Why go 24-0 light schedule ?

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by TheStress, Jun 12, 2010.

  1. i have wondered the whole 18/6 deal. i understand totaly saving power and doin it to limit stress.i personaly have myn on 24 and they seem to love it.i have lower space though so im sure it helps me to keep the girls small. is there any other posts or anything on this subject with good amount of information? i know alot of it is strictly opinion but i would like to learn more on this.lol this aint my forum but i appreciate the help u guys are given.stay high yall :smoke:
     

  2. So is this only due again to shitty genetics ?
     
  3. during the dark period is when your plant would be working on its root sytem to help with the uptake of neutreints. also the plant does most of its growing in the first few hours of light and gradualy slows down throughout the day so imo i having some darkness isnt a bad thing
     
  4. Why? Because cannabis requires no dark period in vegetative growth, therefore more energy given to plant = more growth. Plants tend to grow in thicker under 24/7 and do not stretch.
     
  5. I was hoping someone would come to help settle this dispute. Cannabis plants do not need a resting period, they do not perform photosynthesis during dark periods, thus it wouldn't make sense to shorten light times during vegging, UNLESS power is for some reason a concern.
     
  6. i know they dont need a dark period but in the first few weeks it would make alot of sence to give it a rest becouse its during those dark periods when the plant is not focusing on growing that it can put its energy towards establishing its roots.
     
  7. You cannot give the plant "rest" by altering the light. It does not tire of growing. It also will not let itself outgrow its root system, and if it begins to, it will accelerate root growth regardless of the lighting conditions.
     
  8. This is a direct quote from Ed Rosenthal whom most of you know is a marijuana growing guru...
    "Marijuana plantes photosynthesize as long as they receive light as well as water, air, nutrients and suitable temperature. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use the energy from light (primarily in the blue and red spectrums) to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and water (H2O) to make sugar while releasing oxygen to the air.
    Plants use sugars continuously to fuel metabolic processes (living) as well as for tissue building. The plant combines nitrogen (N) with the sugar to make amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. They are the substance of plant tissue. When the light is off, the plant's metabolic processes, respiration and growth, continue.
    The plant can photosynthesize continuously so it produces the most energy and growth when the light is on, continuously. Continuous light does not stress the plant, which reacts somewhat mechanistically to it.
    Plants under an 18-6 light-dark regimen are producing sugar only three quarters of the time. They are thus growing at only 75% of their potential. Leaving the light on continuously will result in bigger plants, faster, which leads to higher yields."

    As for respiration. The main benefit of allowing the plant to respirate is to strengthen the root structure. If stability of your plants is an issue, then 18/6 may work better for you. However, if you want maximum yield (which I believe is the point) I would suggest 24/0 as the light cycle of choice.
     
  9. Makes sense to me ;)
     
  10. quick question, in veg stage, if using 18/6, during the dark period is it just as important to keep light leeks out as it is during flowering?
     
  11. I think it's all a matter of preference. I actually have my vegging schedule on a 16/8 and my plants grow pretty rapidly in soil. Light on my pocket as well
     

  12. Any data that supports this?

    I have never had a plant hermie in a vegetative state ever. I am not saying it is not possible but just very unlikely on a normal time line. I have vegged for 5-8 months sometimes because of space issues and sort of use bonsai techniques to limit growth upwards. Never had any hermie because of a steady 24 hours light cycle.

    I am not saying this is incorrect I am just wondering if you have further data because I am trying to find something conclusive that is based on testing done to determine this light factor on the rate of hermie production.

    Post it if you could thanks.
     
  13. #33 jbrother, Dec 28, 2011
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2011


    You are most likely actually losing money or breaking even.

    Look at it like this and disagree all you like I don't really care what others think but I do like the sound of my own voice (or my typed words so to speak).

    I am going to base this on 18/6 not 16/8 because I cannot think of a legitimate reason to run that cycle other than money and it is not that much money in the long run.

    here in my part of the world it costs around .12 cents a kilowatt hours. At that rate I save about 158$ a year running (I actually calculated that at 600w not the actual wattage of my setup which is actually much lower than that so it would actually be half of 158 for me in reality EVEN BETTER) it only 18 hours a day. However my growth rate is slowed by 25%. That means it takes more days to get the same volume of growth I need to get the size I want before flowering. These extra days end up using more electricity over volume of space and plants than just using it on a 24 hours cycle would have. Some might disagree with this but I am currently getting about 2-4 inches growth a day on average using nothing but a 4' 6bulb bank of T-5's in a 2.7 x 5 space. I can barely keep enough room in it and it is a dense hedge all the time. I tried running it with other cycles and it did nothing but actually cost me money because in the end I needed the same amount of light hours to get the same amount of growth. By the way I get zero stretch that I don't want like this. I currently have about .6-.8 in inter-node spacing on my vegging plants like this.

    18/6, 16/8, 20/4...

    These are all a waste of time. You still need the same amount of light hours to get the same amount of growth. It is a simple energy conversion that we cannot get around. In a natural setting (one in which chemicals are not altering the plant on a genetic or base level) plants need "X" amount of light to reach "Y" size. I don't see how giving them less "X" equals more "Y"? If that is the case then why would you not give them the MAX "X" you can (24 hours in this case since we live on earth.) so that the rate of "Y" is as quickly as possible. Don't spend time giving them nothing or you will get less in return. I know the argument is not rapid growth by the way with a changed light cycle. However you are actually slowing the growth that could be occurring.

    I am sure everyone in the world will disagree and say my math is wrong and my views are ridiculous. Have at it I could care less. The theory about is sound in my not at all humble opinion. One way or the other the plant needs that light to grow and it will require a specific amount of light to reach a certain size period. Give it the damn light.

    Oh one more thought as well...

    if you are only saving 158$ a year at that rate on 18/6 you could just be making that back growing a larger plant and adding one or two more ounces to your harvest per year... that's not so bad is it?
     
  14. Just a matter of preference. I run my girls 24 hours in Veg, with a Sunblaze T5 system. Since it's a fluorescent system, it doesn't burn as much power as an HID would. I've done the 20/4 as well.

    I see the 24 hour cycle as a benefit for my particular application, because I've noticed a difference in the grow time when in the Veg cycle. The cost difference over an HID (I used to run a 400w MH) is noticeable, and for whatever reason, these plants LOVE fluorescent in Veg cycle.
     
  15. #35 halfa380, Dec 28, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 28, 2011
    persoanly i veg. 24/7 because i want to max my veg time to max my yield. They can get rest in flower. I find it easier to control climate under 24/7.when you get to 12/12 climate control should be focused on more, 4-5 degrees diffrence. not more than that plus proper nute control. and succes guranteed. One of the major keys to a suckcesfull grows is climate control.keep in mind.constant ph+ good climate control= good nute consuption=good water uptake=good proper bud= success
     

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