Has anyone tried this?

Turning a 20/4 light schedule into 5/1/5/1/5/1/5/1 meaning 5 on, 1 off, 5 on, 1 off, 5 on, 1 off, 5 on, 1 off for an auto? Obviously would be a waste with a photoperiod plant, but what about an auto?

Just curious as to what the outcome would be...

Or what that would do in general..

why? (10 characters)

Maybe I'm not high enough to understand this.

i think it wouldnt really benefit you. with the lights only off for an hour the plant probably wont even have time to enter its dark cycle. I THINK it would act as if it was on a 24h schedule but with a little slower growth. Possibly you might even stress it to the point of hermie.
Maybe someone who actually knows will pop in with a better answer.

Nuikala said:

i think it wouldnt really benefit you. with the lights only off for an hour the plant probably wont even have time to enter its dark cycle. I THINK it would act as if it was on a 24h schedule but with a little slower growth. Possibly you might even stress it to the point of hermie.
Maybe someone who actually knows will pop in with a better answer.

Click to expand...

Interesting theory. Saving a few hours a day of energy over a grow could really add up in savings, but will the extra load on startup a few times a day put more wear on the bulb/ballast than its worth since startup is the time of highest amperage draw? And hermies are always a concern. Anyone with experience or is this just another "great idea" that gets recycled every few months.