Golden Advice to New Growers

[RequiredUsername]

Many people seem to follow along with others blindly without thought. The OP has obviously put a lot of thought into this and MAY be providing valuable information. Just because he is swimming away from the school does not mean he is wrong. I found this to be very interesting and will do more research into it....

In particular, I will be reading up on short day and long day plants, this is new to me and I want to learn ! Thanks OP don't let anyone bother you here, thats just the way people are...

To the people slamming the OP, play nicely, or just leave the thread if it bothers you.

Thank you, yeah. Good luck in the horticultural studies. Here is a good one:

 

[RequiredUsername]

I've been playing around with light hours in veg for a while now and have experimented with everything from 24 hours continuous to 14 hours on 10 off.
Now this is with multiple strains over about 6 grows so this is by no means scientific it's just my observations.
I find plants are more vigorous and just simply look healthy with 15 hours or less in veg.
After having a look into the flowering light time I think I'm going to try reducing the light to 10 hours in flower this run and see what happens as the only other time I've done anything other than 12/12 was years ago when I had a few Sativa heavy plants and dropped to 11/13 about half way through. Really only did it to see if they would finish a bit faster.

You will likely see more compact plants. Then you should try going from 12 and shaving off time till you get 8 on that last week or 2. Indicas do better with a little more darkness. These are just guidelines. Each strain must be dialed in by closely watching it. Some like 7 at the end, some 9. Go for it! You will be saving money and increasing your yield and potency. If you can run a farm favorite on this 12-1, 8-16 and get to test it, you'll likely see an increase in overall cannabinoid content. Higher THC.

 

[RequiredUsername]

Out imo,why would you introduce it?

Exactly. They breed hermaphroditism into the offspring everytime a plant is feminized to produce pollen for feminized seeds.

 

[FTL]

You will likely see more compact plants. Then you should try going from 12 and shaving off time till you get 8 on that last week or 2. Indicas do better with a little more darkness. These are just guidelines. Each strain must be dialed in by closely watching it. Some like 7 at the end, some 9. Go for it! You will be saving money and increasing your yield and potency. If you can run a farm favorite on this 12-1, 8-16 and get to test it, you'll likely see an increase in overall cannabinoid content. Higher THC.

Have you tried starting at 13/11 then decreasing Light hours till the end of the cycle?

 

[RequiredUsername]

There's research from Dr. Bruce Bugbee that cannabis is a high light plant similar but actually exceeding corn. Also there's research from Michael Alden around photoperiod that would directly refute your claims. I'm not interested in getting in a debate or argument. I just would suggest to other readers to do your research before subscribing to much of what the original post was about.

Like I said earlier there is a point of diminished return.

Can they drink up a lot of intense light? You bet!

Can they do that indefinitely??????
Obviously.... no.

When they have met their requirements (saturation) PHOTOPROTECTION begins and the plant stops transpiration. Nap time.

Remeber this word from the first post? Look it up.

 

[RequiredUsername]

The li

The light cycle you speak of was also supported by joe pietri, I haven't tried it yet but plan to

Let us know what you discover!

 

[RequiredUsername]

Have you tried starting at 13/11 then decreasing Light hours till the end of the cycle?

Yes, but not in that stage exactly. Veg:
12 lights on, 5.5 dark, 1 hour lights on, 5.5 hours dark. It does equal 13 - 11.

As for flower I start by removing that one hour. So I start flowering at 12 - 12 like the equinox and the days get shorter and shorter. They love it. Makes beautiful compact plants. Without preflowering stretch.

 

[RequiredUsername]

Have you tried starting at 13/11 then decreasing Light hours till the end of the cycle?

What have you noticed?

 

[FTL]

What have you noticed?

I haven’t tried it myself indoors.

Outdoors I noticed in my locarion
Most hybrid plants trigger into flower 13.5-13 hours of daylight.

I’m thinking starting from or just above the natural trigger point then decreasing to the end of flower would mimic nature a lot more closely.

 

[FTL]

Yes, but not in that stage exactly. Veg:
12 lights on, 5.5 dark, 1 hour lights on, 5.5 hours dark. It does equal 13 - 11.

As for flower I start by removing that one hour. So I start flowering at 12 - 12 like the equinox and the days get shorter and shorter. They love it. Makes beautiful compact plants. Without preflowering stretch.

Using a 13/5/1/5 cycle.

dropping the 1 hour “gas lantern” to trigger them into flower. 13/11

Then decreasing @ X mins per day(week) until the end of flower.

*Assuming a hybrid strain here. Running tropical plants wouod change the equation

 

[RequiredUsername]

I haven’t tried it myself indoors.

Outdoors I noticed in my locarion
Most hybrid plants trigger into flower 13.5-13 hours of daylight.

I’m thinking starting from or just above the natural trigger point then decreasing to the end of flower would mimic nature a lot more closely.

Very good for making that observation, looking at your plants and thinking for yourself! You get an A in observation. I think it's a valid test, and dont be afraid, you will not be losing the harvest. It's going to go better than you think. You growing hybrids, indicas, or sativas? The plants are going to pick up on the 'pattern' so be somewhat consistent with changes, like nature. Ideally I would use a controller to program the slide from 13 to 8, week 10 maybe is 8 hours light, but that's not available for me for various reasons. So I just click off 15 minutes or 30 minutes at a time.

Could you keep notes on your test and let us know what you observe? Would love to hear about it. Your impression. Dont forget the smoke report! There is likely some difference there too.

 

[FTL]

Very good for making that observation, looking at your plants and thinking for yourself! You get an A in observation. I think it's a valid test, and dont be afraid, you will not be losing the harvest. It's going to go better than you think. You growing hybrids, indicas, or sativas? The plants are going to pick up on the 'pattern' so be somewhat consistent with changes, like nature. Ideally I would use a controller to program the slide from 13 to 8, week 10 maybe is 8 hours light, but that's not available for me for various reasons. So I just click off 15 minutes or 30 minutes at a time.

Could you keep notes on your test and let us know what you observe? Would love to hear about it. Your impression. Dont forget the smoke report! There is likely some difference there too.

I don’t do indoor any more and actively avoid smoking it unless I have no alternative.

 

[RequiredUsername]

Using a 13/5/1/5 cycle.

dropping the 1 hour “gas lantern” to trigger them into flower. 13/11

Then decreasing @ X mins per day(week) until the end of flower.

*Assuming a hybrid strain here. Running tropical plants wouod change the equation

Yeah, but when I drop the hour of light from the light deprivation period I'm left with 12/12. This could be replaced by 13/11 with no problem for a softer transition. What we have is a general guideline that needs to be adjusted and tweaked to the particular plants grown. Not that the general guideline wont work, it will. But fine tuning is recommended. Something tropical is going to flower longer and use more light, some may wait for a cold signal to begin to finish. If you dont have cold air, some cool water over the roots may help the plant think its time to finish up. Indicas, they react best to more darkness in the final weeks, some only need 6 hours. Hybrids, just the sativa schedule so you are covered on their sativa side.

 

[RequiredUsername]

I don’t do indoor any more and actively avoid smoking it unless I have no alternative.

Understood. Do you use a hoop house?

 

[FTL]

Understood. Do you use a hoop house?

No.
But I would like to try it one day to light dep tropicals as they don’t finish at my lat.

 

[RequiredUsername]

No.
But I would like to try it one day to light dep tropicals as they don’t finish at my lat.

Ah, yes that is a challenge. I have a very uncommon medical Sotho Sativa that is 14-16 weeks flowering. It finishes in december/january and I got lucky and found someone that tried to grow it out. They had trouble mid way through flowering and couldn't get it to finish. They got pollen off the males though. Outside it's natural environment it's a difficult grow. I have been putting it off. If I dont have success I lose that line. Traditional uses are for childbirth, lowering blood pressure, eases anxiety, and for spiritual purposes. It's one of those where everything must go well. It needs a cold signal to finish, I have to study the weather patterns up in the mountains to get a better idea and make a plan.

There is a lot of sativa in the Himalayas, have you found something that does grow well where you are?

 

[El Timbo]

Exactly. They breed hermaphroditism into the offspring everytime a plant is feminized to produce pollen for feminized seeds.

If a female plant is capable of producing pollen through the use of chemicals it will pass on that capability if it is pollinated with standard male pollen right?

Or are you suggesting that all plants should be be thoroughly tested by all means possible to ensure that they don't produce opposite sex gametes whatever you do to them before they are used to make seeds?

 

[RequiredUsername]

If a female plant is capable of producing pollen through the use of chemicals it will pass on that capability if it is pollinated with standard male pollen right?

Or are you suggesting that all plants should be be thoroughly tested by all means possible to ensure that they don't produce opposite sex gametes whatever you do to them before they are used to make seeds?

I'm suggesting that hermaphroditism is to be removed out of the population because it weakens/contaminates the good genetics. Hermaphrodites are weaker in many aspects, from pest resistance to potency. This is well known. For example if a plant goes hermaphrodite in the field, its removed.

Not the other way around, where hermaphroditism is induced, and that hermaphrodite becomes the breeding stock. That's putting hermaphroditism into the genetics. That's a bad breeding practice.

 

[FTL]

I'm suggesting that hermaphroditism is to be bred out of the population because it weakens/contaminates the good genetics. Hermaphrodites are weaker in many aspects, from pest resistance to potency. This is well known.

Ah, yes that is a challenge. I have a very uncommon medical Sotho Sativa that is 14-16 weeks flowering. It finishes in december/january and I got lucky and found someone that tried to grow it out. They had trouble mid way through flowering and couldn't get it to finish. They got pollen off the males though. Outside it's natural environment it's a difficult grow. I have been putting it off. If I dont have success I lose that line. Traditional uses are for childbirth, lowering blood pressure, eases anxiety, and for spiritual purposes. It's one of those where everything must go well. It needs a cold signal to finish, I have to study the weather patterns up in the mountains to get a better idea and make a plan.

There is a lot of sativa in the Himalayas, have you found something that does grow well where you are?

Heaps of stuff man, the best were always saliva leaning hybrids for me .

Lesotho is interesting. Looked at that myself. TLT and love of land race both sell versions. If you seed it out it will finish faster and back your line up.

Himalayan’s are very interesting too. But need Some working to finish properly here.

 

[exoticrobotic]

Hermaphrodites are weaker in many aspects, from pest resistance to potency. This is well known.

I'd be careful removing hermaphrodites or any other lgbt plant for that matter.

It is what most people do and most people have shite weed.

If you read the forums a lot of people say it doesnt really get passed to the offspring.

Nature made plants herm to ensure it's survival so imo it is part of the plant and a required part.

It also seems to be associated with higher potency, nanas towards the end of flowering that is.

I'd only remove a herm if it was early flowering or midflowering and was heavy.