18/6 vs 24

[zigggy]

good day,,,,,? I veg on 18/6 a buddy of mine uses straight 24 ,,,is there any benefit to using that extra 6 hours of light (why pay for it) I can use the power for my new ac unit ,,thanks in advance

 

[yarddog]

I started out vegging at 24 light. I swapped a few months ago for 5 weeks to 18/6. I saw way too much stretch. This is something you need to try and make your own opinion with. Try both and decide what you think is best. This is a controversial topic.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Yes, there is an advantage. Your plants have 6 more hours every day to grow. Cannabis is in a class of plants that do not need a dark period while vegging. They will grow all the time they have light (and the other necessities). Plants will stretch during the 6 hours they don't have light, which results in larger internodal spacing and therefore less bud sites. You are not really saving anything when you run your lights 18/6. You may end up with plants that are the same height, but the plants run 24/7 will have closer internodal spacing, which results in more bud.

 

[Rosebud]

I think either way is fine. I used to do 24/7 but found my plants did a little better with a dark time. I do 18/6 and am a bit happier with it.

 

[yarddog]

See what I mean?? Two very good growers. Two different methods. Lol.

 

[Hackerman]

I do 18/6 during cloning and seed spouting because I recall the night hours yielding better root growth. After they go from clone cups to pots and start to veg heavily, I go 24/0.

Like HG said, the night hours really add to stretch and just about everyone I know who grows indoors has height limitations.

I need to support my understanding of night hours promoting root growth. Something to do with the chemicals that are produced during dark time. I'll see if I can gather some footnotes on that.

 

[umbra]

cannabis does produce chemical transmitters that are processed during lights out, similar in some ways to serotonin. Whether it has any effect on the plants growth pattern is hard to say. Clearly they change from absorbing CO2 with the lights on to absorbing oxygen when the lights are off. It has always been my understanding that you are trying to mimic nature in every way. If that is the case, then a lights out regime would be appropriate.

 

[Rosebud]

Speaking of that umbra, I had a lady tell me that her plant she was growing didn't like outdoors. ? what? have you ever heard of plants doing better indoors? not at my house. Mine love being outside. I wonder if the cbd profile is different. Is indoor stronger? I used to think that until I grew outside. I think it is as strong as an indoor grow but I might just be loaded.

 

[umbra]

Indoor plants typically don't get exposed to tons of uv rays and outdoors do. When you first take plants from indoors to the outdoors, they need to become acclimated to the increased uv, by giving them a little more exposure every day. Otherwise they can burn. Then there are the bugs...if you aren't looking closely, you might not see them. My point being, there are many aspects to a grow that aren't always fully understood and assumptions about what happened blamed on the outdoors, when it is something else entirely.

 

[pcduck]

My veg light has been on 24/7/365 for at least 5 years.