User Manual

10
LIGHT CYCLES
Light cycles are used to simulate the conditions of day and night for indoor
plants. We highly recommend the use of an electrical timer to create a
repeatable light cycle.
Most plants grow in two stages, the vegetative stage and flowering stage.
The vegetative growth stage is about growing the plant in size and mass in
preparation for flowering. You can leave many plants in the vegetative stage
indefinitely with no adverse effects. The flower growth stage is initiated
when the light cycle changes into the critical light period, explained below.
This change will cause your plant to focus completely on making flowers
and seeds for reproduction. Plants determine which of these stages of
growth it should be in through the presence of a flowering hormone
(phytochrome) which is sensitive to light.
There are three types of plant responses; short-day, long-day, and day-
neutral. The first two types have a critical light and dark period associated
with them and can vary from plant to plant. This critical period will
determine when the plant switches from the vegetative stage to the
flowering stage. Day-neutral plants are generally unaffected by light cycles
and flower when the plant is mature. If you find that it is difficult to flower
a short day plant due to a light flash at night, we recommend flowering in a
closet or grow tent.