G
Guest
Guest
Has anyone on here started from seed to harvest with 12/12. What were your results just curious. Thanks
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insomniaczzz
New member
I just finished a soil seed to harvest grow. Was very successful. What questions do you have?
insomniaczzz
New member
Never mind, I misinterpreted your question. You want to know about having the lights 12/12 right from the very beginning?
I have never done that. Is there a reason why you want to do it that way?
I have never done that. Is there a reason why you want to do it that way?
G
Guest
Guest
Thats correct. The reason is because I have one location to grow and I have my clones at 12/12 one week into flowering. My seeds arrived and I want to start growing them.
insomniaczzz
New member
Boy, I don't know if that's a good idea. Young plants really need that light in the veg stage. I'm not sure, but they would probably be okay, just not grow and flourish like you would want them to.
If it was me, I'd be doing a google search on it to look for more info.
If it was me, I'd be doing a google search on it to look for more info.
PottySmokerton
New member
I know people have done this but your seeds would go right into flowering too and probably not yield more than an ounce or maybe a little more.
insomniaczzz
New member
I didn't even think of that.....unless they are autos they will think its time to flower way to young. VERY bad idea.
G
Guest
Guest
Ok thanks you guys you have been very helpful. Do you happen to know what the shelf life for seeds are?
G
Guest
Guest
Look what I found. [h=1]direct from seed![/h]
Most cultivation experts will tell you it is customary and necessary to ‘pre-grow’ Cannabis plants in a vegetative stage under 18 hours of light when cultivating indoors. Later, when the plants are mature or large enough, you can switch to a cycle of 12 hours of light to induce flowering. The reasoning being that this is what happens in Nature, albeit gradually.
We are here to tell you that indoor home-growers in most cases don’t need 18 hours of light in the vegetative stage. Welcome to the 'direct 12/12'-method!
But why cut back on a vital element like light?
After all, the more light you give the plant, the more it will yield. While this is true, there seems to be something special about plants that follow this 12/12 grow cycle when started from seed. They tend to grow larger and have a higher calyx-to-leaf ratio. Plus, you'll have the added value of saving a lot of costs. We do want to stress that we mean the 'direct 12/12'-method is better used when you plan to pre-grow your plants for only 3 to 4 weeks under 18 hours of light. If you want to pre-grow for a longer time, we advise against it and recommend using standard 18 hours for the 4-5-6-7 or 8 weeks you want to pre-grow the plant. It all depends on your situation.
For example:
Let’s say you want to pre-grow your plant in a vegetative stage for 3 weeks. If you use a light cycle of just 12 hours, you’ll save {3 weeks x 7 days x 6 hours = } 126 hours of light. This means you’ll save a lot of energy and related costs (about 12% or more!). Also, you won’t have to construct a separate grow room for the pre-growing of plants, which will save you equipment costs.
When growing your plant from seed, you can start it under a 12 hour light cycle straight away. It’s like growing your plant near the equator, which has a natural 12 hours of daylight all year long. Tropical sativas (narrow leaf) will take a long time before flowering is induced and are more dependent on other factors such as age or root development. They will grow in the vegetative stage for months under just 12 hours of light. So this is nothing new we’re telling you.
So here is the deal:
When growing indoors and starting from seed under 12 hours of light, plants will grow in the vegetative stage for about 3 to 4 weeks, after which automatic flowering is induced. The sex of the plant can show itself as early as 14 days after germination (this is very fast!). So you could use non-feminized seed for this as you can quickly distinguish between males and females, without the plants getting too big. The complete cycle takes about 11 to 12 weeks for most strains to finish.
You can also look at it this way: you can turn your ‘regular’ strain into an ‘autoflowering’ strain.
But… won’t the yield be less when you do not use those 18 hour of light in the first 3-4 weeks of the vegetative stage? No, it won’t. However, there are some rules you must adhere to.
First of all, this method will not work very well with 100% indica strains(broad leaf). They will just yield 15-25g per plant. Use 50/50 hybrids or slightly more narrow leaf dominant strains. Second, use a medium to large container (>11l). This way the roots will have enough room to develop properly in the short time they have. Germinate the seeds directly in the soil. Third, make sure you use proper ventilation (and wind generated through fans) so the stem of your plant will develop and grow strong. Finally, give your plants some room to breathe. The less competition they have for the growing space, the larger they will grow and the bigger the yield per plant will be. In any case, make sure the plants receive enough light!
A full 12/12 cultivation cycle completes in about 11 weeks, and can yield up to 100g per plant in 11 liter containers, depending on the genetics.
Do not try and top the plants as this will delay growth for a short time and can easily add a whole week to the time it takes for plants to finish. You also do not need to use any added nutrients, just use a proper soil medium.
When you want to add a plant, you can just put one in the cultivation room without the extra effort of pre-growing under 18 hours of light. You can easily use this system as a perpetual growing system.
The 'direct 12/12' method has been thoroughly field tested with strains such as: Blueberry, PowerPlant, Santa Maria, Hymalayan Gold, Hawaiian Snow, Strawberry Cough, Super Silver Haze and many others. We conducted tests with both HPS (high pressure sodium, 400W) and CFL (compact fluorescent lights, 150W). Both light systems showed the 'direct 12/12'-method to be consistent. We’re planning to do a test with LEDs in the near future, so stay tuned!
CONCLUSION:
Starting in a 12/12 cycle for indoor growing requires:
Most cultivation experts will tell you it is customary and necessary to ‘pre-grow’ Cannabis plants in a vegetative stage under 18 hours of light when cultivating indoors. Later, when the plants are mature or large enough, you can switch to a cycle of 12 hours of light to induce flowering. The reasoning being that this is what happens in Nature, albeit gradually.
We are here to tell you that indoor home-growers in most cases don’t need 18 hours of light in the vegetative stage. Welcome to the 'direct 12/12'-method!
But why cut back on a vital element like light?
After all, the more light you give the plant, the more it will yield. While this is true, there seems to be something special about plants that follow this 12/12 grow cycle when started from seed. They tend to grow larger and have a higher calyx-to-leaf ratio. Plus, you'll have the added value of saving a lot of costs. We do want to stress that we mean the 'direct 12/12'-method is better used when you plan to pre-grow your plants for only 3 to 4 weeks under 18 hours of light. If you want to pre-grow for a longer time, we advise against it and recommend using standard 18 hours for the 4-5-6-7 or 8 weeks you want to pre-grow the plant. It all depends on your situation.
For example:
Let’s say you want to pre-grow your plant in a vegetative stage for 3 weeks. If you use a light cycle of just 12 hours, you’ll save {3 weeks x 7 days x 6 hours = } 126 hours of light. This means you’ll save a lot of energy and related costs (about 12% or more!). Also, you won’t have to construct a separate grow room for the pre-growing of plants, which will save you equipment costs.
When growing your plant from seed, you can start it under a 12 hour light cycle straight away. It’s like growing your plant near the equator, which has a natural 12 hours of daylight all year long. Tropical sativas (narrow leaf) will take a long time before flowering is induced and are more dependent on other factors such as age or root development. They will grow in the vegetative stage for months under just 12 hours of light. So this is nothing new we’re telling you.
So here is the deal:
When growing indoors and starting from seed under 12 hours of light, plants will grow in the vegetative stage for about 3 to 4 weeks, after which automatic flowering is induced. The sex of the plant can show itself as early as 14 days after germination (this is very fast!). So you could use non-feminized seed for this as you can quickly distinguish between males and females, without the plants getting too big. The complete cycle takes about 11 to 12 weeks for most strains to finish.
You can also look at it this way: you can turn your ‘regular’ strain into an ‘autoflowering’ strain.
But… won’t the yield be less when you do not use those 18 hour of light in the first 3-4 weeks of the vegetative stage? No, it won’t. However, there are some rules you must adhere to.
First of all, this method will not work very well with 100% indica strains(broad leaf). They will just yield 15-25g per plant. Use 50/50 hybrids or slightly more narrow leaf dominant strains. Second, use a medium to large container (>11l). This way the roots will have enough room to develop properly in the short time they have. Germinate the seeds directly in the soil. Third, make sure you use proper ventilation (and wind generated through fans) so the stem of your plant will develop and grow strong. Finally, give your plants some room to breathe. The less competition they have for the growing space, the larger they will grow and the bigger the yield per plant will be. In any case, make sure the plants receive enough light!
A full 12/12 cultivation cycle completes in about 11 weeks, and can yield up to 100g per plant in 11 liter containers, depending on the genetics.
Do not try and top the plants as this will delay growth for a short time and can easily add a whole week to the time it takes for plants to finish. You also do not need to use any added nutrients, just use a proper soil medium.
When you want to add a plant, you can just put one in the cultivation room without the extra effort of pre-growing under 18 hours of light. You can easily use this system as a perpetual growing system.
The 'direct 12/12' method has been thoroughly field tested with strains such as: Blueberry, PowerPlant, Santa Maria, Hymalayan Gold, Hawaiian Snow, Strawberry Cough, Super Silver Haze and many others. We conducted tests with both HPS (high pressure sodium, 400W) and CFL (compact fluorescent lights, 150W). Both light systems showed the 'direct 12/12'-method to be consistent. We’re planning to do a test with LEDs in the near future, so stay tuned!
CONCLUSION:
Starting in a 12/12 cycle for indoor growing requires:
- Starting from seed (and propagation directly in the soil!)
- Do not use broad leaf dominant strains
- Use a medium sized container ( > 11l)
- Make sure you give them good climatic conditions (like proper ventilation -wind)
- Save costs and energy
- No need for added nutrients
- High calyx-to-leaf ratio on the inflorescence
- Finish 11-12 weeks from planting the seed
- Easy to set up a perpetual indoor grow system
G
Guest
Guest
Great advice, thank you
insomniaczzz
New member
I didn't have time to read your entire long post. I am going to subscribe to this thread so I can find it and read it later. As for seed shelf life, keep in moderate temps and dark. They can last a few years, although I wouldn't wait to save them that long. Some save their seeds in the freezer and have said they had great success. The seeds do stay viable for a very long time.