Light schedule question, 20/4 vs 18/6

[McStrats]

All I do is AUTOS .....

Autos are wired to FLIP on it’s own anywhere from 20 - 35 days .... the THIRD WHEEL addition of RUDERALIS was introduced because of its short grow cycle and temperament to weather harsher environments ( like Russia and Asia ). But because breeders want only those aspects , other things can happen. Some exhibit a characteristic similar to photos sometimes.... needing to be “ forced “ in to flower.

A true autoflower will thrive under any cycle , with 12/12 being the weakest. Reason being it handicaps the already SHORT VEG and it’s quick sexing. You can get auto males also.
Most breeders have to continually refine offerings as consistency is an issue.

ALL PLANTS have a circadian rhythm as do people .... certain biological processes happen “ in the dark “ .... plants will exhibit a DROOP as its internal clock powers down . It is not to say 24/0 won’t work on some strains .... but you need at a minimum of 16-18 hours of light for vegging an auto properly. I grow always on 18/6 . I find that with a dark period my plants express more fragrance .

It is a can of worms on this subject of dark time but because stomas open and close , photosynthesis increases and decreases during a set day , keeping a REGULAR schedule only supplements the plant to perform as designed.

I have run all cycles on particular runs ....
24 / 0
20 / 4
18 / 6
12 / 12

The following pertains to AUTOS ONLY : ( as regular photoperiod express interesting things with cycle play ) and may throw a thread out on that.

Autos are plug and play .... nothing else. Pick any cycle above 12. Increased DAYLIGHT hours
SUPPLEMENTS THE SHORT VEG .... meaning to maximize the root growth hit with a high daytime cycle. Also .... an overlooked part of good auto performance is the choice of medium used .... soil is standard BUT SOILESS brings the biggest plants....... period.

DWC , DUTCH BUCKET , HEMPY GROWS will reward you with much bigger autos. The Rootmass will explode in highly aerated mediums . Soil grows can be both positive and negative because root mass has to spend some time becoming acclimated to its new home.
I grew soil and SOILESS to compare ... it’s like night and day.

Autos can be finicky eaters , less is more in most cases. Disregard breeder estimates on harvest windows. All auto flowers harden off better UNDER 90 days. ( most cases ) Timing from seed germ is a waste of time. Only a week AFTER it transitioned to flower ( stretch / branch out / hardening j will be the time to “ count “ .... Example : 5 weeks to preflower ( day 35 ) , now at actual flower you run 8 weeks ( 56 days ) ... equals 91 days as mentioned above. This can vary with dwarfy mixes and low Ryder’s , 60 day Wonder and such .This why most fail by cutting them down based on how long it was running not on actual maturity. It’s like growing fruit ... it’s done when it’s done.

There some TRICKS to do with autos ( soil is a bit slower sometimes) so try this.

Run seed to week 5 on 24/0 ( just like a clone ) ... giving max VEG TIME .
Once it sexes out drop cycle to 20/4 for transition/ flower .... finish at this.

Or

Once it sexes out drop cycle to 20/4 for transition / preflower until stretch then drop again
to 18/6. Finish it on this.

You are making out the structure and veg initially , then when it flips gear to flower you are manipulating it to flower longer than 12 and giving it a dark period to process starches and expand cellular growth. You will find your girls becoming fragrant as it goes thru respiration.

Try it .

Everything in this post is good information for anyone growing autos. Cheers!

 

[CikaBika]

I had a rouge group of 3 autos (I assume) that showed up for my inventory. They are on day 43 now. Im going to flip to 12/12 in a few days.. I don't guess it will do them any harm? The bottom pic is the rest of the inventory.. no pre flowering or flowers. I need a better seed co.

I will post you later here my mephisto at 20 days ..

 

[CikaBika]

Well, I'll just run them till they finish then. The rest of the inventory is going to be another 6-8 weeks to finish. I beat the crap out of those autos super cropping them.. they seem pretty hardy. They came labeled as Bubba Kush, but who knows what they are.

and the breeder is??
in my book there is

dinafem
mephisto
sweet seed
dutch passion

those are go to breeeders for autos..

 

[MATTYMATT726]

No Fast Buds? Imo youre list is spot on on what i would stick to as well as FB seeming to have more than good rep. I feel Meph/DF is the top tier withthe others just slightly a notch below.

and the breeder is??
in my book there is

dinafem
mephisto
sweet seed
dutch passion

those are go to breeeders for autos..

 

[CikaBika]

No Fast Buds? Imo youre list is spot on on what i would stick to as well as FB seeming to have more than good rep. I feel Meph/DF is the top tier withthe others just slightly a notch below.

I never grew them and had high oppinion on them,but I read (and I think it was here) that they are prone to fuckery like not testing their seeds or some stuff like that,and I know they have some beef with AF.oNet , but like I said never grew their gear so cannot judge them.. So we can Add them.to .. your right about dinafem I had their bluecheese auto and it was super candy tasty and nice indica high..from those strains I grew MF vs DF I must say DF were better to me..
.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

I never grew them and had high oppinion on them,but I read (and I think it was here) that they are prone to fuckery like not testing their seeds or some stuff like that,and I know they have some beef with AF.oNet , but like I said never grew their gear so cannot judge them.. So we can Add them.to .. your right about dinafem I had their bluecheese auto and it was super candy tasty and nice indica high..from those strains I grew MF vs DF I must say DF were better to me..
.

Yeah, seen some sruff on the FB lately, but they were kicked off AFN and deleted their grow section due to not holding up their end of seed donations for advertising. Guess they were only sending older stock and like 2 strains for givaways and were caught bribing members to leave for their site. This is not from my experience just what i read and didnt see any dispute. However even after this the person said FB still has a HUGE following on the site and many stand buy them as a solid choice.

 

[CikaBika]

Yeah, seen some sruff on the FB lately, but they were kicked off AFN and deleted their grow section due to not holding up their end of seed donations for advertising. Guess they were only sending older stock and like 2 strains for givaways and were caught bribing members to leave for their site. This is not from my experience just what i read and didnt see any dispute. However even after this the person said FB still has a HUGE following on the site and many stand buy them as a solid choice.

Yeah they dod AFM dirty, plus Grow Diaeries is FB site.. Like I said I donk know.I must add seed stockers, DP sister company,cheap seeds,but they deliver..And I promissed my self that I will grow again auto super hash from pyramid seeds..

 

[CikaBika]

And Yes I must Add that all forums are money driven, and Like I learned there is % of beeing deuches in all of them,but some are worse than others..

 

[shushubandora]

I start counting from first pointy leaf.
If my auto don't show sex after two weeks... It goes to the corner to live on leaky light, usually it doesn't help and it end up in the compost. Overall 2 weeks for first pistol
I m supprised you push it to 35 days.
Is it specific strains? (I only grow skunk auto strains so far)

 

[CikaBika]

I start counting from first pointy leaf.
If my auto don't show sex after two weeks... It goes to the corner to live on leaky light, usually it doesn't help and it end up in the compost. Overall 2 weeks for first pistol
I m supprised you push it to 35 days.
Is it specific strains? (I only grow skunk auto strains so far)

Who has the best??

 

[McStrats]

and the breeder is??
in my book there is

dinafem
mephisto
sweet seed
dutch passion

those are go to breeeders for autos..

Add Humboldt Seed Company to that list. Dinafem are great but are 2nd best, IMO. Mephisto gives up nothing to quality photos.

 

[CikaBika]

Add Humboldt Seed Company to that list. Dinafem are great but are 2nd best, IMO. Mephisto gives up nothing to quality photos.

I must say that dinafem has worked better to me.. On getting high..

 

[McStrats]

I must say that dinafem has worked better to me.. On getting high..

I guess it's subjective. 3 Bears OG checks all the boxes for me like no other.

 

[CikaBika]

I guess it's subjective. 3 Bears OG checks all the boxes for me like no other.

I dont know what to say, I grew few of their strains, And only one that really impressed me was Sour crinkle.. That shit is epic.. But I fck it up drying and got mold..And one thing tho, no matter how long I keep them I cant get amber trichomes..NoN of my autos vent more than 10% amber..I cut sour crack (60day strain) almost past 80 days, and no amber trichomes..
I was just talking about this today with my buddy, we got to conclusion maybe is something in genetics or terp. profiles dinafem vs mp.. Now I have 4 AM and 24 carat in my tent..And two Samsquatch OG. He is a Yielder, and smells so fruity..

 

[McStrats]

I dont know what to say, I grew few of their strains, And only one that really impressed me was Sour crinkle.. That shit is epic.. But I fck it up drying and got mold..And one thing tho, no matter how long I keep them I cant get amber trichomes..NoN of my autos vent more than 10% amber..I cut sour crack (60day strain) almost past 80 days, and no amber trichomes..
I was just talking about this today with my buddy, we got to conclusion maybe is something in genetics or terp. profiles dinafem vs mp.. Now I have 4 AM and 24 carat in my tent..And two Samsquatch OG. He is a Yielder, and smells so fruity..

With autos I look for a combination of swollen buds,brown or red pistils and a general overall look of done-ness. They generally are 80-90% cloudy and 10% clear. I find the effect is similar to 20% amber photos.

I find that the amber trich rule doesn't apply as much to autos as it does to photos. 10% amber trichs (in autos) produces a sluggish feeling that I really don't care for...but YMMV and all that.

 

[CikaBika]

I smoke after 22h, for good night sleep.But nothing (my weed vs street weed) dont make me sleepy high,,just high..Kinda..My tolerance is pretty high, and weed is pretty bad around here,..And my growing skill's aren't 30% of my tolerance..
So until I master my growing skills(But i think that would never happen) I'm screwed..

 

[rollinronan]

I often wondered if starting autos in 12/12 and turning the lights up around week 3 would extend the growth period and delay bloom, never bothered trying it cus ya might as well just grow photos

 

[McStrats]

I smoke after 22h, for good night sleep.But nothing (my weed vs street weed) dont make me sleepy high,,just high..Kinda..My tolerance is pretty high, and weed is pretty bad around here,..And my growing skill's aren't 30% of my tolerance..
So until I master my growing skills(But i think that would never happen) I'm screwed..

Not at all!

Grow something bullet proof like 3 Bears OG or Dinafem Bubba Kush and download the mephisto grow guide. If you follow it to a T..and as long as you have good environment, you can't help but end up with great cannabis. Trust me!...if I can do it anyone can

 

[McStrats]

I often wondered if starting autos in 12/12 and turning the lights up around week 3 would extend the growth period and delay bloom, never bothered trying it cus ya might as well just grow photos

I do 24/0 from start to finish and I end up with better than decent product..but do whatever you are comfortable with.

 

[rollinronan]

I do 24/0 from start to finish and I end up with better than decent product..but do whatever you are comfortable with.

i understand that they grow well like that but would they respond like photos being reveged?