Autoflowering seed varieties, thanks to Ruderalis genes, allow autoflowering marijuana to flourish regardless of the light cycle, unlike photoperiod varieties (Indica and Sativa).
The autoflowers we find today are magnificent hybrids with a majority of Indica and / or Sativa genes and just enough Ruderalis to produce automatic flowering.
Autoflowers can be grown outdoors (except winter) and indoors, and they bloom based on their age, not the light cycles in the plants. Even so, you have to give them the right amount of light.
If you wonder how to care for a maria plant outdoors, make sure your autoflowers receive the minimum number of hours that we explain below for indoors.
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TYPES OF LIGHT CYCLES FOR MARIJUANA
LIGHT CYCLE 18/6
For autoflowering strains it is recommended to provide a minimum of 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness .
18 hours a day of light allow a robust growth. But that does not mean that more hours harm autoflowers, who like light exactly the same as photoperiod marijuana seeds, the only thing that happens is that they do not depend on it to flower.
24H LIGHT CYCLE
Providing 24 hours of light to autoflowering plants increases vegetative growth according to some growers, while others do not see differences with the 18/6 cycle and even defend that the 6 hours of “recovery” are beneficial.
There is no conclusive data to support that more than 18 hours of light improves plant growth.
12/12 LIGHT CYCLE
A 12 hour light and 12 hour dark cycle during the flowering phase still produces good yields, although the buds will be smaller from excess heat. It is usually done to save money.
WHICH LIGHT CYCLE IS BEST FOR INDOOR AUTOFLOWERS
The most common number of hours of light in indoor autoflowers is 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness.
The option of 24 hours of light should be considered in cases of cold winters, in order to maintain an adequate temperature.
The 22/2 and 20/4 options are also quite common although, as in the case of 24h, there is no support to confirm their advantages in autoflowering.
In terms of light type, the latest generation full spectrum LED lights are the most efficient grow lights on the market.
In conclusion, autoflowering seed varieties flower according to their age and can survive even with 6 hours of sunlight, obtaining good harvests with a 12/24 cycle indoors. To ensure that the buds are of quality, it is best to provide them 18 hours of light a day, since there is no consensus among growers on whether there are benefits to increase the number of hours above 18. In any case, we recommend Try both cycles and use the one that works best for each grower.
