Black out techniques

Cuttdogg7

Well-Known Member
Hello y'all,
I have run into somewhat of a dilemma I am going to start my black out August 1. Usually I would start my black out at nine At night and reopen at eight in the morning four a 13/11 which seems to work well for the beginning flower stage of Master Kush.
My dilemma is I'm going to be gone for two weeks during this time and I'm trying to come up with an easier time schedule for the caretaker that will be taking care of it while I'm gone.
I was thinking they could just come and cover in the evening and then come back and uncover after the sun is gone.
Then let the morning sun just come up as usual, i've never had to account for twilight with my normal procedure. Has anyone had any experience with doing it this way and did you account for twilight hours or did you just go off sunrise and or sunset.
If you're wondering why I'm starting my black out in August it is because I'm at latitude 60 and I will still have over 17 hour days come August.
 
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atvman84

Active Member
Iv been taking in two plants inside everyday I will do this manually for 8 weeks, commuter plants.. lol
bring them inside at 9;00pm and been putting out at around 10am and man they sure do switch and take off into flowering ,giving them extra light 13 hours or so, goodluck , hoping to have some meds also before normal harvest dates , i'm at 45th lattitude and wonder how this heat affects budding, or any tricks to getting them dence early.
 

Cuttdogg7

Well-Known Member
that's how we do it out on the farm. cover just in the evening until dark & then remove the cover...
I literally have one hour of twilight before the sunrises do you account for The twilight or do you just go off of the sunrise.
 

Cuttdogg7

Well-Known Member
Iv been taking in two plants inside everyday I will do this manually for 8 weeks, commuter plants.. lol
bring them inside at 9;00pm and been putting out at around 10am and man they sure do switch and take off into flowering ,giving them extra light 13 hours or so, goodluck , hoping to have some meds also before normal harvest dates , i'm at 45th lattitude and wonder how this heat affects budding, or any tricks to getting them dence early.
Hello ATV thanks for your reply, I have a little trick for hardening buds early that may work for you, every strain is different some are more light sensitive than others so it's something you have to experiment with a little bit. I start the flowering cycle a little over the norm 12/12 like 13/11 that I use for the master Kush which works good with that strain, I maintain that very strictly for two weeks and then I can actually relax that schedule I don't have to be so anal about it. When the buds get fairly mature but are still weeks from finishing I can drop the light schedule to 11/13 longer dark. When I do that I can harden and finish those buds in 8 to 10 days, by doing that you will also lessen your yield. So it is better to let them finish at 12/12 and go a little longer. So I wouldn't Harden early unless I have to for some reason.
 

calicocalyx

Well-Known Member
Why 13/11 for beginning of flower? I'll try and find the link but I think I read that flowering with less than 12 hours of light will hasten ripeness but not only is yield lower, potency drops as well. My deps were always 12 hours from official sunrise, and then I uncovered after dark, usually around 10:30. I would say whatever schedule you do, stick to it and try not to stress em. Going from 13 hours to 12 hours of light seems alright, but not the other way around. Is it easier for your friend to come in the morning or work later? Some people insist that uncovering later is a pain, but I would rather do that. Consistency seems to be more important.
 

Cuttdogg7

Well-Known Member
Why 13/11 for beginning of flower? I'll try and find the link but I think I read that flowering with less than 12 hours of light will hasten ripeness but not only is yield lower, potency drops as well. My deps were always 12 hours from official sunrise, and then I uncovered after dark, usually around 10:30. I would say whatever schedule you do, stick to it and try not to stress em. Going from 13 hours to 12 hours of light seems alright, but not the other way around. Is it easier for your friend to come in the morning or work later? Some people insist that uncovering later is a pain, but I would rather do that. Consistency seems to be more important.
Yes you are right going from 12 hours light to 13 hours light would be a stress to the plant and I would not ever do that I start high and work my way down.
My partner will cover and uncover in the evening. My question above is do I account for twilight time before the sunrises being I have so much of it, do you think that that twilight will affect the plant. Or is it just not bright enough to worry about.
 

UncleBuck

Well-Known Member
Yes you are right going from 12 hours light to 13 hours light would be a stress to the plant and I would not ever do that I start high and work my way down.
My partner will cover and uncover in the evening. My question above is do I account for twilight time before the sunrises being I have so much of it, do you think that that twilight will affect the plant. Or is it just not bright enough to worry about.
just go by the official sunrise time. i was never even that precise. i would just move the time back 15 minutes every week or two.
 
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