My 8hr flowering experiment
- Thread starter torontoke
- Start date
ThcGuy
Well-Known Member
First off, great thread, it took me two days to read most of it...I did skip a few pages 
.
I want to try lower hours but I'm on my first grow in a very very long time so I am going to run 12/12 to get a base line weight for my set up.
Also Alberta has a price cap on power set at 6.8 cents/KWH, currently I am locked in under 5.5 cents/KWH, so cutting 4 hours a day would only save me ~25 cents/day or less than $10/month to run my 1000w HPS for the 8/16. So if cutting hours of light cost any loss of weight, it wouldn't be as efficient when compared to running 12/12. I would really like to try this though just to figure out exactly where the yield or quality starts to drop off compared to 12/12.
Great thread man, keep up the good work!
.I want to try lower hours but I'm on my first grow in a very very long time so I am going to run 12/12 to get a base line weight for my set up.
Also Alberta has a price cap on power set at 6.8 cents/KWH, currently I am locked in under 5.5 cents/KWH, so cutting 4 hours a day would only save me ~25 cents/day or less than $10/month to run my 1000w HPS for the 8/16. So if cutting hours of light cost any loss of weight, it wouldn't be as efficient when compared to running 12/12. I would really like to try this though just to figure out exactly where the yield or quality starts to drop off compared to 12/12.
Great thread man, keep up the good work!
torontoke
Well-Known Member
Who's really going to grow 4 plants bud?
I bet everyone that runs 4 runs at least 8
And once crops start coming in then buying stops and the prices crash.
There will be 2-5million grow experts over night. We'll see these forums flooded.
I was only joking about the power companies bro.
Johnei
Well-Known Member
Exactly my thoughts as well bro. Just my kw/h numbers are almost double what you mentioned in your post. Really would llike to try, but first grow back at it after sooo long, I've really gotta be sure. Testing is the only way I guess.
And the 12/12 instilled in us from days past, not every strain needs this much daylight hrs I think, we are all just using a 12/12 for a kind of protection that works with all strains, if ya know what I mean. There is room for improvement, always.
(edit- Actually, more than double kw/h $ what you posted, for me here.)
torontoke
Well-Known Member
We aren't so lucky round here.First off, great thread, it took me two days to read most of it...I did skip a few pages
I want to try lower hours but I'm on my first grow in a very very long time so I am going to run 12/12 to get a base line weight for my set up.
Also Alberta has a price cap on power set at 6.8 cents/KWH, currently I am locked in under 5.5 cents/KWH, so cutting 4 hours a day would only save me ~25 cents/day or less than $10/month to run my 1000w HPS for the 8/16. So if cutting hours of light cost any loss of weight, it wouldn't be as efficient when compared to running 12/12. I would really like to try this though just to figure out exactly where the yield or quality starts to drop off compared to 12/12.
Great thread man, keep up the good work!
Power bills were insane years past.
33% doesn't seem like much with your rates maybe but my uncle was getting a 3000$ bill every two months 33% to him is groceries or mortgage payment.
And don't believe the hype. If reduced hours caused quality to drop off then I'd have noticed and I've tried weed from just about everywhere.
Johnei
Well-Known Member
Hey man, sorry, but can you give me a small recap of the results of this experiment, I will read it all, but I sort of, want to know right now. lol I'm really very extremely interested... if ya feel like it.. or maybe link me to a good post back in this thread so you dont have to double type.
torontoke
Well-Known Member
My best run so far in the cabinet
Yielded 355 grams plus unweighed trim using 180watts in 48days
Cab is 36"wide 22" deep and 56"tall
Edit:Coles notes for the stoners
torontoke
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't
No need now
BobCajun
Well-Known Member
Just point everyone to the summary post you gave me a while ago. Probably gonna get a lot of requests for a short version of the megathread, though admittedly less mega than Grow Err's and others'. Just saw that there was recent post in here so took a look. BTW I read on another forum that a guy has good results with a repeating 7/12 cycle. Says he gets the same yield and quality in 2 weeks less time than 12/12. The downside is an irregular timing which might make maintenance a little inconvenient.
There's another guy who does 8/12 but this guy got it down even farther with no apparent negative effects. Maybe with intense light 7 hours is like 12 hours of medium intensity light. Also it's the same intensity the whole photoperiod unlike outdoors where there are clouds and a slowly rising and setting sun. How much full intensity sunlight does an outdoor plant really get, maybe 6 hours.
There's another guy who does 8/12 but this guy got it down even farther with no apparent negative effects. Maybe with intense light 7 hours is like 12 hours of medium intensity light. Also it's the same intensity the whole photoperiod unlike outdoors where there are clouds and a slowly rising and setting sun. How much full intensity sunlight does an outdoor plant really get, maybe 6 hours.
torontoke
Well-Known Member
Welcome back bob.
Ya I'm not surprised others are getting good results using those cycles.
My unedumacated brain could never figure out a digital timer so I'm sol on any kind of irregular day cycle unfortunately or I'd have tried 8/12 a long time ago.
Shortening the actual entire day makes a lot of sense to me out side of the floating in and out of peak rates.
BobCajun
Well-Known Member
I just don't use it because it would be too inconvenient. I like a nice regular schedule. With an automated watering system it might be practical though. I have it so one chamber is on for 12 hours and then it goes off and the other comes on. That way less heat buildup, like half as much obviously. Probably be hard to have it like that with an irregular cycle. I find it much better with only one on at a time, or if I use 13 hours light they only overlap for an hour at a time. Maybe LESS than 12 would make denser buds, I don't know yet. Maybe too much light is a bad thing. For now I'm thinking more hours though.
zoic
Well-Known Member
It is an awesome read, "bet you can't read just once", LOL.LOL!!! ... hey man, I like to read your stuff.. don't say that.
LOL!!! that was funny.
ok maybe I will or maybe I won't, I'm just not gonna tell you. lolololol
I have read it twice so far. Fascinating! I am going 10/14 in a few days.
Johnei
Well-Known Member
Is that from day 1 flower or when? I'm so fascinated about all this.
editAddon-Fascinating x2
lol
zoic
Well-Known Member
I think you are seriously overestimating people. As long as the price is less than the LP's schwag, dealers should do fine. People will pay extra for assured quality and clean product. I think most folks do not want to be bothered growing, or even asking their doctor for a script to consume legally, IMHO