I am starting my first auto grow. My light has a blue (veg) setting and a red(flower) setting. Would you run the lights according to plant phase or just run bought 18/6? and if so the light recommends 24 to 30 inches during germination. If I run both sets of lights should I increase the distance from the plants?
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Good question. Part of me feels like it comes down to personal preference. In my experience, when running only Veg switch (when the plants are in Veg), the plants will have tight node spacing but growth is slower. If using both Veg and Bloom switches (while in Veg), the plants become a bit stretchier but growth is a bit faster. When the plants are in flowering, definitely have both switches on.
So ad long as I keep the heat down, usually under 82, it won't hurt my plants. I am thinking of trying 24/0 to try to get as much growth out of my autos as possible. So being a little stretchy might not be a bad thing?
Stick with 18/6. Plants need a bit of a dark period.
"What light cycle should I use?", gotta be a question as old as growing itself, and if you check the "interweb" you will find arguments for every option there is, lol. I.M.O. I agree with DK and believe they need some time to rest, but like I said you can find arguments either way.
Auto were born because of a 24 hour light cycle and Im not sure that they need a rest. The only true way to find out is a clone. Even the same seed strain wont produce the same results. I just don't see how a 24/0 will hurt an auto, but if it doesn't help than it hurts your electric bill. The jury is still out
@Josh The reason why I don't run a 24/0 light cycle is because studies have shown it negatively impacts microbial life. Here is a video on it:
Excellent video, I have listened to her talk about microbes on "Mammoth P" videos before.