Hi all!! I am trying to verify if this is true. I met a fellow grower recently and we compared notes on our growing methods. Most of what we talked about was the same aside from this; He said that 3 weeks prior to harvest he changes his light schedule from 12-12 to 10-14 (On-Off). The buds he gave me to try were very dense and potent. He claims that the change to 10-14 was the reason why the buds became so dense. He also noted that he reduces the watering schedule from every other day to every 3rd day, then every 4th day for subsequent weeks up to harvest. Reducing the water was to dry the plant out to reduce drying time and also increse density (So he says). Anyone tried this and seen similar results? I'd like to know because my buds get big, however they are not very dense. The plants are happy and no sign of bugs, herm or disease. I use FFOF/CoCogro 1.5 cu/ft : 1.5 Cu/ft. 5 Gallon Grow bags Yellow bottle Bloom A&B Yellow bottle Phat I use Cal/Mag early in Veg at 50% strength PH 6.1-6.3 3 room with 2 400W HPS Current strains Pinneaple express, and train wreck. Any help appreciated.
if his plants do ok on being watered every third day and he normally waters every other he is over watering them normally... I really see no logic in giving it less light could lead to extra growth. the opposite is far more believable... as for potency, that is down to genetics unless you balls something right up.. there are an almost limitless amount of variables when growing, the reason why your grows are different could be anything. loose bud can come from anything you don't have right, it's basically just less growth. if you can describe your system I could probably point out a few changes that may help
The only reason I would think this is plausible is bc it could trick the plant into survival mode. I have tried the 72 hours of darkness before harvest and also have used an ice water flush (mimic cold rain) with hopes that the plant pumps out more resin as a last ditch effort to catch pollen and reproduce. Personally I would never try it bc 12/12 works absolutely fine. Having dense buds could come down to strain, temps in the room, humidity so I would work on those before changing the light cycle during flower.
There is no reason to reduce the light schedule below 12 hrs unless you are growing pure sativa plants. Some landrace sativa plants need less light to flower, but 11 1/2 hours will initiate flowers on hard to flower strains. Anything less is a waste of growing time, 12/12 is the schedule used by commercial greenhouses that grow photoperiodic plants worldwide, if different schedules would benefit flower production it would be used. The daylength has nothing to do with density of flowers. PW
I do this when they are taking too long or if they look like they are going to finish and put up new white hair. The density comes at the end no matter the light you use. Also some strains just are not dense, most of my sativa are more leafy and airy than the indica and indica crosses. I also do this during flower if my electric bill jumps too high. I've never had any bad results for it. If you think too, you have a strain that should be more dense maybe you could get away with getting the plants closer to the light or supplement with some 26 watt cfl's. good luck let me add I run 24 hours on veggers and when I drop the light lower than 18 they flower.
i read that upping lights from 10 hours to 12 improved thc by double or something SUPER drastic, i can't find the link but it was enough to convince me to run 12 in flower
as to that you can run the 13/11 and give them more light but by the time I knock them back to 10, I am expecting a finish and only do that when they start pushing new pistils. That is because the new thc produced will be far behind and the ones that turn amber will be dead by the time the new turn cloudy. It is ok to manipulate the light to get what you need but keep it as stable as you can and don't do anything all at once. imo
this would rely solely on the assumption that plants have a survival mode and that lighting hours can trigger it. neither of which I believe. .plus I don't understand the connection with cold roots to cold rain, or cold rain and resin, or that resin has anything to do with pollen. .I agree with you that its all futile, and crazy when there are factors that can easily be controlled that obviously have an effect. .to get more bud you want to first correct any cock ups, after that seek out the most limiting factor and then change it. some of the common things to do is... change strain, add more light, add more oxygen to the roots, add more air flow around the leaves, get the EC level correct, get the PH level correct, get the canopy and nutrient tank temperature correct, increase your ventilation
I've read that trichome production increases at the end of the reproductive cycle to keep predators and insects away, protect the plant from forms of UV light, aid to the collection of pollen, and help it survive in colder environments. That's where someone told me about an ice water flush and I gave it a try. So 'defense mechanism' is a better way to put it than "survival mode". Ill experiment with it again when I'm close to harvest and need to flush anyway. Experiments are fun anyway
I do organics so I don't flush but during the cold weather outside they go fast and turn purple because the p gets bound up. It doesn't hurt just watch the trichs they will do what they do you just want to watch them do it and be sure they aren't deteriorating. I use a uv bulb too a bit inside and if you leave it long that isn't good, don't use it longer than 2o minutes and be sure it's far enough away. Also my experience has been the bugs are not repelled by trichomes, in fact I've had spider mites strip the trichs off buds but that is only my own experience the bugs don't seem to be so picky around here.
I believe its the "tannins" that ward off the bugs at the end not trichromes. Decreasing the light will not make buds more dense the opposite is true, less light less growth. Its either your phosphorus content or not enough lumens. And its not co2. Co2 does not help density like some people think it just aids in overall growth.I drop to 10 /14 during the last week to mimic fall weather which is harvest time outdoors. I think it finishes the tric maturation process and saves a few bucks on electricity. You can only do this at the end. Do not switch back and forth. So if you have older plants mixed with younger ones dont do it.
I just got back from hempfest and herd Jorge Cervantes talking about this subject. The panel of speakers said that during flower, the more dark, the more flower hormone there is. they suggest an 11-13 or even 10-14 however they also discussed how in natural environments, these changes would be made slowly. It could be a better idea to start flowering with 12-12 and slowly change your light cycle so that by the time they are done they are down to 10, 8 or even 6 hours of light. I do plan on experimenting with all of these cycles.
There is No where in the world that has 12/12 Photoperiod for three months. Just cause it works doesn't mean It's the best way. But No grower is going to change his light cycle by 3 minutes every day. Which is What happens outdoors. Not all plants flower under 12 hours darkness. My fruity goes in at 14.56/9.44 My Jack goes in at 14.0/10. While my paralysis goes in at a mean 12.2. It might not seem like such a big deal but that is almost a month and a half difference between the fruity and the paralysis outdoors. I noticed that when indoors, on a 12/12 the Jack and the fruity produced ALOT less. So next flower period I upped to 14 light and they gained weight while the paralysis didn't go into flower at allSent from my ADR6350 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I just cut it back to 10 at the end when the pistils are withering and receding. Don'cha know though ya do what works, if it isn't working stepping it up is ok but you need to know where the weakness lies. The plant though it's life is going to be what you get at the end. I do a lot of experimentation because I get bored with the same ole same ole all the time but that doesn't mean I don't have the old tried and true in the works somewhere just because I'm playing with techniques on another batch.
I would never try to mimic any natural conditions. Nature is harsh and cruel. It's a hard life that only the toughest survive. I want to give my plants the most pampered life I can give them, cover all their needs as best I can so they give me as much bud as I can get with the equipment I already have. Maybe it's worth experimenting, but I doubt it. If you want more bud from your set up there are far more efficient ways of doing it. Changing your light cycle by an hour or two isn't going to make any real differences, and lowering the amount of light can only lead to less photosynthesis, no matter what or how much hormons are present. If you want to make big difference with light cycles plant auto seeds and keep them on 24/0
I usually leave my girls in total darkness for 3 days before harvest . I've tried both ways and especially with sativa strains the resin really pushes out during them days of darkness . During flowering the last month u need around 8hrs of light but anything more is not needed as the bud growth will keep going strong regardless of more light , as long as ur PH and condition r good ur buds will keep growing . 12hrs is the standard from over the decades of people playing around with weed plants to understand them and what they have all come to understand is that more then 12hrs the plant starts to hermie or doesn't do bud growth . Hope that helps .
I have actually been experimenting with this schedule as of now. Noticed that the more sativa dominant strains actually do respond better to the 10 / 14 schedule. Also with more indica dominant strains I have noticed that the buds finish about a week faster and also will have have more compact plants throughout the flowering stage. I also like to run a 10 / 14 style since not only do i live in the northwest and it mimics our natural light schedule better as well as saves a little money in power through the month. The only thing is I gradually change the setting every two weeks of flower. Start with the 12/12 drop to 11 / 13 then to 10 / 14 it will help with the stress. The thing is you must know your strain because some strains will respond great to this method some won't depends on what you grow. So know your strain.
I started experimenting with this light schedule and have seen nothing but bad results. Maybe is because I'm grow all organic using super soil cause the friend who told me about it uses a hydro ebb and flow setup and gets crazy frosty densely packed buds and he uses CFL lights.