Altering Lights On/Off Times

[TheDudeNextDoor]

Hey all. I am 11 days into flowering on my first grow and am having major issues with temps. I am growing four autos with perpetual a 18/6 schedule and originally set the lights to go off during the hottest part of the day, thinking that would help with temps. The problem is that now I am pulling 90-degree air through my intake (daytime temps) during "lights-out," which means I am not cooling enough. I am considering getting an AC to run without exhaust during the day and then running intake/exhaust at night when the temps are low (currently 60s-70s). If I do this, I will need to alter the lights-out from the current 12:30-6:30 p.m. to 12:30-6:30 a.m. How can I do this without confusing the hell out of my plants?

 

[racerboy71]

if you want to change your light on / off times, just make sure to leave them in the dark for an extended period of time.. for instance, if your light are now going off at noon time, and you'd like to move it to say 1am, just leave them in the dark from the time they go off now, till it's the new on time for them, which will pretty much give them around 24 hours or so of darkness..
it's much better to extend the dark period rather than the light period as plants go by the hour of darkness rather than the hours of light to trigger flowering, but not true with auto's obviously, but i'd still give them added dark instead of the other way around..

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

Oops, I said 11 days into flowering. I meant 11 days into veg. Does that change your answer at all, racerboy?

 

[mazand1982]

are you adjusting the temps just because they are too high or do you actually see curled leaves, heat stress, stretching, ETC,??....to be honest optimal temp is obiously low to high 70s but im running 88f with the lights on and the plants couldnt be happier, just try to cool it down a few degrees and you might be fine...

 

[racerboy71]

Oops, I said 11 days into flowering. I meant 11 days into veg. Does that change your answer at all, racerboy?

nah, same answer m8... just give them added darkness.. even safer to be doing in veg.. but they are auto's correct?? there really is not a veg period or a flower period instead they just flower when they reach a certain age and not by light times, but you know all of this already, just wanted to make it clear that there really is no veg or flower period for auto's, it's all just grow, lol...

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

are you adjusting the temps just because they are too high or do you actually see curled leaves, heat stress, stretching, ETC,??....to be honest optimal temp is obiously low to high 70s but im running 88f with the lights on and the plants couldnt be happier, just try to cool it down a few degrees and you might be fine...

Good question. I don't see any signs of heat stress, but I am running 90s to upwards of 104 during lights-on and lowering to 90 lights-off. They are doing surprisingly well so far, to my noob eyes at least, but I worry about long term with those temps.

Thanks for the info, racerboy. I will, in my infinite powers, "extend the night." LOL