Autoflowering Light Cycle: Schedule for Best Cannabis Plant Growth
As a cannabis grower, it is imperative to fully comprehend intricacies of autoflower light schedule and optimize plant cycle for maximum potential and abundant yield. Adequate light schedule not only promotes healthy growth but also directly influences potency and quality of final product. Autoflowering cannabis plants possess unique genetic traits that set autoflowers apart from…
What Is Autoflowering Cannabis
Autoflowering cannabis is a unique type of cannabis plant that stands apart from its photo-period counterparts in its innate ability to transition from vegetative stage to flowering stage independent of light schedule.
This remarkable characteristic makes autos distinct from their traditional photo-period weed counterparts, which rely on changes in light exposure to trigger the flowering process.
The autos trait can be traced back to cannabis ruderalis species, which evolved in regions with shorter summers and varying lightning conditions.
As a result, these plants developed the capacity to flower based on age rather than light cycle.
Today’s autoflowering strains are typically hybridized with indica or sativa plants, combining the desirable traits of each lineage to produce hardy, fast-growing, and robustly yielding plants that perform well under a variety of lighting conditions.
Autoflowers cannabis has gained popularity among weed cultivators for its shorter growth period, ranging from 8 to 12 weeks from seed to harvest indoor and outdoor, and its ability to flower without the need for specific indoor lightning.
This flexibility allows for multiple harvests per year and simplifies cultivation process for novice cultivators.
Additionally, autos are often smaller and more compact, making them well-suited for indoor or stealth growing operations.
Despite their many advantages, autos do have one drawback – they tend to produce lower THC content vs photo period varieties indoor or outdoor.
However, this drawback has been mitigated by recent advancements in hybridization techniques that have resulted in strains boasting both high yields and robust THC content.
What Is Best Light Schedule For Autoflowering Cannabis Plants
As a dedicated cultivator, you may already be aware of the crucial role lightning plays in grow and development of your cannabis plants.
The key to bountiful, thriving cannabis plants lies in understanding optimal lightning scheme.
However, did you know that autoflowers cannabis plants have specific lighting requirements that differ from their photo period counterparts?
Unlike photo period marijuana, which rely on specific light-dark cycles to transition through their grow cannabis stages, autoflowers rely on their genetic to dictate the timing of their development.
This unique characteristic allows them to flower automatically, without the need for external stimuli.
Providing sufficient lightning during germination, maintaining ideal lighting growing conditions, achieving highest yielding weed, and optimizing light distance are all crucial factors in development and grow.
To ensure best results for your autoflowering cannabis plants, let’s delve into ideal cannabis light requirements for each grow cannabis stages.
Lights Schedule For Autoflower Cannabis Seedlings
Successful cultivation of autoflowering cannabis plants requires an optimal lighting schedule that balances healthy growth with energy efficiency.
Fertile soil and robust seedlings are just the beginning of a flourishing crop, and proper lightning source during this delicate stages is essential for robust growth later on.
The first stages of growth requires a gentle and consistent lightning source that encourages strong and healthy development of your seedlings.
20/4 lighting growing scheme, meaning 20 hours of lightning and 4 hours of darkness, is recommended for seedlings.
This cycle provides ample lighting for growing without overexposing your seedlings to excessive growing lightning that could cause stress or damage.
For optimal growth potential and vigor, it’s imperative to use the appropriate type of grow lightning.
Quality LED lights, fluorescent tubes, or compact fluorescent lights are all suitable choices for this stages.
LED lights are particularly popular among growers for their energy efficiency, low heat output, and broad coverage.
Regardless of type of growing lightning used, ensure that it is positioned at the proper distance from your seedlings, typically 18-24 inches, to prevent overheating and provide even light distribution.
Changing the growing lightning for autos cannabis seedlings can be tricky, as they have a set time lapse.
Autoflowers Vegetative Stage Light Cycle
Vegetative stage is a crucial time in their life, where they concentrate on developing strong roots, sturdy stems, and lush foliage to support flowering later on.
But to maximize growth, it’s important to maintain an optimal lightining during vegetative grow.
A 3 week old autos cannabis benefits greatly from an 18/6 growing light cycle, with 18 hours of lights followed by 6 hours of darkness.
This growing schedule provides ample lightning for vigorous growing while also providing a restful period of darkness.
But for those who want to push their plants to the limit, 20/4 light cycle may be the answer.
With 20 hours of lightning and 4 hours of darkness, this schedule accelerates growth but must be used with caution.
Monitor your plants closely and provide proper ventilation to prevent heat stress or lightning burn.
And most importantly, make sure your grow lights are placed at an optimal distance from plants, usually around 18-24 inches, depending on type of lightning and weed growing rate.
Light Cycle During Flowering Stage
Flowering stage is a crucial time for maximizing growth and yield of your plants.
During flowering phase, cannabis focuses on producing buds, and the light cycle plays significant role in supporting this process.
Since autoflowers do not rely on changes in lightning duration to transition into flowering, their light cycle requirements may differ from photo period strains.
For autoflowers plants, consistent light cycle throughout the life is generally recommended.
Most growers find that providing 18 to 20 hours of bloom light and 4 to 6 hours of darkness each day works well for entire growth cycle, including the flowering.
This lightning growing scheme allows cannabis to have enough time to photosynthesize and produce energy for optimal buds development while still giving it few hours of darkness to recover and respire.
When the cannabis is 6 week old plant, it is important to provide the appropriate lightning for flower development.
Though many cannabis cultivators experiment with alternative light cycles such as 24/0 (continuous lightning) or 12/12 (equal parts lightning and darkness), they can lead to lower yields or unnecessary stress on cannabis.
Light Spectrum Preferences Of Different Autoflower Strains
As seasoned cannabis cultivator, it’s imperative to understand the lightning spectrum preferences of different autoflower strains for optimal growth and yields.
Each strain possesses unique characteristics, and may respond differently to specific light spectrums.
By catering to these preferences, you can enhance cannabinoid production, terpene development, and overall cannabis health.
Autoflowering cannabis strains can be broadly classified into three main categories based on their preferred lightning spectrums: Indica strains, Sativa strains, and hybrid strains.
Indica-dominant strains tend to prefer cooler blue lighting in range of 400-500 nm during their vegetative growing. This blue lightning encourages compact and bushy growth and strong root development. When transitioning to flowering, these strains benefit from warmer red lighting in range of 620-750 nm, which promotes buds development and higher yields.
Sativa-dominant strains thrive under a mix of blue and red spectrums throughout their entire life cycle. This balanced lightning spectrum helps maintain vigorous growth, robust branching, and bountiful flower production. By providing both blue (400-500 nm) and red (620-750 nm) lightning spectrums, you’ll achieve grow cannabis exceptional results with these strains.
Hybrid strains are bred from combination of Indica and Sativa genetics, and their lightning spectrum preferences often reflect this. During the vegetative, hybrids tend to prefer blend of blue and red spectrums to encourage balanced growth. As they enter the flowering, shift towards more red-dominant spectrum may boost flower production and yields.
Understanding and catering to the lightning spectrum preferences of your specific autoflowers cannabis strains can have a significant impact on their growth, health, and yield.
By adjusting your grow lights accordingly, you’ll maximize potential of your cannabis – highest yielding quality buds that are potent and aromatic – an achievement that will be a testament to your skill as a cannabis cultivator.
Common Types Of Grow Lights For Autoflowers
The right grow lighting can significantly impact quality and yield of your autoflowers.
In chart below, we’ll explore most common culture types of grow lights for autoflowers and evaluate their advantages and drawbacks.
| Fluorescent (CFL and T5) | Fluorescent lights are a great choice for novice growers or those with limited space, they may not provide the lighting intensity required for optimal growing in larger grow spaces. |
| High-Intensity Discharge (HID) | Longtime favorite among cannabis cultivators, HID lights, including Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps, boast high lighting output and efficient energy consumption. However, they can produce significant amount of heat that requires proper ventilation and temperature control. |
| Light Emitting Diode (LED) | LED lights are becoming go-to choice thanks to their energy efficiency, LED full spectrum lighting output, and longevity. Despite LED higher upfront cost, long-term savings in energy consumption and replacement costs can make LED worthwhile investment. |
| Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) | CMH lights offer all the benefits of traditional HID lamps – full spectrum lighting output, increased energy efficiency, and longer lifespan – but at lower cost. They can be used throughout growth cycle, making them convenient and versatile option for growers. |
When choosing right grow lighting for your autoflowers, consider factors such as your budget, grow space size, and desired yield.
By understanding advantages and limitations of each lamp type, you can make informed decision to optimize growth and yields of your autoflowers cannabis.
6/2 Light Cycles, 24/7 Light Cycles, 24/0 Light Cycles And 12 12 Cannabis Light Schedules
In this articles you can read that there are several popular lighting schedules utilized by growers for cannabis grow, each with their own set of benefits and drawbacks, and choice will depend on specific goals and circumstances.
- 6/2 Light Cycle: In this timetable, the grower provides 6 hours of continuous light followed by a 2-hours dark period, repeated throughout the entire growth cycle. This approach allows cannabis to have brief rest period while still receiving ample light to promote growth. Some growers prefer this cycle as they believe it reduces stress on plants and helps prevent potential issues like overwatering or overheating.
- 24/7 Light Cycle: In this lighting timetable, cannabis receive constant light for 24 hours a day, 7 day a week. As autoflowers cannabis do not rely on specific light cycle to trigger flowering stage, many growers utilize this timetable to maximize growth and yield potential. However, this method can be energy-intensive and may increase risk of weed stress if not carefully managed.
- 24/0 Light Cycle: Similar to 24/7, 24/0 also provides continuous lighting to cannabis. The primary difference is that growers using this method will occasionally give their plants full day of darkness to mimic natural conditions and reduce overall stress. It is essential to monitor health closely when using this timetable, as prolonged exposure to light can lead to issues such as light burn or nutrient deficiencies.
- 12/12 Light Cycle: Autoflower 12/12 light schedule involves providing 12 hours of light followed per day by 12 hours of darkness per day. While this cycle is more commonly used for photoperiod cannabis to induce flowering, some growers also utilize this timetable to conserve energy and promote healthy growth. It’s worth noting that using this lightning for auto flower may result in slightly lower yields compared to other light cycles.
When selecting a light schedule for your autoflowering cannabis seeds, consider factors such as energy consumption, stress, and yield potential. Be prepared to adjust your chosen schedule as needed, based on specific needs and responses of your cannabis.
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Our seeds are available in packs of 5 mix seeds packs or 10 seeds pack. We also add 5 extra feminized seeds or autoflower cannabis seeds to your seeds order if you order cannabis seeds for 100$.
FAQ
You can view here some frequently asked questions with answers.
What is an autoflowering cannabis plant?
Autoflowering cannabis plants transition from vegetative growth to flowering based on age rather than light cycles. They have a shorter life cycle and are more resistant to pests and diseases.
Do autoflowering cannabis plants require a different light schedule during germination?
During germination, there is no need to alter light schedule for autoflowering cannabis plants when compared to photoperiod plants. However, consistent and gentle light source such as 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness can provide a stable environment for seedlings to thrive.
How much light do autoflowering plants need compared to photoperiod plants?
Autoflowering plants can adapt to various light schedules, such as 18/6, 20/4, or even 24/0, throughout their growth and maturity.
How can growers optimize light schedules for various autoflowering cannabis strains with different flowering times?
To optimize light schedules for different autoflowering strains with varying flowering times, it’s important to understand each strain’s specific requirements and make adjustments as needed.
What role does darkness play in the growth and development of autoflowering marijuana plants?
Darkness is important for the growth and development of autoflowering cannabis plants. It allows the plants to rest, promotes overall health, root growth, and nutrient uptake. Providing some periods of darkness can help maintain a balance between growth promotion and plant health.
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