AUTO Flower dilema!~WHICH LIGHT? HPS OR MH? and FOR HOW LONG??

In all seriousness, 20/4 or 18/6 do have advantages. One, they will save a little on your electricity bill. Two, like previously stated, it will allow your light's ballast to cool. Also, if you can afford a few cfl's for veg you will be able to really save on your bill and ultimately make your hps last longer. Overall, 175 hps puts out over 17k lumens so of course it will work just fine.
 
I grew afghan kush ryder and pakistan kush ryder both auto under 24/7 HPS and it was my BEST harvest in over 3 years im deffinitly sold on growing auto's in 24/7 lighting I will continue to try with more strains when i get my new grow box because this crop was so strong smelling that my home-made carbon filter wasn't enough to contain the "stank" my neighbours in my appt building came to know for the whole time I flowered them.
 
UFEELIT? said:
I grew afghan kush ryder and pakistan kush ryder both auto under 24/7 HPS and it was my BEST harvest in over 3 years im deffinitly sold on growing auto's in 24/7 lighting I will continue to try with more strains when i get my new grow box because this crop was so strong smelling that my home-made carbon filter wasn't enough to contain the "stank" my neighbours in my appt building came to know for the whole time I flowered them.
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Hmmm... I assume your seeds were from World of Seeds and they recommend a 20/4 light cycle.... I have no doubt that 24/7 is very effective, but have you attempted to grow the same strain under 20/4... I predict it will be similar results. Also, I am a little confused, you have been growing Auto's for 3 years under what light cycle before you tried nonstop light? Also, I think it has to do with the strain and pot size more then light cycle. Some people swear by 23/1 or 24 hours a day. However, I don't know why you wouldn't use the recommended lighting schedule provided by the breeder?
 
deza said:
wtf man it 17/9 doesnt even add up to 24hour period.. stop smoking.

its like..12/12 flower or 18/6 (veg) you can change the hours arround to suit but it needs to add up to 24hours lol...
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Why is everyone so closed minded?

Can you begin to explain why the light cycle MUST add up to 24 hours? Especially for an auto which is not photo-period?

I really don't understand the logic... and please don't say something stupid like "becuase it's natural" - thats complete nonsense. Think about it - in places of the world where Marijuana flourishes, does the sun set at midnight and rise at 4am?? No?? Then why would you run a 20/4 light cycle?

I think the conclusion can be made to do whatever the fuck you want... in the sense of experimentation time over time with the only major viarable that changes being the light cycle.

I've recently been running 19/5 just to be different and they are showing sex after just 23 days! Woot 3 baby girls! :D
 
Bluntski McBluntersons said:
In all seriousness, 20/4 or 18/6 do have advantages. One, they will save a little on your electricity bill. Two, like previously stated, it will allow your light's ballast to cool. Also, if you can afford a few cfl's for veg you will be able to really save on your bill and ultimately make your hps last longer. Overall, 175 hps puts out over 17k lumens so of course it will work just fine.
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The only real way to measure any advantage is against it's respective disadvantage IMO. Comparing 20/4 to 18/6, using one 400W bulb 365 days a year, would cost (by our prices now) about between $20-30 a year depending on when those 2 extra hours were used. I'd say that 2 hours extra electricity is a negligible cost for the average home grower. Now, running 10 - 1000W bulbs, 2 hours less per day would save about $50 / month (keeping in mind that is running 365 days a year).

Out of experience, have you guys seen any noticeable difference in yield between running 20/4 and 18/6? Would an extra 2 hours of light / day yield more than $600 in extra weight per year under a 10-1000W set up? If yes, then the extra energy costs would just be an investment, rather than a disadvantage. If not, then it's a clear disadvantage.

I can certainly agree that ballast and bulb life would be two definate advantages! Which is why I'm not running 24/0...
 
I too am a newbee on here, but have been looking at many sites and videos about autos and one 45 minute video share that a bunch of professional growers did a ton of experiments on autos and came to the conclusion that for the first two weeks 24/0 and after that 18/6 works best. Second best was 24/0 all the time, and 12/12 gave the worst results.
 
SCT1984 said:
The only real way to measure any advantage is against it's respective disadvantage IMO. Comparing 20/4 to 18/6, using one 400W bulb 365 days a year, would cost (by our prices now) about between $20-30 a year depending on when those 2 extra hours were used. I'd say that 2 hours extra electricity is a negligible cost for the average home grower. Now, running 10 - 1000W bulbs, 2 hours less per day would save about $50 / month (keeping in mind that is running 365 days a year).

Out of experience, have you guys seen any noticeable difference in yield between running 20/4 and 18/6? Would an extra 2 hours of light / day yield more than $600 in extra weight per year under a 10-1000W set up? If yes, then the extra energy costs would just be an investment, rather than a disadvantage. If not, then it's a clear disadvantage.

I can certainly agree that ballast and bulb life would be two definate advantages! Which is why I'm not running 24/0...
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i would say yes there is a noticeable difference some strains wont fully auto at 24/0 so they flower veg stretch go back to flower from what ive seen the more light the more veg aslong as container isnt retricted dinafem white widow i have is goin on almost a month and a half preflowers showed at day 25 still veggin will switch to 18/6 when the bhd finishes seeing how it has no problems under 24/0 but whats it hurt to veg longer lighting and topping are some of the most argued points of a auto if you dont have enough light they take longer the more light the more veg if you top them and they dont hermi you get another large cola and a wide stalky plant it just sets your finish time back a couple weeks
top before flower and it doesnt stunt it just keeps veggin slows a bit but keeps on goin
 
tried 24/0, 20/4, 18/6 & 12/12 on autos. 24/0 & 18/6 close to same results, 20/4 = 15% more than the first 2, 12/12 sucked it down to half. all of these were a cream caramel auto. i think even autos like a little dark time.
 
Hmmmmnnn lot's of debates about what is best huh? and like some have already stated a lot of it is down to your own personal choice which may be prefferential for Whatever reasons.

I myself did my last run of Autos on 24/0 for first 2-3 weeks then 16/8 (250 HPS) and i was more than happy with the results :weed:
 
Look at why there are auto's and what the light cycle would be. That said they are for far north climates because the summers are short and typical daylight that far north (artic circle) is 18 hours a day so stay with that they are bred for those conditions
 
My fixtures came from a powerhouse where they ran continuously for 10 years. The company replaced them with all new fixtures just because their "life span" was up, not because there was anything wrong with them. And to my good luck, they gave away the old ones to save from having to pay to get rid of the hazardous materials in them. Hooo Rah, SCORE! I had regular strains last time, ran 24 hrs a day for veg, 12/12 for flower, had awesome results. Doing autoflower this time, doing 18/6 all the way through, and keep track of yields, and do one of those crazy schedules like 17/9 or maybe 20/8. I'll compare and share results. I'm curious to see what the differences are.
 
I run all my auto's on a 24/0 for the first 4 weeks, then I lower them to 23/1 or 22/2 for the last 4-6 weeks under a dual arc 1000w (400w Mh/600w HPS). All plants need a rest, even auto's.
 
so much horrible advice here, i dont know it all but first and foremost i will try to answer all your questions. if you can only afford one bulb go with the hps. 24/7 works best especially with such small wattage. ive had autos take up over a meter square so depending on strain i would advice to do research and choose the ones right for you. also starting seeds on 12/12 increases your chances of getting females, so you cant start them 12/12 then switch to 24/7 once they sex. size of plant will be determined by pot size and enviroment. thats all i got
 
Paradoc5 said:
This is my first go with the auto flower type. I have a 2 X 2 ft tent with a 175 watt HPS-only light. IF I plan to grow ONLY one plant. IS THIS ENUF LIGHT?
ALso-Regarding the "Auto" strain..."Do you grow them at an 18 on/6 hour off light schedule the ENTIRE WAY THROUGH? OR DO YOU BEGIN WITH THE MH LIGHT AT18/6 FOR FOUR WEEKS AND THEN SWITCH TO THE HPS LIGHT?...WHAT SCHEDULE DO YOU USE TO GROW IT OUR AFTER IT'S <short> "VEGETATIVE" STAGE?

LAST Q: Can I grow this-the WHOLE WAY THROUGH Using my HPS light?-as its for Flowering?

ANY help shared is MOST appreciated...it's obvious I'm a bit lost...eh?
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All the bullshit aside, I would and do run 20-4 for autos, a little dark never hurt anything, your plants or your electric bill. it is not the question of enough light but more of enough plants. I would grow three or four plants under 175 hps and cull one or two of the lower genetic plants. then your left with one or two good plants. You can run a hps for the entire cycle , I do and have never had any issues. IMO MH is for photo plants or mommas but like IMO said it is only my way of doing things. best of luck to you. keep us informed:)
 
i understand the light cycles/plant stress etc with growing completely. but has anyone just tried leaving the lights on 24 hours a day without any darkness period? just wondering?
 
Ok I am growing 4 Autos 2 bubblelisious and 2 jock horror. NEVER switch to 12-12 unless you want the smallest yield possible. My 4 ladys are in a 30 Gallon DWC under a 400 WATT MH for VEG and as soon as you see vertical growth stop switch to a HPS and Flowering Nutes. Remember they are called AUTOFLOWERS for a reason. My laides are flowering on week 3 but they are still growing. I won't make any switches until week 6 or 7 or when I see the vertical growth stop. They say they are suppose to be ready in 8 weeks but it really takes about 11 to truly finish a autoflower. I started at 18\6 and I am gonna finish at 18\6. I have also read that it is important for your plants to get sleep. I have gone to bed and after the lightcycle goes off and when I get up I swear they shot up like rockets overnight so in my experience 6 hours of sleep does them good.
 
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