Photoperiod

The photoperiod is the relationship between hours of daylight and darkness occurring during the life of the plant. When speaking of the photoperiod of cannabis are the hours of daylight and darkness per day (24 hours) that should receive the plants. Growing plants need more hours of light with darkness, about 18 light, and bloom the number is the same: 12 hours each.

This parameter can be controlled 100% in cultured interior. Outdoors, you can only simulate light periods of 12 hours if daylight hours are greater than this number, completely covering the plants with plastic or cardboard so you do not receive more light. It will spring to autumn, and when the size of our facilities allow us, when we can cover them to induce flowering outside.

Ruderalis The variety is the only one not dependent on the photoperiod to flower, since the specimens of this variety are guided by the time it takes to grow the plant to begin producing buds. If we try to seeds which are crosses with Ruderalis plants, such as the White Dwarf or Low Rider, about two and a half months these small plants will be ready to harvest. Sativa and indica varieties themselves are guided by the photoperiod to change phase. These varieties vary from growth phase to flowering phase in the daylight hours available to 12. Therefore, the plants will need at this time another 12 hours of darkness.

It is very important that the hours are in total darkness. A loophole through which a beam of light slips, a lamppost at night close to our culture, and may be delayed or even not advance flowering marijuana. If we cut cuttings, make sure that they receive the necessary daylight hours because they could begin to flourish without having reached the desired size. Also we can know in advance the sex of a plant, if cuttings and induced to flower by reduced hours of birth to 12. In indoor growing, depending on our needs and space, changing the light period for the plants flourish when they have more than two months. Another reference that we follow is the height of the plant. When it reaches the meter, can be induced to flower.

The sativa variety blooms later than indicated. That is because the sativas come from the tropics, where the good weather lasts longer, and winter comes later. On the contrary, indications are programmed to flower earlier, to avoid the rain and winter weather septemtrionales regions. The experienced growers always try to vary the parameters in the crop to see if you get more production. It is proven that in bloom, daylight hours drop below 12 may be even harmful to plants. And program more than 12 hours of light, extends the flowering period. But some people change the period of 12 to 13 or 14 hours after three weeks of growth changed the photoperiod by flowering, to get a tighter production at the expense of prolonging the time until you collect.

Once the plants begin flowering, this period is not irreversible. You can make plants produce buds interrupt and return to grow if we change and increase the hours of daylight they would be in December. Be careful because this is what can happen also if the 12 hours of darkness are not comprehensive, and turn on the light (can be poque we visit the crop at night) or is filtered through a slit. The plant takes a few weeks to change from one phase to another, so that flowering stops for about two weeks, then start to grow and produce new leaves and branches. In summary, for growth, normal is to schedule 18 hours of light for 6 of darkness. Although some plants are forced to receive 24 hours of light, seems to be proven that cannabis is only capable of processing up to 18 hours a day, so the electricity consumed in the remaining 6 hours would be wasted. And bloom, daylight hours went down to 12.