New Grower First time, trying to avoid mistakes!

[Haze420]

Much appreciated!

 

[Haze420]

My filter came today and I definitely didn't think the 18" filter through, will this be okay for this grow with the light moved over along with the pots to accommodate the filter?

 

[BayLee420]

I'd use the 500 throughout-keep a close eye on temps. I use 20/4 for lighting my autos-and my photoperoids in veg, too- and find it works best in my grows. When I was using 24/0, the plants seemed to look a bit haggard.. The Girls need a nap

IMHO There is no benefit to keeping the lighting on for 24/0. Plants like all living things need to have a rest time to grow. A small 4 hour dark period will help your girls. Think about it. Some of the advise we get at grow stores can be, well.....I just get my supplies if need to and leave their advise there. AFN is the ONLY site that has the knowledge of Auto Flowers that is useful.

Let your girls rest a bit during their grow/flower.

 

[White Punk on Dope]

I politely disagree. I just finished a 5 plant grow on a 24/0 lighting schedule start to finish with over a 11oz dry yield.

 

[BayLee420]

I politely disagree. I just finished a 5 plant grow on a 24/0 lighting schedule start to finish with over a 11oz dry yield.

Good for you. Just over two ounces per plant. What did you really gain? Got over two ounces per plant on 18/6 and using 248 cfls. Documented here on AFN. Also the grow was nominated for BOM/POM for October. Just a waste of electricity and overuse of equipment.

 

[Son of Hobbes]

Waximus, I don't think ill be able to fit both lights in this small tent, do you recommend just using the 500 the whole grow? And my local shop recommended 24 hour lights all time? What do you all recommend?

Hey Haze, have you seen this thread?

Thread: What's the best lighting cycle for autos - 24/0, 20/4 or 18/6


It's a running poll of what members on the forum have voted on for what they think the best light cycle is; might give you a little insight on at least how others feel about it (and you can see their names on the polls, which means you can click on their profile, check their grows, and see for yourself what they are getting with those light schedules.)

In my opinion brother, you can grow excellent herb in any of those light cycles. There is a reason a majority of auto growers stick with them; they are tried and true. I think you would be better served not trying to decide which is the best light cycle out of the three in general, but which is going to be the best light cycle for you based on your strains and your environment.

I mention strains because sometimes (this isn't incredibly common but something to point out,) you'll get a phenotype of a strain that is possibly more light sensitive than others; which requires more of a dark period to begin flowering. I've personally encountered this with three different strains (three different reputable breeders.) This can be counteracted by reducing the amount of "lights on" time.

I have some tester auto beans on 18/6 right now that out of two seeds of each strain, one is flowering on 18/6 and the other is still in veg with no preflowers (nearing 90 days! (they are testers though, so that may not be a real fair example, but wanted to point out how it can happen based on the genetic line.))

I also mention environment; in the last house I lived in we had VERY cold, frigid winters. Like, 65 below zero Fahrenheit wind chills. I was finding out that in my basement at the time, when it was lights out, the tent cooled down a LOT. I could sit there and monkey with heaters and ventilation and worry about additional fire hazards, or keep my lights on 24 hours and not have to worry about the temperature fluctuation or additional venting considerations. That was with HPS/MH though, with your LED's that's a bit of a different situation.

Point is, don't get caught up in the idea that ONE way is the only way to do some things. I definitely encourage you to pick one of the three conventional lighting schedules to start out and see if you noticed any difference between them as you begin to grow, then if you are feeling bold, try another and see if you observe any differences.

Good luck brother! :Sharing One:

 

[Haze420]

Beans still haven't popped, I did the teeth crack method last night on them. I just ran my lights and fans in tent for 6 hours and maintaining 76-77 degrees will that work?

 

[natertots]

Waiting on beans to pop, always fun how long would you guus give 2 year old beans before ya tried some more?

 

[BayLee420]

Waiting on beans to pop, always fun how long would you guus give 2 year old beans before ya tried some more?

I keep my beans in a dark cool dresser drawer. I also try to order beans as I need them. My Aurora Indica's were a year old when I decided to do another A/I grow. They popped fine the 1st time, but after a year.....nothing. My current grow of Nirvana Swiss Cheese is well over two years old and I got a 75% germination. In fact with the two year old beans the tinniest of the beans popped, but the fat bean didn't. It's just luck of the draw.

If they don't show signs of popping after a 7-10 day span. Then it's usually a bad sign. Nature has it's ways and miracles can happen.

 

[BayLee420]

Beans still haven't popped, I did the teeth crack method last night on them. I just ran my lights and fans in tent for 6 hours and maintaining 76-77 degrees will that work?

Keeping the bottom of the seed bed warm is probably the most important factor in bean popping. Lights have no impact on germination. Moist soil and warmth are your friend. A seedling heating pad is a good investment and keeping the germination warm and moist will be helpful.