What light cycle should be used on autos?
Why is it not a good idea for 24 hour light?
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Plants need a little rest period. Good things happen while lights are off. I have only grown autos once. I ran a 18/6 schedule during Veg. 12/12 once Flower started.
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There’s nothing wrong with a 24/0 schedule per se. A few people grow autoflowers this way - throughout the entire growth. 20/4 is much more common though, and 16/8 is the most common. There’s nothing wrong with 12/12 either. That’s one reason why autoflower strains are great - they will take pretty much any lighting schedule.
Plants don’t actually need a rest period. But… there is different nutrient uptake/processing that happens during the dark time that can be beneficial to plants.
Most commonly people will use a 16/8 lighting schedule throughout the entire growth and only switch to 12/12 if they need to encourage the plant to flower because it is being slow/stubborn.
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If you are running adequate light, the main thing to achieve is the correct amount of light. Plants don’t benefit from light after they reach their saturation point or Daily Light Interval. So if they have gotten all of the light they need after 14 hours, the rest is just heating the space.
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Myfriendis410
So how does a person determine the saturation point?
I have autos on a18/6 and they are perky all day and the last two hours or so of light they start to go limp so I’ve tuned the light to that so now they get 16 1/2 hour light 7 1/2 dark. I’m a newbie tho so take it for what it’s worth. Someone with a lot of knowledge told me to look for what your plant is telling you it wants so that’s what I did
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Just to give you a picture reference
This is at 4:00 am when lights come on
15 minutes before the lights go out. She’s tired and ready for bed by the looks of it
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This is my issue,
I have had no success with the Autos so far. I had 2 that were decent but not even close to what they should have been.
I have my lights on 24/0 hrs light.
I have tried pro mix and adding FF nutrients. Im using FF Ocean Forest and FF Happy Frog at the moment. 50/50. No nutrients. My seedlings come up slow and eventually the lower leaves start turning yellow. They never seem robust.
Im using city water and i do let it sit for 24 hrs or more.
I water with the city water and half the recommendation of Cal-Mag (half a tsp).
My watering PH is 6.5.
Average temp and hum in the room is 70/35-50.
I have grow’d weed in the past and always had great success until these autos but its probably not the autos fault. Im just leaving something out or forgot something even though i read here all the time.
Im growing in like a 4x2 area with 2 100w HLG lights.
I dont know if im trying to be so precise and im totally screwing up or what. I know what a healthy plant looks like and mine dont.
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Have you tried distilled water? It’s a dollar per gallon at the dollar store
Thank you for the photos. I see exactly what youre saying.
I have to turn the lights back just to see if that helps.
But mine are slow and not at all robust since the day they sprout.
How old are the plants you posted?
When im not using the city water i use the walmart purified water.
Whats the thoughts on that?
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I got a picture for every day but I did not wanna bore you LOL
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Like I said I’m not too knowledgeable, but I know who is @Myfriendis410
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I’ve also heard that starting out in ffof can be a bit “hot” for immature plants stunting their growth but I don’t have no evidence of that yet.
Look at the picture of them during dark
I will post the picture 15 minutes after lights on and you will see that a little rest is necessary
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No reason to run your lights more than 18 hours, 12-18 should be more than adequate.
Your vpd is off, hampers plants ability to transpire. Look to to get your lights on temps up some then reference vpd chart for target rh, or do the opposite. Will probably help some.
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@dbrn32
Whats vpd and where can i find the chart
@Trizzoop
Nice looking plants