
Light mode for autoflowering marijuana varieties
The main difference between autoflowering and photoperiodic marijuana varieties is the autoflowering’s ability to bloom regardless of the length of the daylight hours. Plants move from the vegetative stage to flowering, focusing solely on their own life cycle. Cannabis inherited this property from the wild Ruderalis, which is unpretentious and hardy.
When growing autoflowers in indora, growers do not need to determine when to reduce the daylight hours for the bushes to bloom. This is convenient and makes the grovelling process much easier. It is also convenient to contact this company: https://dr-weedy.com/ohio/.
Light regimen options for autics
With the light regime of photoperiodic varieties everything is clear – on the vega growers choose 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness, and when the cannabis in flowering mode changes to 12/12. But what is the optimal mode to choose in the indora for autoflowering varieties? Is it possible to set the same regime for the whole period of grovelling? Do autoflowers grow well without a dark period at all?
In this article we will look at the particularities of each light regime as they apply to autoflowers, and answer the questions that are important to many newcomers.
12/12 the whole life cycle
This is not a good light regime for autoflowering varieties. 12 hours of light is too little for a plant during the period of active green mass. Light for bushes is a vital necessity, because in the darkness photosynthesis processes stop and physiological processes slow down. If you give autoflowers 12 hours of rest, they will not have time to fully realize their growth potential, and considering the short life cycle of autoflowers, this can have a negative impact on both yields and quality of the final product.
20/4 and 24/0 – at each stage of grovelling
These light regimes with no or minimal darkness have advantages for autoflowers. Plants will get plenty of light for active development, which will have a positive effect on growth rates.
But should you choose 20/4 and 24/0 schedules? Many growers speak out against these regimes for autoflowers, giving a number of arguments:
The plant needs a period of darkness during which it rests, recovering from an active day of light. If the bushes are deprived of this period of rest or make it minimal, their defenses may weaken – immunity will decrease and susceptibility to negative external factors will increase.
The mode cannot be called economical. With such a schedule, light sources will work at a high rate of wear and tear, consuming large amounts of electricity. This could still be justified if it were to increase yields. But plants can reach their full potential with less light.
There is an opinion that the constant exposure of cannabis to light during flowering does not have the best effect on the quality of the harvest. The reason is that the THC can then be broken down into volatile compounds and broken down into simpler cannabinoids which have no psychoactive properties.
Regimen 18/6 from vegetation to harvests
This mode is preferred by many experienced growers, because it is a kind of a golden mean between the stricter schedules with a minimum of night rest and the economical 12/12 mode. In 18 hours the plants get enough light for active growth and development – this time of light will be quite enough both on the vega and during the flowering period of marijuana. The bushes have the opportunity to rest for 6 hours of darkness, which will give the plants the opportunity to reach their full yield potential.
This mode has some other advantages:
Compared to the 20/4 and 24/0 modes, the grower gets to save on electricity by turning off the cannabi
s lights for 6 hours.
In the heat of summer, when the temperature in the grow box can rise dramatically, a 6-hour period of darkness will be a great opportunity to cool the space by reducing the amount of heat energy from the light sources.
The shorter period of uninterrupted operation will increase the life of the lights.
18/6 on vega and 12/12 during the blooming period
This light regime is classic when growing photoperiodic varieties, but for autics reducing the daylight period to 12 hours is an unnecessary measure. When switching to color, autotics feel fine with an 18-hour light period.
But using such a regime for autoflowers is acceptable. It can be justified if both photoperiodic and autoflowering varieties grow next to each other in the same grow box.
To summarize: optimal mode for autoflowering
From all of the above we can conclude that the optimal light regime for autoflowers is 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness at all stages of the life cycle. But this does not mean that other options are unacceptable. Autoflowers are not as demanding of a lighting schedule as photoperiod varieties, so the grower can choose at his own discretion.
An important factor to pay attention to when choosing a mode is the manufacturers’ recommendations. Each variety can have its own peculiarities. Knowing them, you can achieve a truly enchanting result.