First attempt at a 24-hour "Martian Method"

[salmayo]

It took about a year when my uncle first got this strain to figure out his best Standard HPS flowering schedule.

That's why I think it's vitally important that the average Med Grower be given good genetics and the information on them to grow. With propper breeding any strain can be manipulated to give a grow optimized 12/12 performance, and in the future I think standardization will bring about much better genetics in this respect. I also think that standardization will make it manditory for 11.5/12.5 + flowering finish time type information to be supplied with the seeds/clones.

With you and your uncle, given the level of experience and performance that you're at, it was a year well spent. Well Done!

The first time we did any Martian stuff we had the HPS on time at 11.5 I think. Until we ramped up the PAD lights (on time) and (wattage). Then just after day 21 of flowering we were running 11 hours HPS on and 11 hours PAD on with our biggest results to date. We just didn't do the ripening part correctly IMO. Sure we got the biggest flowers that way but at 9 full weeks the hairs were only 20% dark. The product was still good but not quite done. When my uncle does a standard 11.5/12.5 flower, at 9 full weeks of flowering the hairs are abut 90% dark and the product is near couch lock.

My personal take on trichome/flower developement leans more towards the 420 zone for economy, efficiency and quality, but for your using 11 hours of PAD for the first time that was a damn good run. And yeh, the time spent dialing in the schedule did delay the hairs. The first run with a new strain, I use the 50% dark/dried/witherred hairs stage as a signal that it's time to increase SID (~cut back the light cycle) for ripenning, then I watch the trichome color a bit as well, but I'm more of a wrinkled clear gland head kinda guy than most (amber trich) people. I'm more into the more head less lock resin profile. At amber, my Sativas seem overdone, and at brown even they're lock down.

Week nine of Tub O Clones will be very interesting. I'm looking forward to it. :thumbsup:

I wont be able to release my 12/12 project until after Halloween, since I'm gonna use a couple of the more advanced methods, but I might be bringing it out right after then. Just like the Martian bug, once bitten by the more advanced stuff (Rauber's), they're is really no going back. I'm too spoiled to due without it now (That's right ladies, that bastard ruined me! And you know the rules, now he has to spoil me in the manner to witch I wish to become accustommed).

The trichome production for us only using 10 hours of HPS and 3 hours of red PAD lights is very good.

When we did the 11 hours of PAD (on time) there was defiantly more trichome production.

As long as it's done within the right spectral ranges, PAD contributes to "Better Than SID and SAL" trichome and flower production. And, taking the knowledge from PAD and applying it to PAL/SAL, just as with PAD and SID, gives better results in the Light as well as the Dark parts of the flowering schedule cycles. It always seems like there's "just one more dimension" to mention with the full knowledge we now have. (Full Endarkenment has led to Full Enlightenment.)

Both areas are setup for CFL or INC top lighting hanging off the hoods on light movers. One of the areas could do both top lighting with CFL/INC and side lighting w/2 Foot Fluorescent tubes. Unfortunately one of the areas can't do any Fluorescent side lighting at all. Also because of the size of the HID hoods nether of the areas could do Fluorescent tube top lighting with the HPS.

Got it! That's exactly the thing Rauber will want to know. How many 2 Foots do you think it can do and on which sides? (Two opposite side walls would probably be best, but it's about what people can do, so let us know.)

Keep up the good work.

Take Care, Sal.