12/12 vs. 18/6

Custom99 · Jan 23, 2020

So i am confused. Still in my first grow. I planted 3 different auto fems October 28th. I thought it was best to run 18/6 all the way. As some of you have seen with my posts I have a Dwarf low flyer that never went to flower. I contacted the place i got the seeds from and they say i should be running 12/12. No idea what to do. I have a 2x4 tent. I thought since i would be running the same light times all the way through that i could start plants every other month to have a steady harvest at one point. Now i dont know what to do since i have 2 plants flowering nice, this plant that is hige and beautiful by not flowering, and 2 plants 4 weeks old with one of them showing crazy pistils in the last 2 days. The pic is of the plant in question.

FourthCity · Jan 23, 2020

You shouldn't have to put them into 12/12 to flower. If I'm not mistaken autos are supposed to go into flower at given time (based on genetics) regardless of the light cycle. Maybe there was a mix up?

Havocsm1 · Jan 24, 2020

16/8 until you reached half your desired height. 12/12 when you're ready to flower and they'll stretch sometimes double in height. You can't flower unless the plant is getting 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. It'll veg forever if you keep only 8 hours or less. Yes, the plant will react. It's like a light switch.

Nugg · Jan 24, 2020

Yeah auto flip on its own regardless of light time... different strains can be different time..couple weeks different..

Custom99 · Jan 24, 2020

So with only having one tent will i do harm to my plants that are already in late flower if i adjust times?

Seraphine · Jan 24, 2020

No. They’ll be fine. I’ve kept autos under 18/6 then switched them to 12/12 because i had photos that I needed to flower. Autos can flower under any light. It’s possible The plant that is not flowering on its own is a photoperiod.

FourthCity · Jan 24, 2020

Havocsm1 said:
16/8 until you reached half your desired height. 12/12 when you're ready to flower and they'll stretch sometimes double in height. You can't flower unless the plant is getting 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. It'll veg forever if you keep only 8 hours or less. Yes, the plant will react. It's like a light switch.

I think you are describing photoperiod plants, autos are crossed with ruderalis and are not supposed to behave that way.

Mexicokid · Jan 25, 2020

Seraphine said:
It’s possible The plant that is not flowering on its own is a photoperiod.

I agree with Seraphine. Switch the light schedule to 12 /12 to start the flowering process.

Hedimitrius · Jan 25, 2020

I use 24/7 light on my autos all the way through. No timer or switching.
Autos are for northern climates that have 24 hours sunlight. Between the ruderalis and the summer northern light sched, they have no need for darkness ever.

BudsAlive · Jan 25, 2020

I always run my auto's 20/4 as advised by the seed company. With Good results.

Mexicokid · Jan 26, 2020

Hedimitrius said:
I use 24/7 light on my autos all the way through. No timer or switching.
Autos are for northern climates that have 24 hours sunlight. Between the ruderalis and the summer northern light sched, they have no need for darkness ever.

The plant is 3mos old so it's most likely a photoperiod, not an auto. That's why we suggested to flip the light to a photoperiod light schedule to get it to flower.

Moshmen · Jan 26, 2020

Custom99 said:
So i am confused. Still in my first grow. I planted 3 different auto fems October 28th. I thought it was best to run 18/6 all the way. As some of you have seen with my posts I have a Dwarf low flyer that never went to flower. I contacted the place i got the seeds from and they say i should be running 12/12. No idea what to do. I have a 2x4 tent. I thought since i would be running the same light times all the way through that i could start plants every other month to have a steady harvest at one point. Now i dont know what to do since i have 2 plants flowering nice, this plant that is hige and beautiful by not flowering, and 2 plants 4 weeks old with one of them showing crazy pistils in the last 2 days. The pic is of the plant in question.

No need for 12/12! Autos run on the genetics it is possible to get one that doesn’t flower correctly, I wouldn’t Chang a thing keep ur grow goin and if she flowers great if not then we’ll just move on if ya want to keep the harvest goin

Moshmen · Jan 26, 2020

Havocsm1 said:
16/8 until you reached half your desired height. 12/12 when you're ready to flower and they'll stretch sometimes double in height. You can't flower unless the plant is getting 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. It'll veg forever if you keep only 8 hours or less. Yes, the plant will react. It's like a light switch.

Auto flower no need for 12:12

Moshmen · Jan 26, 2020

Seraphine said:
No. They’ll be fine. I’ve kept autos under 18/6 then switched them to 12/12 because i had photos that I needed to flower. Autos can flower under any light. It’s possible The plant that is not flowering on its own is a photoperiod.

Good info right there autos will go on 12/12 if needed but when I ran 12/12 I lost some yield

Moshmen · Jan 26, 2020

Hedimitrius said:
I use 24/7 light on my autos all the way through. No timer or switching.
Autos are for northern climates that have 24 hours sunlight. Between the ruderalis and the summer northern light sched, they have no need for darkness ever.

Not true that’s like saying you don’t need sleep cuz it’s not dark out, autos need the dark period to reach full potential

Moshmen · Jan 26, 2020

Sure got a lot of good answers here! What ya need to decide is whether you’d gonna flower the photo? And flip them to 12/12 of continue the path your on and possible sacrifice the non flowering plant ?
You will be fine which ever you choose . Good luck

Seraphine · Jan 26, 2020

BudsAlive said:
I always run my auto's 20/4 as advised by the seed company. With Good results.

I use 18/6 because the less wear on my lights means they will last longer. I also flower on 11/13 for the same reason. No complaints on yield :)

Moshmen · Jan 26, 2020

Seraphine said:
I use 18/6 because the less wear on my lights means they will last longer. I also flower on 11/13 for the same reason. No complaints on yield :)

Same here with the autos, unfortunately I can’t run the photos yet , some day! Lol I started out 24/7 but seen yields and quality go up at 18/6 just my limited experience

Kiwichick · Jan 26, 2020

FourthCity said:
You shouldn't have to put them into 12/12 to flower. If I'm not mistaken autos are supposed to go into flower at given time (based on genetics) regardless of the light cycle. Maybe there was a mix up?

I was told by the guy at my hydro shop that autos don’t worry about light, they need warmth and flower when they are ready and it depends on strain like you say. He told me some people who sell the seeds can over exaggerate the length of time to be shorter for selling purposes. My auto is just flowering after 9 weeks.

Seraphine · Jan 26, 2020

Moshmen said:
Same here with the autos, unfortunately I can’t run the photos yet , some day! Lol I started out 24/7 but seen yields and quality go up at 18/6 just my limited experience

Plants need a dark period for their metabolism to work properly. That’s why you saw an improvement in yield and quality. They can’t make food nonstop.

12/12 vs. 18/6

12/12 vs. 18/6

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