Photoperiodism: The importance of an uninterrupted dark cycle

Photoperiodism: The importance of an uninterrupted dark cycle--as told by a botany major.

Why does the dark cycle play an important role in the flowering cycle of cannabis? Cannabis is what botanists refer to as a short day plant. Which means that the plant will not flower until the day is shorter than the night. Even though they are referred to as short day plants, the light cycle is not as important to the flowering process for cannabis as the dark cycle. This is because plants actually measure the length of uninterrupted darkness to trigger the flowering cycle. Even if you were to give cannabis a 16 hour dark period with a brief period of light, it will not flower. Unless that light is as faint as the moon, it will interrupt the plants measure of night time length and prohibit the plant from flowering.
Why do short day (long night) plants flower outdoors even when the moon is reflecting the sunâ??s light? If the moon were reflecting enough light the plant would not flower. However, the moon redirects such a minute amount of light that it is not enough to prevent flowering. If the night is bright enough, it can slow down the transition phase to flowering or even slow down the rate at which a plant flowers.
As indoor growers, this is why we strive for an completely void of light dark cycle. Whether commercial growing (a big no-no on this site) or personal use growing, it is best to keep the dark cycle as dark as possible. An indoor grower should strive to create their own â??perfectâ?� night. We can be even better than nature because we can prevent all light from entering our dark cycle and have a complete control of our environment. Iâ??m not going to say that you canâ??t flower a plant if you have a little light entering your grow space. I will say that you can flower quicker and more effectively with a completely void of light dark cycle.

Coming soonâ?¦a further discussion of photoperiodism and hormones involved in the flowering process.

good post, thanks for the info. :) Got anything from your botany major on hermaphrodites? All info appreciated.

Thanks, oh and if anyone is looking for a credible source to back up this information you can refer to Biology of Plants by Raven.

I do not know much about hermaphrodites however I will scower my old books from class to see if they mention anything about hermaphroditic plants