Quote Originally Posted by Alvis11
so I hear some growers like to go totally dark for 24-36 hours when going from vegetative stage to flowering

and I hear some growers just go on a 12/12 cycle without the 24-36 hours of dark time

what is best? any advice?

thanks !!

:thumbsup:
Alvis, it is always hard to answer a question that asks "which is best" since there is a lot of variation in how different people grow and what might be best for one person will not be best for another. But with that said, I'll try to explain the theory behind 24-36hrs of dark when changing photoperiods.

During the dark period the plant starts to produce hormones and enzymes, this process stops and starts to reverse itself with light. Most mj will not flower till it sees at least 8-10hrs of dark, hence the traditional 12/12 ususally will get them flowering. By going to an extended dark period of 24-36 hrs you can be sure the plant has built up enough internal chems to switch to flowering when you do go to 12/12. It is believed that they will start producing buds faster using this method and might even cut the flowering time down.

From my experience trying the method (24-36hrs dark) it will start producing buds faster but I have not seen a major difference in flowering times. The real problem I have with it is this; if you have a veg room and a seperate bloom room that is in continuous use (plants at various stages of flower) it's not easy to have a spot to put them in dark for that long. Plus the few days you pick up in finishing time is lost by a few days getting started at 12/12. To me it seems to be a case of 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other.

It is worth the experiment to see which works "best" for you, you can't hurt or hermie the plant using either method. Hope this helps you.
oldmac Reviewed by oldmac on . Dark Time? so I hear some growers like to go totally dark for 24-36 hours when going from vegetative stage to flowering and I hear some growers just go on a 12/12 cycle without the 24-36 hours of dark time what is best? any advice? thanks !! :thumbsup: Rating: 5