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Thinking Outside The Box... 36 hours in a day

NewbieGrowMan

NewbieGrowMan

New member
I was staring at my plants and trying to think how I could give them more light without more bulbs. I'm in a small space so more bulbs mean more heat and more yada yada. I know marijuana plants recognize dark times and needs so many hours in the dark to flip a hypothetical switch. This switch tells the plant it is time to flower. The plant will stay in flowering as long as it gets its "critical light period" or the amount of dark time it needs to flip its switch. So with all this being said, how do we give marijuana plants more light in flowering if at least 10-12 hours of the day must go to the dark period. Well we just make the day longer. We manipulate almost everything else in the grow environment, so why not just make the day 36 hours instead of 24. 24 hours of light and 12 of dark. [24/12] In a 7 day week, that would give you an increase of light by 50% I am no botanist, so would a plant take to this? Start them on 24/7 light and then just start dropping 12 hours of dark in every 24 hours. I think it would work. Anyone have any experience with this? I have done some research but there isn't much on this that I could find. Nothing says the light period couldn't be less or more...
 
I think that the problem you will have is tha 12 hrs of darkness. Plants are programmed to flower by length of dark period. When you approach th 12 hr threshold you are telling the plants to flower no matter how long you have them in the light. If you are in vegetative stage and want lots of light just leave them on 24 x 7. People do it all the time and you have zero chance of flowering.
 
Problem is plants days to maturity don't change, even if days are longer. So your grow takes same amount of day and nights, 90 days at 36 hours equals closers to 4 months total.
 
On the east coast on June 21, there is 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. It also signals the time in which all outdoor MJ will go into flower. Its like almanac shit. You cant mess with mother nature.

That said, indoors... you can manipulate light. But 12/12 starts the cycle. Could you benefit with more dark over time. Yes. Look at the cyclical sun time. From 6/21 we get 12/12 -- and as the days get into july and august that 12 hour day is creeping slowly towards an 11 hour daylight or longer nighttime- as we get closer to harvest. By the time harvest it ourdoors, your probably looking at a peak of 6 hours of hot sun with late sunrise, and early sundown- hence longer nights during the later stage.

Pulling that off is a pita... unless digitally- or whats the point since 12/12 seems to be the main mitigating factor.
 
The plant doesn't have an inside clock taking the dark time. Its a hormonal balance reached by less photosynthesis. That's why some ecuatorian strains need less light a day to achieve that flowering balance. Its been brought up a few times over here. Nebula even wrote a tutorial about phytochromes
 
Wow Jibbler, I totally forgot about that. So yes I think it would take them longer to finish flowering but wouldnt that mean even longer light time? or would the trichs start to degrade before it could mature?
 
The only thing that matters for them to flower is 10-12 hours of darkness everyday. More dark is just wasted time they could be making buds.
 
Okay but does the light period have to be close to equal with the dark period? Or are you saying it is a balance? Like it would need a longer dark period if we increase the light period ?
 
No the light period can be 18 hrs dark 12 hrs, plants will still flower. Days are now 30 hrs , so in 7 day week, the plant only counted 5 1/2 days. So the whole grow is going to take longer, than normal 24hr days. Try it.
 
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