I finally decided to use 6v batteries to an inverter with a timer and cfls to keep my plants from flowering right away here in FL. My question is, There is only 13hrs of daylight so at dawn how long do i need to keep the cfl on to keep them in veg...is it anything over 14hrs? Also would i need the lights on from day 1 of sprout or could i start to use them around day 20 before they start to flower. Idk how clear that is but if anyone can help i can try and make it more understandable.
You mean at dusk? When you turn the lights on I mean. I live in florida too, and usually let my plants auto flower because of the light times, but I need my plants to stay small and discreet. I know most people either give their plants 18/6 or 24/0, depending on the plants, and how big they want them. If you dont want to go for 24 hours of light, then just leave the lights on for 6 hours, or 4 now because I think the day times are closer to 14 hours at the moment. I would just give them the light from the beginning, so they are used to it and arent switching light times too often. It will also help the plants grow big and strong..
Yes i meant dusk. I know 18/6 will work but im looking for the least light ratio that will keep them in veg...theyre are mostly haze strains. We are getting 13hr and 15min as of today sunsets at 8:05. So if i set the timer for 7:50 or so, how long would i have to leave the light on. I was thinking about giving them an extra hr of light at day 15 then increase it to where it needs to be...maybe i just need to start it at plus___hrs. 15/9? 16/8? and should i start them at that from day one of sprout>? Thanks for the reply man...ive been waiting on someones input for awhile!
Well, Im not sure what the least light to keep them in veg would be, but I know that they still flower in 14/10 so I would say at least an hour or two more than that. Ive never heard of anyone doing under 18 hours of light during veg, and I have no idea how much light would keep them in veg, but as close to 18 hours as you can get would probably be best. Im thinking you should give them the same amount of light from the start, Ive never heard of anyone giving the babies less light or anything like that. Maybe someone with more knowledge about using lights can elaborate a bit more, I usually just use the sunlight.
Thanks for the input bro +rep That sounds good to me so ill go with that...Living in FL. you prob know they would be small if i didnt put this extra light on them. If anyone can tell me what the least ratio of light to dark i can use to keep them in veg that would be great!
No problem man, always like to help out a fellow grower. Yeah, they dont get real big here in fl if you dont give them lights, because they flower as soon as they possibly can. It works ok for me at the moment though, because I dont want giant plants or anything, just a couple small ones for personal use. This is about how big they get around here without extra light, this is my current baby, she is in week 5 of flowering right now: Not too big, plus I lsted it, which helps keep them lower, if it wasnt lsted, it would probably be close to 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall.
I have no idea what strain, just grew it from some bagseed as I always do. Im saving buying good seeds for when I can grow with lights and the best conditions possible, not really worth buying seeds until I can get some plants of real good size going you know? Im kind of just getting a bunch of grows under my belt before I really try to grow plants for 100% quality, want a lot of experience before I drop a bunch of bills on growing, dont want to waste my money. Ive never had trouble with mold, but I watch for it pretty well because I know its so common down here.
Ya i feel ya man, indoors is much easier. Looks like you have plenty of knowledge to pull off a good indoor grow. Good luck to ya