Interesting method.. anyone heard of this??

sounds good for quick sexing but I cant see it shaving too much time off flowering.

 

I've heard that somewhere before. On this forum maybe.
Can't say i've tried it though

 

it seems logical, i also dont see how it would shave any time off flowering, if its dark for only 24 hours what would that have anything to do with taking days off the harvest date?

 

Actually they have improved on it and now they say 3 days, However, it only works to reduce the time on seed plants from what I've gleaned, as seeds are not often grown in veg until they show there sex/fully mature. But with clones they pretty much have the first budlets develop in 7-10 days and you really can't get in any faster than that. A concern I have with the dark period is that it is allready being stressed indoors when you jump from veg to flower, on your more delicate strains, the additional stress might hermie them.

 

ya whats happened to "haste makes waste" ?

 

yeah i turn my lights off for 24 hrs to kick em into flowering .... but no way does it take 7 days off the flowering cycle ... maybe a couple of days at best .... useing something like chlormequat chloride will take a week off flowering ....

 

Try to stay away from any plans to "shock them" into anything. Your plants will be happier with more gradual changes in their lifestyle. You'd be better off sticking those dark days at the other end of flowering, just before harvest.

 

People crack me up, we're so lazy, always looking for a shortcut in anything we do.

Growing pot is one of those things you should do and not take shortcuts... just grow the plant the way mother nature intended.

When you start manipulating things you risk more problems than you started with.

The hippies you spoke to were partially right, it can help, but it doesn't take off any time from your flowering period. All it does is make the plant show sex sooner because it shocks them into doing it, so if you feel the need to shock your plant to save a few days waiting for them to show sex - go for it.

Now that I think about it, since the plant shows sex faster after 24 hours darkness, it could speed up the entire process. The hippies just worded it wrong, it doesn't make the plant flower faster. It makes them show sex faster, but after that they will flower within their normal time frame.

 

Ive heard of people going all the way up to 72 hours of darkness they claimed it made the plant think it was dying so it makes as much buds as possible right away to try to reproduce before it dies. I've never tried it though

 

GREAT! So lets all make our plants think they're dieing before we flower. Hmm that seems like a great idea!!!!

LOL!

I'll stick with 12/12

 

hey all. I read about initiating 12/12 with a 36 hour dark period and tried it. plants from seed were 28 days old at initiation. I had 4 females out of 9 plants. after 36 hour dark period plants looked a little weak. they all showed sex within 11 days of 12/12. they wen't 10 weeks in flower, and could've went one more week, but was ready enough for me. I'm still a new grower, and so there were many other less than perfect variables, but heres my experience for what it's worth to anyone. oh yeah, I don't plan to do it again, didn't notice any benefit. in fact, I would say it slowed them down a few days. peace

 

Different breeders have defferent opinions about things like this. It depends on the grow style. I've read Soma gets a little philosophical about it, While Delta-9 Labs doesn't buy into it (neither does Ed Rosenthal). There is no scientific evidence that shows an extended dark period at the beginning of flowering will benefit the plants at all.

But some pro growers do it anyway, because they like to, and it doesn't hurt the plants. Just as a light schedule of anything less than 24/7 during veg. is a personal choice, or people just being anthropomorphic about things. 18/6 doesn't have an impact on the plants beyond denying them light for 6 hours.

So I say do it if you like, it's not necessary, but it won't hurt.