The Theory

The theory behind the 18 hour Day/Night cycle is that during a normal 24 hour light cycle plants will usually achieve high growth rates peaking at 100% capacity during the first 50 - 60% of the day. The growth rates will then diminish rapidly and the last 20 - 30% of the day achieves minimal growth. So by reducing the length of the day we are triggering an increased growth mode where the growth rates are at their peak for the majority of the day. This effectively achieves a very fast growth cycle with full yield potential.

NOTE: To achieve these incredible growth rates it is important to provide maximum light intensities and CO2 enriched conditions. The recommended lighting is 600W per square metre.

The Cycles
Vegetative Cycle - Lights ON 14 hours Lights OFF 4 hours Flowering Cycle - Lights ON 6 hours Lights OFF 12 hours The Benefits

The growth achieved during an 18 hour cycle can be the equivalent to that achieved during a 24 hour cycle. So by running 18 hour cycles the same growth and yield can be achieved in 75% of the time.
Reduced day lengths also mean reduced power consumption. Grow more and use less power. Who can argue with that?
For example, an average crop grown from seed using a 24 hour day/night cycle will have a 4 weeks grow cycle and an 8 weeks flower cycle. This equates to 28 days @ 18 hours a day and 56 days @ 12 hours a day = 1176 hours of light over 12 weeks.

An accelerated crop using an 18 hour day/night cycle will achieve the same yields using a 3 week grow cycle and a 6 week flower cycle. This equates to 21 days @ 14 hours a day and 42 days @ 6 hours a day = 546 hours of light over 9 weeks resulting in a 40% reduction in power consumption and a 25% reduction in crop time.



Source: Intelli-Cycle Digital Cycle Timer

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