ill just look into this more before i give it a gotallness yes, they do stretch the most in the dark, i am not sure about bud formation. but again i could be wrong
cycles less than 10/14 will have diminshed yields.. the plant still needs light for energy to grow buds.. if you take to much light away the yields will drop accordingly... anywhere between a 10/14 and a 14/10 cycle will give you the best yields possible... 12/12 being the "safest" cycle...
Well i give it to you cuz im kinda not ready to go outside and change from 12/12.ive tried 10/14, 12/12, and right now i am runnin 12.5/11.5....
Given but with the stretching its harder to get good light angelswith 24/0 you get more growth, shorter plants, and tighter node spacing... which isnt bad if you have good lighting..
the benefit of the 18/6 or 20/4 or any cycle that has a dark period during veg comes from the stretching that occurs during the dark... the stretching the occurs during the lights of period allows for more light to penetrate into the canopy, thus more light for the plant to absorb giving you a stronger happier plant.. since most growers cant max out the amount of light their plants can absorb and use, they benefit from the stretching...