if i went 12/12 from seed would that make my plant as small as possible?
Being very far from any sort of an expert, this is from what little experience I have with MJ & veggies in general.
I think 12/12 from seed may work,,,, somewhat. I feel there is more to it than just time.
I was starving them for water. I feel it kept the green growth to a minimum, and enhanced the root growth for seeking water.
Another was the minimum amount of light I offered. Quality / close lighting starting off with the veggie bulbs until it got to where I wanterd them. I looked for tight foliage and tons of roots. I purposely let them become root bound. I think they'll only grow so much in reguards to available soil / nutes / water / light.
the grow was an experiment in "cheapness." Very minimal the whole box consumed about 135 watts / hr. when on in bloom mode.
When the roots came through the 2 qt. pots I went 12/12. At that time foliage was minimal, but strong and the best point was the root system being excessive for the size. When I went to bloom I gave them hell for a month with ties / lst / pinching / etc. At that time they were around 10"- 12" tall. When buds appeared I stopped pinching and just tied to open up for light. They've not grown much since in heigth. But, they got real dense with foliage and buds popped out everywhere. Most of what is there is bud from end to end.
Almost have the 250 watt room complete. Hopefully by Sunday I'll have them transplanted into bigger pots and under a distant light. As they adjust I'll be moving the light right into them. It's a vented hood to a 6" blower. I hope it'll work as planned. Ventilation is a issue I seem to always misjudge and need to revamp.
I'm expecting 4-5 weeks before harvest, so I'm going against popular opinions / practices again.
However, if it works, I expect a significant gain fast at minimum cost and power consumption.
Wanted to do the whole grow with minimum CFLs. But, I need the cab for cloning and starting more seed. Cab was intended for veg / clone only. Things just got ahead of me and made me tardy.
Guess it happens when you really have no clue what you're doing?