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12/1 lighting--Any truth or banana in the tail pipe?

H

highBabyPie

This is an EXTREMELY interesting topic..wow,Im glad I found it.Im the type that likes to experiment..so if I do a next run (clones of KoKush,Herijuana,Ak48)..Ill do a 800w vertical coco stadium..using 12/1 technique..I have some questions before I begin:

1.Can I use a mechanical timer for this method,or does it have to be a digital timer?..If so,how would I program this?...

2.Does it take off flowering time?..say if I have a 10-12week sativa..will it be done in 8-9 weeks?

3.Does the yield remain the same?

4.Can I do a 24/0 veg..but do the flowering times per the 12-1 technique?

i have serious doubts about this method. how many people other than the op claim to have used it with favorable results?
 

St3ve

Member
I have tried it, but it slowed veg more than I liked so I only do it when I don't need aggressive growth.

I am too afraid to try it full on in flower.
 

Lowman

Member
i have serious doubts about this method. how many people other than the op claim to have used it with favorable results?


Many, many, many people. For many years. It works for most strains. The op did a copy and paste...from the original author. This method has been around for decades.
 

Blaz3

Member
Wow really Lowman??..have you tried it?..does it shorten flowering times?...do yields stay the same?...

Can you go from 24/0 veg..but still use the flowering time periods?....
 

de145

Member
Wow really Lowman??..have you tried it?..does it shorten flowering times?...do yields stay the same?...

Can you go from 24/0 veg..but still use the flowering time periods?....

I've tried it and it reduces stretch completely in my indica dominant strains and almost completely in my sativa dominant.

I personally think it's greatest benefit is for sativa growers.

I saw flowering start far faster in my indica dominant strains, not sure about the sativa ones however I didn't see a reduction in the overall time to harvest and I can't say if yields were any different, they seemed similar.

I have no idea what you are asking with your question but I'll take a guess. Perhaps you mean is it hard on the plants to be vegging 24/0 and then switch to 12/1? I weened them off 24/0 over time so I can't say but one of the side effects was a lot of preflowering in one very indica strain but none of the others.

I don't use 12/1 anymore because I don't have issues with power or heat that others need it for, I was more interested in taming sativas and it worked ideally for that but it was taking too long to veg.

I would definitely consider it in future for unruly sativas, the gas lantern 12/1 routine is ideally suited for them in my experience.

One thing about slow growth though: my lighting is pretty crappy in veg so perhaps with more powerful lights they would veg comparably. Some have said they veg faster under 12/1, none of my strains did.

I think there are a lot of factors that will influence how useful this is to different people but there is absolutely no question it works as advertised on a variety of strains I tried it on and it's a well accepted practice for decades in the commercial flowering businesses.
 

Blaz3

Member
Nice..thank you...I actually like SOME stretch...usually means more yield overall...so it kinda sucks that the stretch is almsot non existant..

what I emant was...going from veg 24/0..to flowering with this method?Lowering the lighth time every two weeks,etc..not going from veg 24/0 to veg 12/1...

Since you saw flowering faster..wouldnt you say that flower time IS lowered?....

because in veg,it already has pistils,and is on the verge of flowering...

surely this method lowers flowering time??!
 

Woody

Member
Great thread.

I'll be giving this a bash at some time. Just a quick question though.

Has anyone experienced any difference in cloning off a plant thats been vegging under 12/1? I've skimmed through all 16 pages but cant see anything there. I like to run 2 rooms. clone from one to the other then back again, running each tent through veg/flower. I do hit the snag of vegging only taking half the time of flowering so this method does appeal to me in the way it slows down grow. Maybe instead of a 4 week veg I could push it out to 5 or 6 and then take clones for the 2nd tent which is heading towards finishing.

I was a little concerned about the build up of flowering hormones in the veg stage and the propensity of the clones to jump strait into flower at the reduction of light. In the past I have found some strains want to throw out some pre flowers on clones even when the mother has none. I've put this down to the drop in light intensity and general confusion. Must be pretty trumatic being plucked away from your mother like that :D

Has anyone noticed its harder to strike clones or it takes longer using 12/1?
 

Granger2

Active member
Veteran
de145 said:
"I think there are a lot of factors that will influence how useful this is to different people but there is absolutely no question it works as advertised on a variety of strains I tried it on and it's a well accepted practice for decades in the commercial flowering businesses."

I agree and have said all along that this is not for everyone. It depends on your set up, etc. IME, it doesn't shorten bloom time. Maybe by 2 or3 days? I use it for veg only. I use it to control growth, save energy, cut heat, etc. I use straight 12/12 for bloom. Shorter days will affect yield. Id love to save energy cutting the day length thru bloom, but not at the expense of yield. Possibly, if you are willing to accept less yield, it may shorten bloom time. My guess is that it wouldn't be significantly shorter.

If you are trying to affect stretch, I think you need to transition them from 24/0 to 12/1 for about a month. I don't know for sure. I had little stretch after veg in 12/1 for 4-5 weeks. I'm nearing the end of week 7 at 12/12, and I don't think the bloom period will be shorter on the strains I have previously grown. The yield looks like it will be as good as I could hope for.

The last clone crop I ran, I took cuttings from mothers in 12/1 veg, and put them in my nursery with 18/6. It's possible they took maybe 2 days longer, but I got 90% rooting in coco in about 10 days average. Good luck. -granger
 

Lowman

Member
Wow really Lowman??..have you tried it?..does it shorten flowering times?...do yields stay the same?...

Can you go from 24/0 veg..but still use the flowering time periods?....

Yes I have used it. No problems other than a couple of indica strains I run didn't like it. I don't find it shortens flowering time. It does seem to reduce stretch. Yields are about the same. I don't know what you mean about going from 24/0....if you mean to veg 24/0 than use the flowering schedule...I'm sure not sure why you would. I hate 24/0 in the first place. I would recommend tapering down your light schedule from 24/0 before flowering...but thats just me.

cheers,
 

de145

Member
Great thread.

I'll be giving this a bash at some time. Just a quick question though.

Has anyone experienced any difference in cloning off a plant thats been vegging under 12/1?

No, none whatsoever in my case. I even rooted the cuttings in the 12/1 veg area.
 

real ting

Member
Its a pre pay thing were i have to go to a local shop with a key that i charge up or pay for at the counter and go and put the key back in the meter(pay as i go)its mad expensive compered to a bill,but easier to do if you have money troubles.

Why is it everything that's made for people with money troubles only makes them worse?
 

Granger2

Active member
Veteran
cannabinauts,
I'm curing 4 plants I harvested out of 9 in 3 gal AeroBags w/coco80%/perlite20%* under an air cooled 600w HPS. Using a 3x3 stall in a sealed room w/CO2, AC, Dehumidifier. Organic grow using Earth Juice and ACT's.

Trying to stay on top of RootMoFoAphids using, at various times, Insecticide soap drench, Cedarcide PCO Choice drench, multiple drenches with Botanigard, and multiple apps of nematodes. When I went to 12/12, I sprayed foliage with Azasol.

So far, so good. No above ground outbreaks, and RA's seem to be under control. I have no hope of ever being rid of them no matter what I were to use, chems included.

These plants were vegged under 12/1. No nanners so far that I have seen. Yield was excellent, and quality is as good as any I've grown.

I'm curing 1 Big Buddha Cheese grown in coco, 1 BB Chz *grown in potting soil w/ EWC and perlite added, 1 Sensi NL#5xHaze coco, and 1 NL5xHaze grown in the *soil mix. Haven't weighed anything yet, but the soil yield was 1/2 the coco yield, at best. Did the soil-coco side by side to see if quality [taste, odor] was better in soil. Jury's still out.

Still have 1 Delicious Critical Yumbolt freebie with an absolutedly bizarre growth habit [flushing], 1 Delicious Critical Jack Herer freebie, flushing 1 Barney's Vanilla Kush, and will start flush in about a week on 3 Barney's Tangerine Dream [3 different seed].

Summer at 30th parallel only allows me to use one light. Have twice sprayed buds with Actinovate to hopefully prevent botrytis. The Tang Drm have the fattest buds I've grown, so time will tell if disaster is in store. Will update again with pics. -granger
 

Granger2

Active member
Veteran
Growers,
Summer crop is done. No nanners. Yield is great. The Sensi Northern Lights#5xHaze and the Big Buddha Cheese side by side w/ soil and with coco/perlite show little or no difference in taste, aroma, potency. Massive difference in yield. Sticking with coco. Used 12/1 in veg, straight 12/12 in bloom. Sprayed buds with actinovate at 2-3 weeks into 12/12 and again about week 7-8. No bud rot. Here are a few pics.

This is the keeper of the 3 Barney's Tangerine Dream Fem seed.


Freebie Delicious Critical Jack Herer. A keeper, with great taste, aroma, good yield, potency, and very nice up high, not speedy.


My little buddies. Hard workers.
 

iampolluted

Active member
i ran 12/1 for a month. my blue dream, and yo mama both started flowering. turned em back to 16/8 and everything went back to veg eventually. got a better stretch from 16/8 than i did 12/1, mainly because it induced flowering. i just wanted branches, not buds.

anything over 13 and i may try it again but never 12/1. my yield will be bigger because it started already, but it was more of a pain in the ass for me to deal with when i did it.
 

Granger2

Active member
Veteran
Iampolluted,
Mine start showing pistils, but a month or more later, they are no more advanced in bloom. Seems you want stretch. I want to control stretch in my situation, so 12/1 works well for me. Good luck. -granger
 

FatherEarth

Active member
Veteran
more light more buds

more light more buds

https://www.icmag.com/ic/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=358 7537


I'll stop blacking-out late in the last week of July. We call it the August stretch, but really, by about Aug 10 or so, most of the type of plants we (at least I think you are too) are running in the blackbox would be about 2 weeks in already, about pinky sized buds (under natural light). Safe to stop pulling a bit early, the added hours of light makes for a really dense and frosty finish ime.

sounds to good to be true. not doubting you, though... that's when the humidity and temps really started fucking with me last year, so this would really be cool.

you meant to say about 8 weeks, yeah?

No, I meant 2 weeks. I mean that by August 10th, under natural daylight hours (no blackbox), most of what we have in there would have been budding for two weeks already. So, subtract two weeks from Aug 10th and stop pulling at that time. 13-14 hours of light makes for an awesome finish - (ie: Hawaiian-style)
biggrin.gif
-T

Does that help indoors as well? Putting the lights to 13-14 hours the last couple weeks of bud? I always ran 12/12

what did i just hear about weird light cycles for indoors?... maybe it was the use of 18 hour days to make things go faster?

Bump it up to 13 for the last couple weeks Doc P and see what happens. Expect tighter, more resinous nugs, may take a couple/few more days to finish but also weigh a bit more too. A reasonable trade-off even indoors imo, outside in a blackbox, it's a no-brainer. -T


I tried this method outdoors in a greenhouse, I must say Mr. Hill is right on point with this one... tighter, more resinous, greater yield. Im certainly going to give it a shot on my indoor and see how it plays out. If you are trying to save a buck on electricity then this obviously isnt for you, personally Ill take the trade off in increased yeilds ...

Although I do agree that having a shorter daytime cycle than 18/6 is beneficial for the strains Im running as the plants often look way tired of this rather quickly. Shortening the cycle by 2 hours 16/8 made a huge difference in leaf appearance and overall growth seemed to pick up. For now Im sticking with it, Ill let you know how the increase in light hours for the last weeks of flowering plays out indoors.
 

sourpickle

New member
I'm very interested in this to control stretch in land race satives. Is there anyone still here using 12/1 mainly for this. If so do you use it alone or in combination with root binding and low N?
 
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