Many growers find a 12/12 light cycle ideal for autoflowering plants. These plants tend to grow best in sunny environments with consistent sunlight, and the 12/12 light cycle mimics this natural cycle. Additionally, this light schedule promotes healthy growth by giving plants adequate darkness during their flowering phase. While growing photoperiod plants, the typically recommended amount of light is 18 hours with 6 hours of darkness to allow the plants to rest. With autoflowers, growers will use this same light cycle, or even up to 22 hours, to maximize the plant’s growth in the short amount of time it has from seed to harvest. ScrOG Do Autoflowers need darkness during flowering? The technicality of autoflower plants is that they do not require a period of darkness during the light cycle in order to produce buds. This is because autoflowers are derived from the Ruderalis species, which grows naturally in regions with 24 hours of daylight at certain times of the year Typically cannabis needs a vegetative period of at least 4-6 weeks to grow and develop. This ensures the highest possible yield. In terms of lighting, the general agreement is giving marijuana 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness during vegging and a static 12 hours of light and darkness during flowering. Many producers believe that autoflowers should be exposed to light 24 hours a day. They say it’s the optimum light cycle since plants tend to grow when given a lot of light. Technically, the plants develop better under a 24/0 light cycle because cannabis can absorb carbon dioxide during the photosynthesis process, converting it to a C3 plant. Weeks 10-11: Harvest time. Once you have a good mix of cloudy and amber trichomes it’s time to harvest your autoflower plants. This is normally anytime between week 10 and 11 depending on the genetics you’re growing. You can also use the breeders’ strain description to give you a good idea of when to pull plants. An autoflower grown for 10 weeks/70 days with 20 hours of daily light will take around 1400 light hours to grow from premium autoflowering cannabis seeds to harvest. Curiously, that’s around the same number of light-hours as a photoperiod feminized strain grown with a 5 week veg period (18/6 cannabis light cycle) and 9 weeks bloom (12/12 light). Things to keep in mind when growing autoflowers with leds; 7. a. Light distance to plant; 7. b. Listed wattage vs actual wattage; 7. c. The easiest way to calculate led efficiency; 7. d. How many led watts are needed per plant? 7. e. Heat; 7. f. Use lights with better features; 7. g. Research, research, and more research; 8. In conclusion When the time comes to plant, fill your container one-third full of your soil mix, then fill the rest with topsoil. Doing so will encourage your plant to grow downward into the soil, using nutrients as needed. This step prevents your plant from taking in too many nutrients at once. Simply place your seeds on a damp paper towel, positioning them several centimetres apart. Place another damp paper towel over them and move to a dark place (cupboards work great). Once your seeds develop white roots 0.8 – 1.2 inches in length, transfer them into the soil. vlwL.