Vegging light.. 24/0, 18/6 or 16/8?

My plant is about 5 weeks in to vegging. I think its a Sativa because its tall and skinny (about 1 foot). I've been running it at 24/0 with CFL's. My electric bill has jumped $50 per month since growing.. I dunno how 6 23watt CFL's can make such a big difference, but regardless.. for a single plant, that is kind of expensive.

Can I go to 18/6 or 16/8 without it going in to flowering? Are there ANY negative effects of this change or in the less light? Possibly my plant will take longer to grow?

Which is better, 18/6 or 16/8?

I recommend 18/6

:)...http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-gr...ml#post1982814

This is what I've gathered so far. It seems 50/50. $50 per month to light my plant seems expensive to me, but at the same time I need to hurry up and be done with this plant for reasons I won't post here. :)

So I guess the two main questions are.. does the plant need 'rest time' and does 18/6 slow the growth? Someone said (in the link you provided) that marijuana is a "C3 plant" and doesn't require any dark time, but thats only one person saying that. As for growth during the dark time, I'd think the rest would be considered growth. Just like humans need to sleep, maybe the plant needs to sleep and wake up recharged and ready to grow some more?

24/0 Pros

- Faster growth
- Keeps the temp consistant during the winter

24/0 Cons

- Higher electric bill
- No 'rest time' for the plant.. but is it even neccessary?


16/8 Pros

- Cheaper electric bill
- There is some 'rest time' for the plant

16/8 Cons

- Slower growth
- Keep the temps down in the day in the summer

root growth is encouraged during the 'rest time'... whether that is 'needed' or not, is up for debate however... but you might want to just ask these questions in the threat that dutch pimp linked you to... as this is basically the same discussion happening in 2 places at the same time.

to flower you need to induce it with 12 hours of darkness....24/0 is only good for the seedling stage in my opinion....
As Dutch said I'd recommend 18/6 after the first to second week of the seedling stage. Then grow your ladies to desired height and then turn the clocks to 12/12 and within two weeks they should show their sex.

that pretty much sums it up. I thought about testing it myself, but I came across a thread where my buddy divestoned said that he tested 24/0 to 18/6 and couldn't tell much of a difference. I trust what he says since his setup looks like a laboratory! I'll poke around and see if I can find that thread again, I think it was someone's grow log.

I'm still running 24/0, but as summer gets closer I might change my mind.

sorry to double post, but I did find the thread. he says it's good to have the rest cycle.

here's the link to the discussion:
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-welcomed.html

here's a link to dive's new setup, (try not to drool to much) lol:
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...ude-girls.html

Think of it like this.
The leafs are solar pannels - Connected to a tower.
During the day these leafs collect the energy.
At night this energy is dispersed throught the whole.

"Does marijuana require a dark period during the vegetative growth stage? I recently read a grow book that advocated an 18-6 light cycle during the early growth stages."
PSD 420,
Internet

One way in which plants are categorized is by the way they gather and handle carbon dioxide. Cannabis is a C3 plant. It uses the CO2 it gathers during the light period, when it is photosynthesizing. Plants designated C4 also gather CO2 during the dark period for use during the light period. Many C3 plants, including cannabis, do not need a rest period. They continue to photosynthesize as long as they are receiving light.

The plant's photosynthetic rate determines its growth rate because the sugars are used by the plant to build tissue and for energy. Cannabis under continuous light will grow 33% faster than the same plants on an 18-6 light regime."




That being said, I have been using 24-0 and I like it a lot. However, I will be turning off my lights for a couple hours a day from now on. This is because the heat build up at around 2-4pm isnt worth it to leave the lights on.

the light-hours is a debate that will probably always be disputed ... I have used the 18/6 veg 12/12 flower schedule successfully for a long, long time, have tried other schedules, but always go back ...
here is a very interesting article, by DJ Shorts, the famous breeder ... mid-way down, he starts discussing different light schedules, to bring out desired characteristics (imitating lighting schedules of the landrace origins) ... thought-provoking Breeding tips | Cannabis Culture Magazine :thumbsup:

actually...I use 20/4...:)

QUOTE: Cannabis under continuous light will grow 33% faster than the same plants on an 18-6 light regime." UNQUOTE

it doesn't matter what the 'sugars-use' theory is on that, it just doesn't pan out that way, in the garden ... I've grown comparison gardens quite a few times, and there is just not much difference, at all ... the plants still finish out about the same, but the 18/6 plants seem to be more trouble-free, and lush (in my experiences) ... all botanists I speak with, agree the plants need the dark periods for other processes in the plant ... it's not all about 'growth' ... :smokin: