Is anyone growing (veg) on "12/1" cycle? (Method to save electricity)

I came across some curious posts from a few years ago where someone introduced a "12/1" light cycle for vegging.

Basically, the cycle is 12 hours light ON, 5.5hrs OFF, 1hr ON, 5.5hrs OFF == 13 hours light, as opposed to 18 hrs of light as with 18/6 == 5 hours less light needed per 24hrs cycle.

(Or, more simple explained: It's like you switch to 12/12, but in the middle of the 12hr dark period you interrupt the 12hr dark period with one hour of light). This, as most of us know, prevents the plants from flowering.

The one who "invented" this veg method and allegedly some who did it say it works great.

I have to say there is a certain appeal in the idea to save 5hrs of light per day. Anyone growing with such a light schedule?

been doin it for years

flexy123 said:

I came across some curious posts from a few years ago where someone introduced a "12/1" light cycle for vegging.

Basically, the cycle is 12 hours light ON, 5.5hrs OFF, 1hr ON, 5.5hrs OFF == 13 hours light, as opposed to 18 hrs of light as with 18/6 == 5 hours less light needed per 24hrs cycle.

(Or, more simple explained: It's like you switch to 12/12, but in the middle of the 12hr dark period you interrupt the 12hr dark period with one hour of light). This, as most of us know, prevents the plants from flowering.

The one who "invented" this veg method and allegedly some who did it say it works great.

I have to say there is a certain appeal in the idea to save 5hrs of light per day. Anyone growing with such a light schedule?

Click to expand...

That lighting schedule has been used by flower growers for at least a century. its called gas lamp , gas lantern or something like that.

The gas lantern method was designed to prevent short day\long night flowering plants from flowering with a minimum amount of energy\light during natural short day periods. In the olden days I'd imagine a bunch of gas lanterns hung up in a greenhouses that get lit for a short period in the middle of the dark cycle. More recently (post WWII) I have seen flower growers in Hawaii hang a string of incandescent bulbs that are turned on for ~an hour in the middle of the night during winter. That's how we get poinsettas for xmas, and mums for mothers dayn flowering right on time.

Anybody alive trying to claim that they invented this method is a liar.

For me I simply run a low level of lighting 24x7 (very efficient), and full lighting around 12 hours a day, saves headaches with timers.