36 hour darkness before floweer

[growbum]

hello everyone, i am new grower and new to site im sure u can tell.anyway i am looking for some information on 36 hours of dark before switching to flower is there any merit to this, any help would be appreciated.

[bboyfromwayback]

IMO that’s 36hrs of lost growth

[TOKABIGONE]

Actually plants tend to do most of their growing during their dark period. Light time is used for photosynthesis and storing of the energy and glucose produced during that time. Fastest growth occurs in the hours just before dawn. Dark time is when growth hormones such as Florigen are produced.
Whether your plants will produce better yields or faster results by skipping 1 day of light before harvest is yet to be proven. I believe an incremental reduction of light during the flower period is more likely to have an effect due to establishing a rhythm for flowering hormone production. None of this actually answers the question but demonstrates that we don't really know.

[bboyfromwayback]

Common sense tells me that 1.5 days of darkness during veg does nothing but slow the plant down. If anything increase the time under lights, go from 18/6 to 20/4 or 24hrs on then flip to 12/12. But tbh, I don’t get the reasoning. Is it to speed the plant up? Because if you’re the impatient type and that’s the goal this probably isn’t the hobby for you

[9fingerleafs]

It’s based on the hormone phytochrome red and far red. Light hits the molecule and sets the hormone into one of the modalities. During the dark period it turns back into the other modality. When enough of the molecules go back (dark period long enough) it signals the plant it’s time to flower. This is the photo part in photoperiod. This process can take longer in plants used to darkness because it’s used to certain ratio of rad to far red. Very different from plants veged under 24/7 were the hormone stays one way so any increase in the other one triggers flowering. Some plants may need to force the hormone to accumulate to trigger flowering. That’s why an extra day of darkness. Hope I explained well. You should google it

[Hammer53]

I have 6 bag seed photo sativa going now in soil. I flipped 4 to 12/12 on 4/5. The other 2 I left them in dark for 30 hrs before flip, they are 4inches shorter. Now I know all plants act differently.This is what I found, we will see when it's time for trics to show. BTW they were on 18/6 veg
Welcome aboard, and good luck.

[johnb1963]

yes, i do 24 - 48 before harvest, there are studies showing the merits. no lost grow, since you would harvest anyway. i would definitely do it!

[YYCannabis]

Do you mean before switching to flower, or before harvesting flower? Either way, i don’t believe it’s necessary at all. I certainly wouldn’t do it mid-grow.

[TheKieftan]

In nature all this would be is a night a very overcast day followed by another night how is a very overcast day good for a plant I’m a believer in if it ain’t broke don’t fix it 12/12 works just fine

[9fingerleafs]

Some strains in certain circumstances may see an improvement in flowering time. Specially sativas being veged in 18 hours at low light (indor cfls...) but if you veg 24 hours of light then straight to 12/12 will do the job. Some indicas will flower with 14 hours of light, those need no dark time in between stages. Growing outdoors the sun it’s so powerful that even with the moon and light contamination the difference in light is enough to signal flowering without any light depravation.

[johnb1963]

only before harvest. the long period of darkess stresses the plant, and as a defense mechanism, increase trichome product. studies show it can increase THC levels 2-3%

[grouchyoldman]

Hi johnb1963, you may be right, but what "studies" are you referring to? Every one I have seen is pseudo-sci with enough uncontrolled variables to be useless.

On blind faith, I do 24 hour of darkness before harvest as an offering to the CannaGawds, but the scientific data in side-by-side studies would close this controversy down is still missing. Without it, this is just another Unfalsifiable Cannabis Mythos.

Stick with the basics and listen to Your plants.

[Farmbuck]

Following.

[growbum]

thx everyone for information i appreciate it. yycannabis it switching to flower. im gonna choose not to btw i ran my lights 24/7 in veg.

[Coubob]

I put my 2 Gorilla Breath clones through a 24 hour darkness period. I don`t think i will again. although it did seem they grew quit a bit in that time but the new growth was yellow, it turned back green pretty quick This only my 2nd grow indoors or ever for that matter. I am anxiously waiting for the light to switch on so i can get in there on their 2nd day of flower, i have been slowly increasing light getting them use to the new one.