Light cycle ☀

Basic Growing Info
#1

Well, after reading the Lighting FAQ (not much info about LED’s), I still have a doubt with light cycles and possible stress for the plant when changing them. I have a pair of Frisian Duck I want to grow outside and others Early Skunk and Candy Kush I would like to grow indoors to avoid climate disasters and as a backup.

They are all now inside with a 24/7 light cycle, but would like to start with the 16/8 one. The problem is that I want to put the lights on at 23:00, cheaper electricity and less heat in the incoming flowering stage, but I don’t know if later on when weather is better and plants are stronger, taking out the Frisian Ducks with the normal daylight cycle would affect them or not. I could keep them all with the 24/7 cycle until their separation but I don’t know if that is correct. Thanks for your input … :sunglasses:

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#2

Can’t answer your questions, but I’m interested in the answers too. Personally I find 24/0 … weird. I’m tempted to call it “unnatural”, but well, how natural is using LED? :laughing:

So far I think I will use 16/8 indoors. If I’ll start plants indoors to later grow them outside, I think I’d actually adjust my lights to sunrise/ sunset of my area. But that’s more because I can, not because I know it’s the way to do it.

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#3
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#4

Thanks for your reply, very interesting article. I think like you that it may be weird, but helps to develop the plants in their first stage. I will change to 18/6 right now starting at 23:00 hours, I hope the FD won’t be very upset with the jet lag when going outside later on, it seems to be a strong strain so I guess they will be adapted (what it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger :see_no_evil:).

Time to experiment, let’s see what happens, cheers … :sunglasses:

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#5

This has some interesting ideas, plus ranting and fighting.

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#6

From there I took the idea "Using 24/0 instead of 18/6 for vegging. It is believed that plants grow faster. " There are some weird proposals as the “martian cycle” :grin:, and really short day-night ones. That made me thought you could play with them. What I have to try one day is the 12/12 from the beginning to the end, I don’t remember where I read it but sounds good letting the plant to choose when to start the blooming stage.

I think the best way to learn is from your own errors :sweat:, that shouldn’t be a problem as long as I have something to vape :smile:, thanks for your help … :sunglasses:

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#7

You will have to ween it down slowly to outside sun hours or it will prematurely bud and/or reveg after

People swear that 24/0 still works, but I just don’t get how they can grow faster without photosynthesis. I’m curious if 23/1 would even make them grow faster with just 1 hour to photosynthesize. Hmm.

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#8

Thanks for the good advice and interesting point of view, now I have more doubts and questions than before :grin:. Guess my existing alternatives would be keeping the 24/t cycle for all until good weather comes and I can take the FD outside, separate them now with different light cycles or find a new hobby.

As you do not recommend much the 24/7 cycle I think the second option will be the most convenient. appreciate all your help, this is a noob-friendly place :sweat_smile:, cheers …

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#9

I’m still a noob too! The first plants I tried to grow outside I got as clones and didn’t know about weening them down on the light first. All 12 prematurely budded, 5 of which ended up revegging and turned into nice size plants. That was an expensive lesson. lol

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#10

In these cases it is more convenient to learn from other’s experience :grin:, hope those three revegged gave you at least a good reward. One thing for sure, you “understand” the plants and that puts you far from your presumed noob condition :innocent:. Thanks for the (at least for me) free lesson … :sunglasses:

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#11

Hey guys, to me 24/0 is weird too for those plants are living beings and we all need a nap or rest every day and most of all SLEEP. I believe that our ladies need some quality resttime with a bit cooler temps and that in the night time special actions are processed by the plants… I had 20/4 the last three growgoes :wink: :heart: btw they are autos :wink:

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#12

I’d bet that it’s significantly variable based on strain but side-by-side comparison with clones is the way to verify a few of these questions. With autoflowers that’s nearly impossible from what I’ve read; the latest bit being that autoflowers can be prevented from “beginning their countdown” by never seeing darkness. (posted somewhere here recently, & the yield/gain was “not worth the trouble”)…

:evergreen_tree:

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#13

I chose autos for their “countdown”, why would I want to prevent it? :confused:

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#14

I have never experianced stress from switching between light cycles, unless my temps get’s screwed up due to unforseen weather changes I wasn’t home to manage.

Im pretty sure plants will not be stressed at all, going from 24/h to 16/8 or 12/12 as long you can keep your climate in check.
Sure if your plants are used to a nice enviroment, and they go into another enviroment where the temp drops too much during lights out. It could look like stress from the change of light cycles, and indirectly it is but the reason is most likely something else.

If your plants get stressed by light changes, and your envoiroment is perfect.
Id say it’s genetics playing in, as long your not switching from 16/8, to 12/12 to 24/0 or something like that.

There are light cycles made to stress the plants, to show hermi traits. But thats for breeding, so asuming thats not what your reading about.

24h light in veg, along with two flower rooms on flipflop, will hide your grows electrical use.
18/6 is about as effective as you get in veg, and not even all strains/phenos will be photosynthetic active for 18h.
16/8 will keep plants in veg, it will cover most ppl’s needs I guess.

Personal I run 18h light for my moms and clones

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#15

You wouldn’t. :wink: heh.

It was mentioned in regards to “can autoflowers be cloned?”. Photoperiod triggers different reactions in autoflowers than photos, just FWIW.

:v:

:evergreen_tree:

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#16

Yeah I thought maybe for clones. Does it really work though or just some stoner science theory? :grinning:

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#17

I read that as well on here recently about autos and 24/7 lighting staying in veg. I have not found it to hold any water however with my limited auto experience. All three of my autos I have been running in attempt to make seeds have been under light 24/7 and have flowered on schedule.

I often run my veg and clones under 24/7 as it’s just simpler sometimes with a shop light or something. The biggest problem is if you decide to veg outdoors the schedule is way off. And like @Palindrome said bits a waste of electricity after 18hrs .

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#18

Thank you all for your input, I think I will switch to 18/6, finally bought the Quantum LED 4000 K for the veg tent so there are no significative differences between night and day temperatures. That way it will be also easier to finally take outdoors the Frisian Duck as there will not be much difference in the timetable. They first have to recover :sweat_smile:, as long as they are alive it is just a question of time and LITFA.

I read in the OG High School that you cannot make clones from autoflowers and their countdown to start blooming is independent of any light cycle you can choose, hope it is that way, they don’t have a good reputation here too … :grin:

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