do you turn the lights off when you veg?... And if so, how long?

  • Thread starter ken dog
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frebo

frebo

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I grow from clone 90% of the time....so girlz is girlz.....24 hours or no. (I do 24/7 as well)

The first time yer timer fucks up and you drop into flower unexpectedly or find hermies....you'll see why just pluggin it all in directly and letting it run 24 hours a day makes sense.

to each their own though....to each their own
Been there. Three leaf. I use an automatic yard light over the garden until mid July.
 
tweedy

tweedy

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To my knowledge plants will rest regardless of photo period. I run 24/7. I have been interested in running a different schedule I read about a long time ago (although for weak genes I'd assume it is a bad one) of 12 hours on, 5.5 off, 1 hour lights back on to interrupt its flowering signal and 5.5 off again. Its supposed to be an accelerated growth rate but saving a good chunk on energy bills for those with a big veg room.
 
Theoneandonly Z

Theoneandonly Z

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To my knowledge plants will rest regardless of photo period. I run 24/7. I have been interested in running a different schedule I read about a long time ago (although for weak genes I'd assume it is a bad one) of 12 hours on, 5.5 off, 1 hour lights back on to interrupt its flowering signal and 5.5 off again. Its supposed to be an accelerated growth rate but saving a good chunk on energy bills for those with a big veg room.

ya, thats known as the gas lantern technique. its known to build hormone levels, reduce herms, and speed veg.. and in flower, reduce every week by 30 mins after week 3-4. i would try it out
 
tweedy

tweedy

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I'm always down for an experiment, now only if the better half would let me have another room in the house. Ha.
 
reloader

reloader

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I ran mh 400's 24/7 for years & just recently switched to 20/4 (for cost) & I'm pretty pleased. I may even go to 18/6. Plus I have come to like the idea that plants need a little rest.
 
sky high

sky high

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I hear ya about plants "resting" in nature and about 24/7 not bein' "au natural"....:rolleyes:

but tell me...."rest' or not.....where in the fuck in the world does the light change from "18/6" (not "natural" daylight hours unless yer close to the poles/live in Alaska in "Summer") to "12/12" in one fucking day? :D

Or do you folks slowly change your timers as well..emulating nature's shorter days and inducing flower over months..rather than weeks?? LOFL.

Slam them bitches. They are plants. You are growers. Very little we are doing is "natural"....(ya damn incurable hippies!)
 
frebo

frebo

605
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I hear ya about plants "resting" in nature and about 24/7 not bein' "au natural"....:rolleyes:

but tell me...."rest' or not.....where in the fuck in the world does the light change from "18/6" (not "natural" daylight hours unless yer close to the poles/live in Alaska in "Summer") to "12/12" in one fucking day? :D

Or do you folks slowly change your timers as well..emulating nature's shorter days and inducing flower over months..rather than weeks?? LOFL.

Slam them bitches. They are plants. You are growers. Very little we are doing is "natural"....(ya damn incurable hippies!)
And what is natural about any ELECTRIC light? Hey, I'm an old hippie. I have some clones(starts) outside by my shop under the yard light, on all night but with a dimming at sunrise and sunset.
 
ken dog

ken dog

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I'm a hippie too... and I appreciate all the great answers.:)

lots of excellent information in this thread as well, thanks guys.
 
Welshwizzard

Welshwizzard

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18/6 as I feel it is as close to "nature" as you can get away with.

Few pals do 24/7 but I've not seen any significant difference so I'll stick with what I know until I'm feeling adventurous.
 
Max Frost

Max Frost

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I've done both 18/6 and 24 hr. IMO, it's true that you tend to get a higher % of fems running on 18/6, but IMO...not enough of a difference to matter in a very small scale grow like mine. I also feel like they will sex faster under 18/6 as well. The only real difference I could tell was that (for me) the plants on 24 hour light grew faster. I really couldn't tell any difference in my power bill between the two light schedules either. I just run a 4' 4-bulb T-5, so if I happen to run the TV a little more one month...it negates any difference I might have seen. YMMV...but I'm a fan of a 24 hour veg. Best of luck!

Max :wacky:
 
G

gog

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18/6 for myself,have tried 24 hours straight,but just didn't notice a differance in growth,only in my power bill.
Have seen this topic discussed many times and have never seen a arguement to truely support either case,having said that i'am a believer in using what works for you.:)
 
MakinGoo

MakinGoo

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24/7 in veg.. From clone 2 veg my girls get no rest.. There in a race & only the biggest fastest strongest girls will make it 2 the next level..I always feel like rest is wasted time & my plants can grow more during that wasted rest time.. Like after a 6hr sleep time I feel she is now 6hrs behind the plants that would of kept it movin 24/7.. After I pick my winners then they get flipped & some deserved rest.. My girls get 2 sleep when they flower..

I'm not sayin this is the only way 2 do things I'm juss sayin this is how it gets done in my garden..
 
Beastgrow

Beastgrow

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anything less than 24/7 should only be for heat or energy savings... maximum growth at 24/7
 
shadyslater

shadyslater

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I run gas lantern method for vegg 12on 5.5off 1on 5.5off works a treat miggt be a tad slower but oh well
 
N

Ne Obliviscaris

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So, here is a previous discussion about this. The 10th post has a link to another forum which had a heated argument on the subject.

As a neutral observer, it seems to me like the majority of the science falls on the side of plants prefering a dark period in the photocycle in veg, as long as they are getting as much light as they need. So if you are vegging under weak light the more hours of light the better, but if you have sufficient light for your plants to get their needs met, its best to give them some time off so their metabolic needs get met.

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/lighting-schedule-during-veg.35581/
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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I think people should read and re-read that thread. They should then read what spurr has posted, wherever they can find it, then reread it. Good stuff, Ne O.
 
Myco

Myco

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I veg in 20/4. I also used to veg 24/7... under the long debated assumption that any "off" time is a waste. But I can say that since I switched a couple years ago that the plants seem happier and even veg a little faster. Maybe it's me, but I try to grow as efficiently as possible, and 20/4 seems to be more efficient for some reason. We need a few side by side experiments to put this to rest....?
 

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