light cycle

[littlewing]

my plants have been on a 24 hour light cycle since they were planted (about 9 days ago) and i read that an 18/6 cycle is better because the plants use the energy they recieve from the light period to grow during the dark period

do you think i should switch over to 18/6? would this harm the plant?

also, when should i switch to a 12/12 cycle?

-littlewing

[saeon]

i've done plenty of 24 hour lighting in veg and the plants came out fine.

that said, i do tend to put my poor plants through the ringer :-) i end up with a lot of yellow/dead leaves during my average grow cycle.

I use soil and coco mixes. I try to be minimalist with both waterings and fertilization, except in the height of flower when I am generous but try not to overdo it.

18/6 is probably marginally better than 24/0 overall, but you can do 24 hour lighting without major impact just fine if you need to.

[littlewing]

thanks saeon, i'll keep it on 24/0 for now

when should i switch to 12/12?

[pflover]

personally i have fan of some dark and have had certain types of issues with 24/7 that went away when i went to 20/4. but i do propigate (seeds and clonse) under 24/7. deciding when to switch to 12/12 depends on the size of your growing environment and your growing techique and the kind of plant you are growing. with out that info would be hard to help you.

[soulmate]

I like 18/6 because like us they heal themselves best in the dark period. It is like preventive measures.

[pflover]

it's cheaper too.

[diamond]

ive ran as low as 16/8 just for fun,lol.no prob with whta i run.your mileage may vary.

[Pothead Pete]

only the strong survive!!!!!hah......and 12/12 for flower. I have found that you are much better off growing smaller plants than monsters as most of the availiable light never has a chance to reach the bottoms of big monster plants.he he....:D :D