"Indoor Imitation" vs "Outdoor Conditions"

"Weather Conditions" and "Lighting" Discussion Board​

I want people to start discussing the grow cycles that people are following.
To me, it seems that the 18/4 and 12/12 cycles dont seem correct. AND BEFORE PEOPLE START YELLING AT ME FOR BEING WRONG, think about it. I dont disagree that the process works to grow some great stuff, but if you think about it, unless it is a genetically altered plant changed in a lab... Outside plants grow with some cloudy days, rainy days, extra windy days, etc. They dont just have 12 hours sun and 12 hours of dark exactly everyday unless you live in a desert or somewhere like Dade County Florida where it rains exactly 1 hour at 2pm everyday and its sunny the rest of the day.




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I had a thought...
To actually imitate outdoor growing conditions you could use something like Thule which is a fabric that you could put between the light and the plant to create shady conditions for a couple days a week or at leas a few hours. If nothing else, this is something someone should try just to see if it will change anything. They make fabric that create shade but still allow UV waves or imitation ones in this case to seep through.
Just think, the time that a person has the highest chance of getting a sunburn is on overcast days. Why wouldn't the same thing work for plant. They still get the light and heat but perhaps wont get heat burn with the shade.

Well,,, I'll help get this started a little.

I feel your thoughts are correct,,, but the application is wrong. At least for me.
Outdoors is far from the perfect enviroment. All sorts of nasties can happen to it. Rabbits, deer, hail storms, drought, floods, winds, cold,, (you get the idea).
Plant's genetics get accoustomed,, then eventually altered to compensate for living in the harsh outdoors.

Indoors, none of that. You learn what the plant needs to accel beyond what the outdoors does. Besides controling temps, wind, rabbits & such, you can control the growth and taylor it's enviroment to the plant's peak efficiency.

Don't try to duplicate nature (you can't). Instead think, "what does my plant want / need. You'll be ahead of the game.

(almost $0.02)

the reason ppl do 18/6 is obvious. To get the maximum amt of light per day while still giving a night period. Some ppl use more than 18 hrs. But why does it seem like a good idea to use less? Do u want to slow your plants growth or speed it up?

And we use 12/12 because although some plants will flower with less darkness, 12 hours will always induce flowering on photoperiod strains.

Obviously you would want to give a plant as much light as possible right?

Growing is based on "imitating nature" but anytime that you can enhance natures effects why wouldn't you? Hence the reason some grow hydroponically. You don't see hydro in nature... but its faster and gives better yields.

Seems kinda obvious to me

the make it rain folks