Temps High in the day can i switch my cycle to lights on at night?

FarmerNinja

Active Member
i was wondering if there was a way to change my 12/12 cycle from the day to night. i have high temps in the day and low temps at night. i wish i had thought of this before hand. is there anyway to change my light schedule so that instead of 12 hours on in the day it turns on for 12 hours at night and is off in the day? thanks
 
Absolutely, its quite an intelligent idea given your temp issue. There could be some stress though, how many weeks are you into flowering?
 
yes my first grows were always this way because of this fact and also I hear electricity is cheaper at night because it's not "prime time". Shouldn't be too much of a stress but maybe could ease them into it if you want. I heard of a guy flowering plants with a 36 hour on light schedule 12 hours off so it's probably more important that the dark cycle stays 12 hours you could just leave the light on for an extra 12 hours and than go from there. One thing to remember though is that during the day it's easier to exhaust heat and if your exhausting hot air at night you are more prone to being picked up by the FLIRS or w/e so proper ventilation is a must. Also, it can be inconveniant if the light is always off when your around to take care of them and on when your sleeping or something so make sure that you can have time to check on your plants while the light is on and make sure everythings workin properly. Or I guess you could use a green light but I never had.
 
im 2.5 weeks with 7 plants and 3.5 weeks with one plant. leave the light on for an extra 12 hours? wont this revert it back to vegging? what would happen if i gave it 12 extra hours of darkness?
 
Like I said, this guy leaves his light on for 36 hours and then turns it off for 12 hours and they flower so it would appear that it''s the uninterrupted 12 hours of darkness that makes the plant flower and not the amount of light. You could always do what anon suggested but I think it might be more trouble than it's worth because 1 day isn't going to affect the plant that much and it won't revert right back to vegetative growth it takes time for a plant to go through that process that's why I wouldn't want to drag it out. You could give it more dark but I wouldn't especially because things can go wrong quick if you don't keep an eye on them lights on is much better. I'd just run my light for 24 hours and than dark for 12 and light for 12...and your done plants should be no worse for the wear.
 
It will be fine I've done the same thing before without any noticable signs of stress.....Just be sure the plant gets the extra hours in the DARK. When your lights go off tomorrow leave them off for 24 hours and turn them back on at night. Its important to make sure it doesnt get extra hours of light but it will be fine with 24 hours of dark. Like i said I done this before too with no stress at all
 
ok so i started to give it more light for about an hour until i read your post will and shut then off right away. its only been an hour or so past when lights usually turn off. I figured as much. i could think of a few things that could go wrong during lights on but during more darkness i figured they would be fine. i appreciate the input pipe dream but i would rather go with advice that has had experience with doing this. so im going to leave lights off for 24 hours and then turn them on tomorrow night. any opinions agreeing that this is the right thing to do pls let me know before morning would be appreciated. thanks!
 
You did the right thing farmer ninja....the extra light is what makes the plant think VEG and dont worry you will be fine with the extra darkness
 
so i have it off during the day now and the light is set to turn on at night. the humidity gets real high here it's at 66% right now and the lights are off. the weird thing is that the temps inside the tent stay the same whether i have my fans on high or low. temps are at 66 degrees right now. i have a small 6" fan blowing into the ceiling and a 4" squirrel cage fan at full blast as an intake. i also have a 4" fan/filter combo as an exhaust. doesnt seem to make a difference whether i have them on blast or just on low temp/humidity wise. so i wasn't sure if i should leave them on full or leave em on low. im guessing that more airflow is worse for mold? any input?

i'll let you know what the temps/humidity come to once the light comes on at 10pm tonight
 
Actually low air flow would increase the chance of mold. When you have moist conditions with no air exchange that causes mold.

Also, going back to the whole 12/12 switch. What you did is fine. Marijuana is constantly producing a chemical that makes it flower. When exposed to light that chemical is broken down by photosynthesis. Then when you extend the dark period and lower the amount of light this chemical is able to build up and cause the change to flowering. Giving it too much light can cause it to revert back to the veg state. Plants vary though and not all of them need 12/12.

Some don't even need 12 of dark. If you had a veg plant and started lowering the light period by an hour every week it is likely that you will begin to notice it to start flowering before you get to 12/12. I have grown a plant under 13(L)/11(D) and it turned out great. The down side to this is that it may take longer to flower. More of the chemical is broken down so it takes longer to build up and complete the flowering.

You could go in the other extreme though and do a time period like 10/14. This will shorten the flowering time but the quality and yield will be hurt also.

Many growers also put their plants under 24 or 48 hours of complete dark when they switch to 12/12. This is like giving it a booster shot and the flowering process gets a nice jump start.

Some people believe matching the conditions that the plant originated in are the best choice too. In DJ Shorts book he talks about growing equatorial strains under the same conditions. Similar temp and humidity, and also the shorter dark period. He believes this is how you reach a plants true potential for taste, scent, and high. I don't necessarily agree with this. Look at all the invasive plants that were brought to America, escaped cultivation, and are now thriving. You may try new conditions for a strain and discover it likes what you did more than the habitat it has been cultivated in for generations.
 
sweet post jebus! thanks for the info man! yes thats what i figured more airflow the less change mold has to breed. i read about the 24-36 hours before the flowering cycle after i started flowering so this would have been a good opportunity to change the cycle but i guess everything looks ok. im just worried about my high humidity in the night and low humidity in the day.
 
When I did that 13/11 grow I was in a very humid place. My humidity was never below 65 the whole time and I never had a problem. It didn't have any huge dense colas. There were some very nice sized buds but they were soft and fluffy. Do you know if these should produce huge or very dense buds? If they end up being soft fluffy buds I think you will be fine. If you can't stabilize the humidity I'd say just ignore it. This is just my opinion though, and I have limited experience growing. Most of the stuff I know I learned from reading books and this forum. Plenty of people will tell you this is a death sentence for them, so just decide what you think is best. Avoid any spraying to keep down the moisture on the buds and leaves and I think you'll be good. Definitely don't spray the buds if you are worried about mold, and keep good air flow with oscillating fans to circulate the air. Do you have a fan to circulate the air inside your grow area? I can't remember if you mentioned one, but it would help a lot. It will strengthen the branches and trunks too.
 
When I did that 13/11 grow I was in a very humid place. My humidity was never below 65 the whole time and I never had a problem. It didn't have any huge dense colas. There were some very nice sized buds but they were soft and fluffy. Do you know if these should produce huge or very dense buds? If they end up being soft fluffy buds I think you will be fine. If you can't stabilize the humidity I'd say just ignore it. This is just my opinion though, and I have limited experience growing. Most of the stuff I know I learned from reading books and this forum. Plenty of people will tell you this is a death sentence for them, so just decide what you think is best. Avoid any spraying to keep down the moisture on the buds and leaves and I think you'll be good. Definitely don't spray the buds if you are worried about mold, and keep good air flow with oscillating fans to circulate the air. Do you have a fan to circulate the air inside your grow area? I can't remember if you mentioned one, but it would help a lot. It will strengthen the branches and trunks too.

yea i have s small 6" clip on fan that i modified into a ceiling fan. i also have a 3 speed oscillating fan hanging from the entrance of the tent so whenever i get the chance i open the front of the tent to get some more fresh air blowing around in there. anymore fans i think would be overkill. i could be mistaken but i think i remember reading that hot days and cold nights are what makes mold. i think its the swing in temp/humidity from day to night. because i believe mold breeds in the cold when there is high humidity and then uses photosynthesis in the daytime when its warm and sunny to grow? dont know much about this maybe someone can correct me

sounds like i should be ok from the info ive been getting. thanks for the help!
 
You did the right thing farmer ninja....the extra light is what makes the plant think VEG and dont worry you will be fine with the extra darkness


I agree. Another thing pipe dreams said made me laugh....the electric company charges by the kwh (kilowatt per hour) ....there is no "peak time" ...they charge you for how long you use it no matter when you use it.
 
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