18 vs 24 hour light cycle for veggie stage

whats the difference? and the pros and cons to each one?

18 hours

pros
saves $ on electric bill
allows machinery to cool off
lets plants sleep/rest

24 hours

pros
Some people say you get exrta growth

well ive kinda done both 24 hours basically meens its constantly doing phototsynthesis and growing gradually and 18 is i think better because that way in the 6 hours of darkness in has time to use its energy for growing rather that photosynthesis and it will not hit ur electric bill like a ton of bricks haha. yeah but in its dark hours is when it will grow best. but ive done both and they work fine eether way so do wat u want but me personally would go with 18 on 6 off

hmmm yeah what you guys are saying both make sense, but in my mind there's a contradiction hope you guys can clear it out for me: if plants need sleep and the 6 hour of darkness is good for their growth, then how come the 24hr cycle yields more plant growth?

maybe 24hrs is better for the early veggie stage whereas 18 is better for just before floweing?

btw i'm still in the early stages and electricity isnt a problem to me right now cus i'm still using the CFLs

The amount of time your garden should be exposed to lighting depends on what 'cycle' your garden is in:

The 'Vegetative Cycle' of your garden starts with the sprout of the seedlings and can be continued indefinitely. In the veg cycle your garden will require a minimum of 16-18 hours of light and 6-8 hours of darkness daily. Since a given amount of light can only do so much, equal production can be realized in a smaller space with less plants, where the light is concentrated and the plants can grow more efficiently. Using more light helps additional co2 uptake.

Since a plant can be kept in the 'Veg cycle' indefinately, many growers cultivate 'Mother' plants. This plant is used for clone starts and never produces buds, only new growth.


The 'Flower Cycle' or 'Bud cycle' is typically equal amounts of light and dark, 12 hours on, 12 hours off or 12/12. This produces a change in the plants metabolism simulating Fall, shorter days....less light.

This is the cycle that the plants will show their sex. Usually, you'll be able to determine the sex within the first 2 weeks of 12/12. By the 3rd week most plants have developed healthy bud sites or pollen sacks.
The plants will continue on the 12/12 cycle until harvest.

Since a plant can be kept in the 'Veg cycle' indefinately, many growers cultivate 'Mother' plants. This plant is used for clone starts and never produces buds, only new growth.

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can you realistically keep a plant in the veg cycle indefinitely?

patch0i said:

can you realistically keep a plant in the veg cycle indefinitely?

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Easily...that's the whole premise behind keeping houseplants.

I use the 24h light cycle for the first 3 weeks of veg , a week 18/6 and then 12/12 . this has worked great for me as i believe in matureing the roots and plant quickly before the flowering cycle , others may disagree .

I just compromise at 4/20. lol

roots mature faster in the dark when the plant is not putting its energy into photosynthetic tasks. 18/6 provides a more healthy root base imo.

morp said:

roots mature faster in the dark when the plant is not putting its energy into photosynthetic tasks. 18/6 provides a more healthy root base imo.

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What about a 14/8 schedule for rooting? IMHO that'd be a good way to let root development take place.

Of course I dont have much experience with this, I'm growing from seeds.

new to growing plant bout 10cm tall what is the best step to take from here elec no problem live in south africa started by throwing seed in pot plant
growing naturally.want to move it in doors.please any help will do email me at [email protected] loads of seeds and space to use

18/6 for vegging

Should I use 24/0 lighting if I want to have above soil plant growth and slower root growth, therefore allowing me to flower in a smaller pot and finding out the sex before transplanting the plant to a larger/final pot?

For example, let's say I start off with 8 seeds that sprout and only 1 of them is going to end up being a female...why waste all your time and money planting into a very large pot until the sex is known. Once the sex is known, will planting into the larger pot allow the plant to grow very rapidly in the flowering stage to still allow the plant to produce a great bud production?

32 days? holy moly! 24 hrs veg for two weeks.. I always had great results! I can imagine vegging for a whole month!! cheers to you!

i was just changed the light period from 22 on 2 off, to 18 on 6 off. and within one 24 hour period i noticed increased growth.

hibitydibity3048 said:

i was just changed the light period from 22 on 2 off, to 18 on 6 off. and within one 24 hour period i noticed increased growth.

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Did you end up staying with 22/2 or 18/6? I started my sprouts with 24 on and left like that through 6" tall but the stalks are extremely flemsy and I imagine the roots are hurting or non existent if darkness is beneficil for root growth. Most can't even keep the leaves supported and they just lay on the ground. Not sure if that was related to a bad pH solution or 34 on lighting. pH has been corrected for a week+ now though. Anyone think adding a night cycle would help in my situation? Or perhaps start from scratch?


TIA!

FirstTimeGrow said:

I just compromise at 4/20. lol

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anyone else use 20/4?