24/0 vs 18/6 for Veg

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PotatoPower

Member
So, I've gotten mixed answers concerning the light schedule. Is it better to leave the lights on 24/0 or 18/6.
I'm sure a few other noobs would appreciate this information too.
 
Samwell Seed Well

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
its all about preference i have no problem 24 and the same for 18/6

24 cost more and theirs more heat, some say plants need dark, but for three yrs i have gone 24 veg and i grow more and better weed per watt then most with more expierence and yrs under their belt

point being

light cylce wont make up for grower skill

so maybe do what ever is best for you, personally i think 20/4 is fine too
 
cbr1000rr18

cbr1000rr18

Member
Honestly I don't think it's a huge deal either way. I did 24/0 light for my last grow and this time I did 18/6 and I didn't notice any major differences. Besides the way the different strains looks naturally.
 
pandan

pandan

Active Member
It's like a lot of things- that is pro's and cons. It's not for everyone and situation but is an option. Here is a few points:

24/0 pros:

*More light hours for more available energy
*Possible faster growth

24/0 cons:

*More plant stress. Stress can have a lot of detracting effects such as making a plant hermie.
*More energy use. You put 50% more energy in but when I did it I didn't see a 50% increase in growth. Maybe 25%. So doing it quicker still means you pay more.

It goes on and on but you get the point right? Bottom line is it's an option but not for everyone and every situation- simple.
One of those more ideal situations is maybe Auto-flowering plants though. Maybe someone wants to chime in on the benefits of that as opposed to photo period strains?
 
virulient

virulient

Active Member
pandan said:
It's like a lot of things- that is pro's and cons. It's not for everyone and situation but is an option. Here is a few points:

24/0 pros:

*More light hours for more available energy
*Possible faster growth

24/0 cons:

*More plant stress. Stress can have a lot of detracting effects such as making a plant hermie.
*More energy use. You put 50% more energy in but when I did it I didn't see a 50% increase in growth. Maybe 25%. So doing it quicker still means you pay more.

It goes on and on but you get the point right? Bottom line is it's an option but not for everyone and every situation- simple.
One of those more ideal situations is maybe Auto-flowering plants though. Maybe someone wants to chime in on the benefits of that as opposed to photo period strains?
Click to expand...
Turning your lights off for 25% of the time saves 50% energy? That's pretty nifty! Basic math iz herd
 
N

Noobface

Active Member
http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/articles/3127.html

If we were to believe this admittedly quite old article, the difference would be growth rate as opposed to end product, 33% more pace for the extra 25% lighting time. However, what you must also factor in is the amount your light costs, is it really worth your electricity bill to give the plants this initial boost? As well as this, think "does my electricity cost more at certain times?" some countries have different night and day rates so putting the 24/0 system into practice could also incur extra cost there depending on what times you've set your lights to.

Personally I use 18 hours of light primarily for cost, but I also believe in giving the plant a break from the light (not based on fact, just knowing that I'd need it) and also a break from the heat.
 
DontTaxMeBro

DontTaxMeBro

Active Member
I've noticed that my root growth tends to be stronger when I have at least 4 hours of dark instead of the full 24 hours of light.
 
pandan

pandan

Active Member
I did the math wrong before saying 50% more (that would be 12 hours not 18 ) but 24 is 6 hours more than 18 so 33% more. As for cost, get your power bill and it should say how much per kilo watt hour. Like someone mentioned earlier- some countries charge more for what they call "peak energy", which for where I live means the time when everyone is coming home in the afternoon after work and school, turning on lights, watching TV and cooking dinner. So something like 3pm to 10 pm or something. That period costs a lot more then say 12am, when everyone is asleep and not using power.
 
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PotatoPower

Member
Tomorrow after school, I will come home and turn off the lights at 3:00. Then at 9:00, I'll just turn em' back on so they can stay warm at night :D
 
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Noobface

Active Member
You may wanna get a timer for future if you're in school, if you plan to carry on setting lights off at 3pm they'll have to start going on at 3am at 12/12, or 9am and 9pm, at 9 am I assume you're at/have left for school
 
P

PotatoPower

Member
Well, I don't know if this will affect the plants much, but when I start to flower, I could just switch the time to 7:00 AM and 7:00pm. Would that be bad switching the time like that? o_O How much do timers cost?
 
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