CUSTOM LIGHTING SCHEDULE DURING BLOOM

[PurpFan]

I HAVE A QUESTION....

I was once told (or read) that the deciding factor in a cannabis plant's ability to flower had everything to do with the dark cycle and not the amount of light that the plant receives. IS THIS TRUE???

To reiterate, the source of information claimed/stated that it was the uninterrupted dark period that triggered the hormones responsible for the onset of flowering and not the lack of light, is this correct?????

If so I'd like to mess around with a single plant and see how I can manipulate it to grow bigger buds if possible... I'm talking about doing something crazy like giving a plant 18 hours of light in its bloom phase. I mean if it's the uninterrupted dark period that triggers the flowering hormone and not the amount of light that it receives then in theory I should be able to give the plant 18 hours of light (which equates to bigger buds) as long as I continue to give the plant at least 12-13 hours of darkness right???

Of course this all depends on whether the information that I came across is actually true or not... Can someone please chime in with their opinions, theories, corrections, two-cents, or anything that'll give me some clarification on the subject before I go and hermie up a good plant, lol. Thanks fellas (and gals).

 

[pulpoinspace]

I HAVE A QUESTION....

I was once told (or read) that the deciding factor in a cannabis plant's ability to flower had everything to do with the dark cycle and not the amount of light that the plant receives. IS THIS TRUE???

To reiterate, the source of information claimed/stated that it was the uninterrupted dark period that triggered the hormones responsible for the onset of flowering and not the lack of light, is this correct?????

If so I'd like to mess around with a single plant and see how I can manipulate it to grow bigger buds if possible... I'm talking about doing something crazy like giving a plant 18 hours of light in its bloom phase. I mean if it's the uninterrupted dark period that triggers the flowering hormone and not the amount of light that it receives then in theory I should be able to give the plant 18 hours of light (which equates to bigger buds) as long as I continue to give the plant at least 12-13 hours of darkness right???

Of course this all depends on whether the information that I came across is actually true or not... Can someone please chime in with their opinions, theories, corrections, two-cents, or anything that'll give me some clarification on the subject before I go and hermie up a good plant, lol. Thanks fellas (and gals).

i think your information is true. but since these plants evolved with 24 hour days, and you're talking about giving them 30 hour days, my guess is they stress out and hermie or reveg or something weird. but try it. take pics. see what happens.

 

[PurpFan]

i think your information is true. but since these plants evolved with 24 hour days, and you're talking about giving them 30 hour days, my guess is they stress out and hermie or reveg or something weird. but try it. take pics. see what happens.

Thanks for the speedy response. I figured something along those lines would happen as 18hrs daylight in bloom is an unnatural occurrence but then again so is vegging for 24hrs... Curiosity alone may drive me to try this but it would be a while before I'm able to post results as I'd much rather take a cutting, wait for it to root, and then veg it for at least two weeks before flipping. I don't think I want to waste a whole plant on such a foolish experiment...lol

 

[xtsho]

12/12 and call it good. Don't over think it.

 

[PurpFan]

12/12 and call it good. Don't over think it.

Been growing for so long now.... I'm wanting to have more fun experimenting at this stage... You know try new things simply for the fun if it. Never know what could come from it. Imagine how many things we would miss out on if it weren't for those willing to try something new....

 

[hillbill]

I went to 10/14 over a year ago and have seen my plants finish slightly faster with no change in yield. I use mostly COBs and all white LEDs at 40w to 50w per square foot.

 

[somebodyhearted]

more than 12hrs light in flower will produce more vegetation
some people do this at the end of flower to "reveg" for the added vegetative weight, although the plant produces not one more trichome as a result leaving the plant, by weight, less potent

 

[PurpFan]

I went to 10/14 over a year ago and have seen my plants finish slightly faster with no change in yield. I use mostly COBs and all white LEDs at 40w to 50w per square foot.

10 on 14 off? Nice!!! We've all heard the advice of using 11/13 in order to see more phenotypic traits in the flowers but others who have tried state that while their plants did finish faster there was a noticeable drop in yields. So to hear of a successful 10/14 with no drop in yield makes me want to give it a go also...

 

[hillbill]

10 on 14 off? Nice!!! We've all heard the advice of using 11/13 in order to see more phenotypic traits in the flowers but others who have tried state that while their plants did finish faster there was a noticeable drop in yields. So to hear of a successful 10/14 with no drop in yield makes me want to give it a go also...

I know it works at that intensity of light with white broad spectrum LEDs. Have fun.

 

[PurpFan]

more than 12hrs light in flower will produce more vegetation
some people do this at the end of flower to "reveg" for the added vegetative weight, although the plant produces not one more trichome as a result leaving the plant, by weight, less potent

Yes but if you ponder for a second the reasoning for vegetation just may be the lack of a long-enough undisturbed dark period as opposed to a more lengthy light period being that it's the elongated dark period that kicks in the hormones to flower which just may mean that growing is what it naturally does as it's still technically growing while budding so as long as the plant's hormones are in flower mode and the plant constantly receives enough of a dark period to keep the flowering hormones coming perhaps the light won't interfere with that process as it's not the amount of light that a plant receives that dictates it's phase but the introduction of, or the lack of a long-enough dark period, right???

Ah man please forgive the long run-on sentence I am blowed.....

 

[PurpFan]

more than 12hrs light in flower will produce more vegetation
some people do this at the end of flower to "reveg" for the added vegetative weight, although the plant produces not one more trichome as a result leaving the plant, by weight, less potent

Also, when people are giving more than 12 hours of light in flower for the purpose of adding weight are they compensating the lost hours with an elongated dark period in order to keep the plant flowering or are they essentially just re-vegging with veg hours???

 

[hillbill]

It seems that a24 hour base would be so much simpler for any humans involved.

 

[ANC]

Plants have at least two perceptions of time or to state it in a different way, they are 'aware' of short-term changes as well as longer termed ones.

I think your result will be very strain dependent... Plants gain their energy in the day and grow in the dark period.

 

[blake9999]

18 hours of continous light, no matter how many hours of darkness, will keep them in veg. Quit trying to reinvent the wheel and stick to a 12/12 schedule. If it would actually work people would have been doing it decades ago.

 

[somebodyhearted]

Also, when people are giving more than 12 hours of light in flower for the purpose of adding weight are they compensating the lost hours with an elongated dark period in order to keep the plant flowering or are they essentially just re-vegging with veg hours???

nope, its all about the weight, look up PPK boosters, etc. all these schedules have been tried and well documented. the best weed for indoor growers is grown under 12/12. sure you might get more with less, or vice versa, but in the end, the dollars spent, the time etc. 12/12 for the win.

 

[PurpFan]

18 hours of continous light, no matter how many hours of darkness, will keep them in veg. Quit trying to reinvent the wheel and stick to a 12/12 schedule. If it would actually work people would have been doing it decades ago.

But who has tried and documented their failed attempt in order to satisfy my curiosity??? I'm willing to be that dude, JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT :0)

Not trying to reinvent the trichome or nothin' just curious to see what'll happen. No one else intrigued by this concept???

 

[PurpFan]

I'm just using logic which we all know means nothing in an illogical world. So, when it comes to re-vegging is it the newly introduced elongated light period that starts the veg cycle/hormones to kick back in or is it the lack of an elongated dark period that triggers it? (Things that make you go, hummm)

I know that this is some "who came first, the chicken or the egg" kinda stuff but if it's the lack of an elongated dark period that triggers the reveg and not the newly elongated light period then....

 

[somebodyhearted]

cervantes, cook, rosenthal, zwenger,short, subcool,edward are some authors

 

[blake9999]

Plants in nature start to flower when the light goes below 14 hours of daylight. Anything longer than that, no matter the time of the dark cycle, will keep the plant in veg. It has been studied and proven. You can give the plant 24 hours of darkness, but if the plant receives more then 14 hours of light it will still veg. It has been studied and proven, you just haven't done the research enough.

 

[PurpFan]

Plants in nature start to flower when the light goes below 14 hours of daylight. Anything longer than that, no matter the time of the dark cycle, will keep the plant in veg. It has been studied and proven. You can give the plant 24 hours of darkness, but if the plant receives more then 14 hours of light it will still veg. It has been studied and proven, you just haven't done the research enough.

Now that's what I have been searching for, some info like that. If I could find some documentation stating that then my curiosity would be satisfied but I've searched and found nothing on the concept...