Hey DGC,
So I’ve been hearing a lot about auto flowers and running an 18-6 light cycle. A lot of people are saying that 24 hour light cycles are a waste of electricity and the plants need time to rest. Also by not giving your plants a dark period you are loosing quality and weight. Is this true Dude? If I turn off my lights for 6hrs a day and save money on electricity will I get more weight? I’m all for saving some money on the electric bill since I mostly grow under HID… Do they need total darkness? My grow room has natural light that comes in through the windows. Never worried about it since there autoflowers and since they are autoflowers does the light cycle need to be on a schedule or can the rest period be anytime throughout the day.
Hydro Larry ✌️ ✌️
Give them as much light as you can afford. They’ll grow ok even under 12-12. So 18-6 to 24 hours is fine. The most important thing is consistency. Keep the schedule consistent. If you don’t have a timer just leave the light on until you do.
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I’ve tried 8/16 and 12/12 for my autos and both had the same results. Consistency truly is key as I’m beginning to notice even the smallest mistakes they react to. Crack the tent open so you can peek at the temp no biggie? They remember… the plants always remember!
I agree with the other dgc saying consistency is key. I have had an auto throw a nanner due to a light leak, but it probably wouldn’t have if I kept it in 24hr light. So make sure your lights are on until your space has complete darkness if you’re trying to not run the lights 24 hr. Autos will flower no matter what, but the biggest reason people run them under 24hr light is to make sure they get max out their DLI and typically people had underpowered LEDs so it was beneficial to do so. It wasn’t until recently that we have lights available to use that can really pound the PPFD and with these new lights you can deliver light toxicity to autos rather easy. It can be a balancing act since autos typically can’t take as much light in one hour as a photo without issues, so the thought is less intense light so you don’t stress the auto but for longer duration so you hit the DLI. You will get bigger yields the more light you give, but I hear that any more light than 20/day will give diminishing returns for the cost of the electric.
DLI is key. I run autos perpetually in a 4×4. All under same light/strength at 18-6. By the end of 18 hours of light my plants leaves start to lay down. Perk up just as lights are getting ready to come on. I don’t have a meter for my DLI, but this tell tell sign has worked so far for me. Flowers do great, but so do my seedlings.
growing regular photo period plants you can reduce the light to 12/12 to save even more power… and probably get better quality bud while you’re at it.
Growing autos indoors under lights still doesnt really make any sense to me… why run your lights longer and expend more resources to grow bud thats generally considered lower quality?
If you’ve got an environment where you can control the lighting, growing autos at 18/6 seems like a waste of resources… save those auto seeds for off season outdoor grows or situations where you’ve got no control of photo period.
Not trying to hate on autos or other peoples growing practices! I know autos make a lot of people happy and I’m glad! Just offering some food for thought. Growing photos at 12/12 will use less power and generally produce higher quality buds. 🙂
Absolutely makes sense man.
I just dig the auto’s for now with my schedule so I can pop In an out of my grow whenever I need.
Probably try some photo’s here soon. Honestly I’ve just always been a autoflower grower and always In DWC.
I can definitely understand how 12hrs a day will save on the light bill thanks soup ✌️✌️
Jeff lowenfels states 20 hrs of light. Ultimately the plant is boss. And DLI is very real. Autos do not need as much light as photo periods.
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Thanks for the comments everyone
✌️✌️ Hydro Larry
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