Alternativ light cycle

StareCase

Well-Known Member
... I read about people using a 13/11 light cycle instead of 12/12 ...
Snippet from - http://grantland.com/features/a-trip-hempfest-pioneering-cannabis-breeder-dj-short/


A few minutes later, the moderator turned to the audience and invited them to ask questions. A lanky guy taking notes on a yellow legal pad stood and said he wanted to know how many hours per day you should keep a plant in the light and how many hours in darkness. Twelve and twelve?

“Hear me now, thank me later,” Short said, and slowed down his voice: “For your bud cycle: eleven hours on, thirteen off. Okay? What will happen first and foremost is that you will see phenotypic expressions that you will never see with the twelve/twelve.”

The lanky guy scribbled on his pad.



I do 12/12 for the first 6 weeks then gradually reduce the lighting later in flower. (11/13 in Week 7, 10/14 in Week 8 ... ) Perhaps next time I'll try 11/13 right off the hop and see if that does improve final results.
 

CatHedral

Well-Known Member
Snippet from - http://grantland.com/features/a-trip-hempfest-pioneering-cannabis-breeder-dj-short/


A few minutes later, the moderator turned to the audience and invited them to ask questions. A lanky guy taking notes on a yellow legal pad stood and said he wanted to know how many hours per day you should keep a plant in the light and how many hours in darkness. Twelve and twelve?

“Hear me now, thank me later,” Short said, and slowed down his voice: “For your bud cycle: eleven hours on, thirteen off. Okay? What will happen first and foremost is that you will see phenotypic expressions that you will never see with the twelve/twelve.”

The lanky guy scribbled on his pad.



I do 12/12 for the first 6 weeks then gradually reduce the lighting later in flower. (11/13 in Week 7, 10/14 in Week 8 ... ) Perhaps next time I'll try 11/13 right off the hop and see if that does improve final results.
is there anything to this beyond anecdote
 

piratebug

Well-Known Member
At work, 12/12, but that's only because everyone thinks that works best. At home, when I flip them I start at 13/11, then for my 9 week strains, I drop 2 minutes and 50 seconds a day, then for my 10 week strains, I drop 2 minutes and 35 seconds a day, then for my 11 week strains, I drop 2 minutes and 20 seconds a day. And for longer flowering strains, I drop 15 seconds less each day, so if I was running one of my 14 week strains, my 92 Kali Mist, I would drop 1 minute and 35 seconds a day. which basically means that I start @ 13 on / 11 off, and I end up @ 10 on / 14 off right at harvest time. I have a older computer that I run my grow room server on, and I have a watcher service that's sort of act like a cron service that's hooked to firewire IEE 1394 controlled relays that allow me to turn my light on or off at anytime I want and i use a quick perl script that I can access securely via the internet from anywhere that automatically does the lights on time reduction every day, So I just have to set it once and it will do whatever lights on time reduction I want each day! Why? because for me, light reduction works much better than a truly unnatural never-changing flowering light schedule, and no it doesn't speed up my flowering times, but it does increase my final yields much more than if I was to run a pre-set never changing, flowering light schedule!
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
is there anything to this beyond anecdote
Sorry 'bout that. No, I just took the quote about an 11/13 cycle for the purpose of this thread. The snippet is from an article about DJ Short and the respect he has garnered in the cannabis community about growing and breeding. And he is also onside with an 11/13 schedule.

Click on the HTTP link below if you want to read the whole thing:

http://grantland.com/features/a-trip-hempfest-pioneering-cannabis-breeder-dj-short/
 

hillbill

Well-Known Member
Shorter cycles were tried with old hps and did not do that well, but a high quality spectrum like white COBs and Boards seems to make a real difference. Would expect the same from the new 315w cmh and it’s multiples. I run about 42 watts/sqft of white LEDs and COBs.
 

Blue back

Well-Known Member
[QUOTE="piratebug, post: 15062278, member: my 92 Kali Mist, I would drop 1 minute and 35 seconds a day. which basically means that I start @ 13 on / 11 off, and I end up @ 10 on / 14 off right at harvest time. /QUOTE]

I would kill for that strain of Kali Mist. Spectacular bud but the long grow period turns most farmers off. How many weeks is that KM?

Maybe I'm just lazy or the fact that 12/12 has always worked perfectly will for my 8 9 and 10 weekers. If it's not broke don't fix it.
 

hillbill

Well-Known Member
Followed a thread here by @torontoke and gave it a shot, actually now at 10 1/2 on 13 1/2 off after setting timers after power and timer screwups. Either works and saves on electricity. Plants may finished a couple days sooner with yields quite steady.
 

Whitewidowuk

Active Member
Followed a thread here by @torontoke and gave it a shot, actually now at 10 1/2 on 13 1/2 off after setting timers after power and timer screwups. Either works and saves on electricity. Plants may finished a couple days sooner with yields quite steady.
Can you look at my post about my clone it’s my first time and I think they are dead
 
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