It's time to put this topic to bed... What is the deal with a 24/7 light schedule for veg? Is this a good or bad practice? I have always run a 24/7 for veg but have been told this causes more hermies. I have had my share of herms but have had several VERY nice harvests. I get to the 4th node in 4 weeks from seed w/this method and can usually reach alternating nodes in 7... Will a dark period slow things down? What are some pros and cons to a dark period vs. none? What about running a 24/7 4 weeks-20/4 2 weeks- 18/6 2 weeks - switch to 12/12? Will a steady decrease do anything magical? All these years later and I can say some people dig it, some don't, but seriously... what's BEST?
Marijuana plants photosynthesize as long as they receive light as well as water, air, nutrients and suitable temperature. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use the energy from light (primarily in the blue and red spectrums) to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and water (H2O) to make sugar while releasing oxygen to the air.
Plants use sugars continuously to fuel metabolic processes (living) as well as for tissue building. The plant combines nitrogen (N) with sugar to make amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. They are the substance of plant tissue. When the light is off, the plant's metabolic processes, respiration and growth continue.
The marijuana plant can photosynthesize continuously, so it produces the most energy and growth when the light is on continuously. Continous light does not stress the plant, which reacts to it somewhat mechanistically. Plants can suffer from heat emitted by lamps, but will not undergo stress due to continuous lighting.
Plants under 18/6 light/dark regimen are producing sugar only three quarters of the time. They are thus growing at only 75% of their potential. Leaving the light on continuously will result in bigger plants faster, which leads to higher yields.
