Lighting Confusion

[Lew]

Between the manufacturers instructions and all that Im reading on lighting I am now totally confused. All Im after is how long do I need lighting on during the seedling to thru the vegetative stages for a 500w LED system please, thanks

[Rwise]

The wattage makes no dif in how long the lights are on, in veg you want 16 - 18 hours of light (some plants can and will flower @ 14/10s), in flower you want 12 hours of total darkness. Some folks run 18/6 while others run 16/8 until flower when its 12/12s. I have not tried this yet but read that 8/4/8/4 works well for mothers.

[Lew]

thanks

[golfnrl]

Hi Lew...Rwise is spot on. Generally, during the vegetative state you want your light on at least 18, 20, or even 24 hours a day. I like 18 on 6 off for veg. that schedule gives the plants some rest time. It might be a personal preference. For the flowering stage you want 12 hours on 12 hours off. The distance the light should be from the plant is determined by the manufacturer.

[Lew]

thank you to.

[Xena]

The above are for photos, for autos 18/6 or 20/4 all the way through

[golfnrl]

Nice catch Xena...I should have asked, auto or photo?