This is my thinking on light schedule and autoflowers, it is not fact, but the practice I have employed for myself.
We are lucky in a sense, that you can literally flower under any circumstances as far as lighting is concerned. With that known, what we need to look at is our lighting source and what DLI we are attempting to achieve. Those with lower power lights, may see greatly increased yields going to a 24/0 schedule over a 16/8 schedule all other things considered equal.
You want to settle into a nice comfortable spot on PPFD, and obtain your DLI by adjusting your lighting schedule. Again, all things considered equal, that is how I manage my light schedule. You want to avoid the extremes with DLI and PPFD. Don't give your plant 24 hours a day of 1000 PPFD, thats 86 DLI and a huge waste of money. Where 600 PPFD at 16 hours a day is only 34 DLI, and that is going to greatly reduce your yield! I currently aim for 50 DLI in flower, with enough intensity to penetrate the canopy but not overpower the plants. It's all one big balancing act!
Now, all things not considered equal, you have other concerns as well. Namely heat and humidity among other things. Lights on v Lights off effects both of those. I am in a situation where I control both separately, but many can not. So if you need lights on for heat, or need lights off for other reasons, those are considerations as well. It would be better to keep your ladies warm under 24 hours of sub optimal light, then expose them to 50 degree nights, if that makes sense. Ultimately, you would search for other solutions, but again, each of our situations is different.
I believe there are apps on your phone that can crudely measure light output if you do not have other means of measuring light output. Plenty of online calculators for DLI.
We are lucky in a sense, that you can literally flower under any circumstances as far as lighting is concerned. With that known, what we need to look at is our lighting source and what DLI we are attempting to achieve. Those with lower power lights, may see greatly increased yields going to a 24/0 schedule over a 16/8 schedule all other things considered equal.
You want to settle into a nice comfortable spot on PPFD, and obtain your DLI by adjusting your lighting schedule. Again, all things considered equal, that is how I manage my light schedule. You want to avoid the extremes with DLI and PPFD. Don't give your plant 24 hours a day of 1000 PPFD, thats 86 DLI and a huge waste of money. Where 600 PPFD at 16 hours a day is only 34 DLI, and that is going to greatly reduce your yield! I currently aim for 50 DLI in flower, with enough intensity to penetrate the canopy but not overpower the plants. It's all one big balancing act!
Now, all things not considered equal, you have other concerns as well. Namely heat and humidity among other things. Lights on v Lights off effects both of those. I am in a situation where I control both separately, but many can not. So if you need lights on for heat, or need lights off for other reasons, those are considerations as well. It would be better to keep your ladies warm under 24 hours of sub optimal light, then expose them to 50 degree nights, if that makes sense. Ultimately, you would search for other solutions, but again, each of our situations is different.
I believe there are apps on your phone that can crudely measure light output if you do not have other means of measuring light output. Plenty of online calculators for DLI.
