@Amjk https://surna.com/a-6-2-light-schedule-could-increase-plant-growth/ Here’s one link , I read it somewhere else though and it had studies to back it , so I tried it . I had to flower early because they grew so fast , I got to my desired size weeks earlier than usual
@monkman the article in the link above my friend.
Heres the info from the above link, copied and pasted.
A 6/2 LIGHT SCHEDULE COULD INCREASE PLANT GROWTH
Posted by Celia Daly on March 10, 2016 12:00 am
Many growers advocate the use of an 18/6 light schedule (18 hours on, 6 hours off) while plants are in Veg. However, this may not be the most beneficial light schedule. Switching to a series of 6/2 (6 hours on, 2 hours off) light patterns may increase plant growth while also potentially creating a more stable controlled environment.
While this new schedule may sound risky, it actually comes with a number of benefits.
Cannabis is a short-day plant meaning that it will only flower when exposed to long periods of darkness and short periods of light. For cannabis to flower, there must be at least 12 hours of continuous darkness. This allows for the use of a series of shorter light schedules while the plant is in Veg – as long as the plant receives less than 12 hours of continuous darkness, it will stay in Veg.
BENEFITS OF A 6/2 LIGHT SCHEDULE
There is a lot of research that suggests that cannabis plants can only process a certain amount of light per day. After that level has been reached, the plant can no longer absorb more light, and any additional light is essentially wasted. By breaking the light cycle into multiple 6 hour periods, the plant is able to rest and process the light it has received. When the lights come back on 2 hours later, the plant will be ready to process additional light, allowing you to get the most plant growth out of every minute your lights are on.
At a biological level, cannabis’s inability to grow more once it has received a certain amount of light can be attributed to the way the plant processes carbon dioxide (CO2). A majority of the mass accumulated in cannabis is associated with the amount of CO2 found inside plant cells. While under light, cannabis tries to prevent CO2 from leaving its cells by cutting off transpiration. However, this prevents new CO2 from entering into the cell, blocking new growth. When the lights are turned off, and no photosynthesis is occurring, the plant is able to absorb new CO2into its cells.
Additionally, when plants are exposed to 18 straight hours of intense light, they become stressed. Signs of stress – droopy or curled leaves – will usually appear towards the end of the light cycle. While some stress can be beneficial to plant growth, too much stress can cause harm to your plants and prevent them from reaching maximum growth potential.
Giving plants 6 hours of intense light at a time not only puts less stress on the plants, it also spread out the load on your cooling system over a longer period of time. The cooling system works the hardest when lights are on. By turning off the lights for 2 hours at a time throughout the day, your cooling system will get a break between light cycles, allowing the room to be cooled to desired temperatures before the lights come back on. With a properly sized cooling system, this benefit will be minimized as the system will be designed to handle the heat load throughout the entire light cycle.
While there are many approaches to Veg light cycles for cannabis, a 6/2 schedule allows for maximum plant growth. A 6/2 schedule allows plants to process more intense light, prevents plants from becoming stressed and puts less stress on your cooling system. It’s a win all around. Give your plants a break every 2 hours and you’ll be amazed at the results
@HornHead I hope this thread opens your mind a little to the possibilities of 6-2 being beneficial to your plants. @greencoat.
yep, now that i read it a second time i’m pretty sure i read it the first lol @Amjk
Thanks for that @basementstealth. Appreciate the info.
Very interesting thread, I’m thinking of switching one tent to 6-2 and see how it fairs.
Would you need to start from seed or could I start at anytime
Is there any possibility of this causing a hermie? My only concern lol
I’ll let you know, on that light schedule now. I can say my seedling has grown twice as fast as my last one on 18/6
@Noctis420 if a plant does hermie how can u be sure what caused it…?
Well I’ve only had hermies in my first grow. The plant out grew the space and was literally pushing against the top of the grow box lol. I have never had any since? I do suppose there are a lot of factors to consider. @basementstealth
Yes. So many factors. Hope ur grows go well
Thanks, yours as well.
I’m away for work now, but when I’m back I’ll post some pics. I havent posted my grow since I was dq from the grow off, but I’m in flower now so I’ll share an update soon
As I said, I would let you all know my results with 6/2 lighting. I have seen posts where people were saying this screws with the plants when it comes to flipping to 12/12 and it takes twice as long for the plant to flower. I can say this is not the case. I have 3 plants, 3 different strains, 2 different type of lighting. All 3 plants started flowering 9 days after flip. I flipped directly from 6/2 to 12/12.
I have been using 6/2 for two grows without any issues. Flipping to 12/12 was also without issue.
I had seen posts where people were saying it took 4 weeks to flower after switching and that you can’t go directly from 6/2 to 12/12. Couldn’t find that thread so figured I’d update here.
My most recent grow went from 6/2 to 12/12 and finished “stretching” in two weeks.
Part of this is my use of red and far red to initiate flowering.
This plant was flipped 26 days ago: