I have heard that longer dark cycles do tend to cause the plent to grow a little more. By grow a little more I mean that the plant will have more vertical and slightly more bud growth.

Going on this tip I lowered my light cycle to 11/13 instead of 12/12 and this seems to be ok for now. I thought about going with more dark but I figured it would be best to ease into that state. In my opinion going from 12/12 right to 16/8 might be too drastic of a change right off the bat for the plants. Remember, making small adjustments to your grow is the best way to tell a difference rather than big adjustments.

With my setup it seems like the buds were producing more pistils for a few days on the 11/13 light cycle but nothing super noticable. Anything 12/12 or less in dark cycle will induce flowering so it's up to you after that point. But remember, buds need plenty of light to grow bigger, nutrient uptake can only do so much.
deftdrummer Reviewed by deftdrummer on . Shortening light cycle to finish bloom? I've had my plants blooming for 8 weeks on 12/12. I still have buds with white pistils, looking great, but still not quite mature. I've been using General Hydroponics nutrients the entire grow, using the ripening mix for the past several weeks, and an hps bulb for light. Should I change my light cycle to 8 on and 16 off to help finish the bloom? Or something near that? Any tips greatly appreciated. Rating: 5