needs, and uses, a dark period for growth. Root growth in particular. Iāve learned that the less intense the light, in day-length and lux, the faster and better clones root. Yes, theyāll root under 24 hour light. They root better with six hours of darkness.
Hereās a quick little experiment for those who think their plants do better under 24 hour lighting. Next time you have a veg space ready to switch to bloom cycle, change the light cycle from 24/0 to 18/6 three days before you go to 12/12. Measure the average daily growth during 24/0 and then during 18/6. Most varieties will show an immediate ājumpā upon the switch to 18/6, often doubling their growth rate. Plants like to grow at night.
-b420
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Iāve always used 18/6 and have never been a believer in 24 hours of light. Trying to push a plant or a clone in 24 hours of constant light just never made sense to me.
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