seedling photoperiod

well i got a bunch of seelings sprouted - about 7 so far, i have about another 10-12 that germinated and were promptly planted, awaiting sprouting.

since the seeds all germinated at different times, i have sort of like a staggered life cycle of plants. my biggest now is about 2-3" with a set of the inital round leaves, a set of the "normal" leaves, and a bunch of smaller ones growing. it's about 1.5 weeks old now or so. (see pic, sorry about blurriness should have used manual focus)

my questions is when do i switch from 24/0 photoperiod to 18/6? i want to keep as many seedlings as possible under 24/0 before i switch but don't want to hurt the older ones as well. when do you normally switch??

Hello,

This subject is still a bit up in the air. I personally do not think that there is a big difference between the two light schedules. Performance wise the plants are basicly the same with both cycles.

I think that it is only natural for the plants to want some down time, so I use the 18/6 veg cycle. A person I know who swears by 24/0 says the seedlings need all the light they can get.

In the end both of us usually have the same size (bushiness, height, vigor) of plants.

Hope this helps.

Peace

let me put it to you this way
in nature, when the seeds drop, and after winter hibernation, in the spring, when the thatws are over, the seed sprouts, low light period.
who am i to fuck with mother natures rules.
also i have found, once they have sprouted, that there will be a higher ratio of females to male if a 8 to 10 hour light cycle is used, but thats just my experience. it`s not a big difference tho, i`d estimate like maybe 5 to 10 percent.

thanks for the resposnes.

i think i'll switch over to an 18/6 light cycle soon now that i have a timer that will actually work.

2nd question - when to fertilize? i was planning on waiting till the seedlings outgrew the jiffy cubes (i heard 2-3 weeks on that normally) and then transplant & start fertilization after it gets over the shock. i have several 6" clay pots i was planning on using - will i need to transplant again?? since im growing in an enclosed space (old 125ga saltwater aquarium) and only have 2-3' vertical space, i'll be bending like mad so they fit well.

also...

notanovice: i'd think that 8-10 hour light cycle would hurt more than help. sure, it may give more females for some good sinsemilia but wouldn't it slow the growth drastically only getting 8-10 hrs of light/day??

if only that much light,they will start trying to flower,need 18 to 24 hours light to veg,12 12 to flower,,,,,,,,,,.................

Soon as i plant my seedlings i put them in 24/0 till i flower