light cycles and spectrum to finish faster

Thanks for all of the feedback so far guys. Believe it or not, I'm not trying to rehash the far-red thread

@churchhaze, in the alternative light cycle thread, you said:

churchhaze said:

The longer a night is, the slower the leaves will break down the starch they have reserved in their chloraplasts from the day. The plant remembers previous night lengths and adjusts it's rate of starch->sugar conversion so it runs out of starch when the night is over. That means if nights are getting longer, the leaves will decrease the rate at which they use their stored starch so that they can make it to lights on without going into starvation mode.

(this is one reason using longer nights toward harvest won't affect the dry/cure. It will still accumulate the same amount of leaf starch even with longer nights. It will just use it slower)

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This got me to thinking about increasing the dark hours over the span of the grow.

captainmorgan said:

I've used 730nm as a phytochrome trigger for over 3 years now and won't flower without it at this point. I originally used it to increase yield with the longer light schedule but also noticed a shorter flower time. I use it during the entire flower cycle with a 12/12 cycle at the beginning and end of flower and 13.5/10.5 in between.
I get a noticeable bump in yield and about 7 to 10 day shorter flower time depending on the strain.

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Great info, thanks. How long are the 12/12 periods at the beginning and end of flower?

testiclees said:

Is it always smart to hasten the flowering period? My favorite strains almost always have long flower periods.

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I'm sure it is not always smart to hasten flowering. My pet project is to figure out a way to grow meds:

fast
easy
cheap
small

so far I'm good on:

easy
cheap

and still tweaking my:

small

This thread is to address fast -- I realize that genetics could possibly outweigh all other factors on finish time.

I also use far red for 15 minutes after lights go off, very nice bud with it.

This pic relates to post 12. This is a washed bud chopped from the plant shown there. It's right on time under my rig as is.

I ordered my 730 bar gear last night. Looking forward to either shortened flower period or bulkier bud.
MAYBE BOTH!

whats rw150?

caretak3r said:

I'm sure it is not always smart to hasten flowering. My pet project is to figure out a way to grow meds:

fast
easy
cheap
small

so far I'm good on:

easy
cheap

and still tweaking my:

small

Click to expand...

take clones 3 weeks into flowering. they 'regen' and sprout like 8+ shoots. then as soon as they are getting back into normal veg leaves flower it. ill take some pics later of thsi dwarfing technique.

tricky to time it but awesome for making bushes out of stertchy strains

BOBBY_G said:

whats rw150?

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The previous version of this:
http://www.a51led.net/product/rw150

BOBBY_G said:

take clones 3 weeks into flowering. they 'regen' and sprout like 8+ shoots. then as soon as they are getting back into normal veg leaves flower it. ill take some pics later of thsi dwarfing technique.

tricky to time it but awesome for making bushes out of stertchy strains

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I've tried it but either missed the ideal window, or it just takes forever for the clones to root and regen/reveg for me. It worked, it was just too slow. I'm working on figuring out a good micro sog from clones right after they root.

BOBBY_G said:

whats rw150?

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Area51s led light with reds and white leds 150watts.

caretak3r said:

I've tried it but either missed the ideal window, or it just takes forever for the clones to root and regen/reveg for me. It worked, it was just too slow. I'm working on figuring out a good micro sog from clones right after they root.

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well if you take them 3 weeks into flowering on an 8-9 week strain, theyre ready just in time for next cycle. but yeah its slower, but you get some freaky bushy shit. makes a sativa an indoe

a little more info - my timer in this situation is a rpi with a set of relays so I can automatically adjust timing for on/off/730nm each day if I like (according to a schedule). For example, I could increase dark by 15 minutes per day, etc

Tell us more about this "rpi' timer

raspberry pi - I'll dig up an old thread I have somewhere that gives details. It's just a little single board computer along with a set of relays.

pic here:
http://rollitup.org/t/3-on-9off-utilizing-diy-730nm-pfr-pontoon-and-a-tentacle-of-light.771118/#post-10016726

relays controlled by a python script.

alright guys, I ordered a few of the v22 v-series (they seem pretty close in capabilities to vero 29 but at signficant discount). Right now I have 6 v18s running at roughly 1A. I'm planning on dialing in the v22s to get me 75000 lux @ canopy. According to SuperAngryGuy on reddit (cool dude, seems to know what he's talking about) that's about the saturation point for photosynthesis. For most applications it's overkill, but I'm going to run 4-6 hour days in order to try and speed up the flowering cycle so I want to give them all the light they can handle. I'll run 730nm at lights out and will be reducing days(lights on) while increasing nights(lights off) -- probably in 10 or 15 min increments. I think I'll start with 6hrs lights on / 11 hrs lights off (with 730nm trigger) or somewhere around there. I'll have no "control" group, but it should be fun/interesting none the less.

Right now I'm rooting a ton of clones in 12/12 - planning on pruning to ensure single colas. I expect they'll all be throwing pistols by the time I've got any decent roots. Running some kind of SuperWreck or SuperWidow freebie (can't remember), a Critical Mass CBD, and some OG.

captainmorgan said:

I've used UV but it was was to increase cannabinoid and terpenoid levels. I've come across some talk of it being a powdery mildew preventative too.

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UV is used in hospitals to kill bacteria. placed in exhaust ducts from Operating Rooms and such places. Normally in the blue light spectrum. peace

VegasWinner said:

UV is used in hospitals to kill bacteria. placed in exhaust ducts from Operating Rooms and such places. Normally in the blue light spectrum. peace

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UV-C is generally what they use to disinfect.

UV-B is what seems best for maturing weed. Peace

Banana444 said:

I have noticed plants ripening faster under rw150. Seems like its the 620-630nm reds from the xpes. It really brings out the colors of these plants. I know cobs are far cheaper and more efficient than running monos but im tempted to build a xpe2 red bar, maybe a pontoon for the indagro420 instead of shelling out ~700$ for one.

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I have noticed the exact same thing, sometimes a week or two sooner. I have rw150's and sgs190's(the all white light). The rw150's definitely bring out more color, and finish faster. Even to the point when clones from the same plant are right next to each other, each under a different light.........if one branch from the plant under all white leans over and ends up under the red and white, that one branch will have much more color and finish before the rest of the plant. It would be interesting to see if anyone has tried running their red light bars all day vs just 5 minutes after lights out, and noticed any difference.