Guide to: 12-12 From Seed Technique
With regular and feminized seeds, you need to determine when to end the vegetative phase and make the plants flower. Usually, it can take several weeks. However, you can force your plants to flower a lot earlier than when they are under regular conditions.
By managing how much light cannabis receives, you can begin harvesting as soon as possible. Some people have time and space constraints. Growing 12-12 from seed is beneficial if you experience both of those challenges.
Continue reading if you want to know more about this process.
What Is Growing 12-12 From Seed?
Growing 12-12 from seed means that you would give your seedling 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness soon after germination. Usually, cannabis receives an 18/6 cycle during the early stages of life. Switching to a 12-12 schedule initiates the flowering stage.
With equal amounts of light and dark, your young plants would begin flowering right from the start. Some growers grow 12-12 from seed since it is perfect for solo cup growing. The plant's roots do not need much room to grow, since the vegetative period will be short.
So, a solo cup or another small container can work well. However, you may need to water cannabis a bit more frequently.
Advantages
One reason you might want to try using a 12-12 light cycle after germination is the shorter cultivation time. Cannabis typically takes 3-4 months to reach harvest. You can enjoy some nice buds sooner than expected.
Trimming becomes less of a hassle as well. You do not need to manage as many sugar leaves compared to when you grow marijuana normally. You can save money on water, nutrients, and energy as well.
Another advantage of growing weed under 12-12 lighting is the space you can save. The plants can grow in smaller containers, and the branches do not extend too far. Not to mention, cannabis plants are easier to move. You can turn them around for the light to reach all the leaves.
Disadvantages
Some growers do not grow 12-12 from seed due to a few of the disadvantages. One of the main drawbacks is the reduced size of the plants. The shorter vegetative phase means the plant has less time to mature to its full mass. Still, you can get desirable yields.
You would not be able to do a lot of the training techniques as well. Most of them occur during the vegetative stage, so you would not have enough time to do something like monster cropping. One of your options would be low-stress training.
Expected Yield When Growing 12-12 From Seed
If you are intrigued by growing marijuana with 12-12 lighting, you might wonder how much you can harvest. The yield weight is usually not that hefty, but the lights, strain, and pot size can make a difference.
If you grow a seed in something like a solo cup, the average amount is 3.5 grams. You can get around 14 grams from a plant with a slightly larger pot. Some cannabis growers prefer to use containers of up to a gallon. They can get up to 28 grams for each plant.
However, you can get much more from your crops if you grow them with the SoG method.
How to Grow Cannabis 12-12 From Seed
Growing a cannabis seed with a 12-12 light cycle only has a few steps. They are simple to do, and you do not need much when it comes to equipment. If you decide to use this method to grow weed, what you need to do is:
1. Germinate Seeds
For germination, the seeds need some dampness and a warm environment. There are multiple ways you can go about germinating cannabis seeds. Some growers buy starter cubes since they are convenient.
They contain some micronutrients to encourage the roots to grow. Add some water and wait a few days for the germination process to complete. Instead of a starter cube, you could use a non-porous paper towel instead.
Take a paper towel and make it damp. Then, you would fold it over the seeds and wait around 1-4 days. It is helpful to have a spray bottle around since the paper towel can dry out. You can check periodically to see if the taproot emerged.
Once you see roots, carefully remove the seeds and move on to the next step. For tougher seeds, some growers leave them in a glass of water overnight. You could soak your seeds in water and place any stubborn ones in a paper towel afterward to get them to sprout as well.
2. Plant Seeds
Now, you need to plant your germinated weed seeds. You will need to gather tweezers, growing medium, and a pencil. You should also have a small container or lightproof pot. Once you have everything you need, fill the container with soil or another type of growing medium.
The soil should reach just below the top of the container. Many growers fill it up to about 1 centimeter from the top. Then, you would make a small dimple in the dirt with a pencil. The hole should be a couple of centimeters deep.
Use the tweezers to pick up the seed and carefully place it in the dimple. When it is in the hole, you can cover it with a layer of soil. It is necessary to avoid pressing down firmly on the growing medium. The sprouting seedling could have a harder time emerging from the topsoil.
Spray some water to dampen the soil, but you should not add any nutrients at this time.
3. Switch Lights to 12-12
After a couple of weeks, you will see the seedling get bigger. You then can switch the lighting schedule to be 12-12 around the 3-week mark. The plant should start flowering as early as possible. Once it does, you can expect most strains to take roughly 12 weeks to be ready to harvest.
Many seedlings do not begin to flower immediately under a 12-12 light cycle. They usually do not start producing buds until they are 3-4 weeks old. It will not be long until you see some desirable results.
Tips for the Best Results on Growing 12-12 From Seed
Stay On Top of Your Plant's Need
Even though the life cycle is shorter than usual, you should still pay attention to the plant's needs. You have to monitor airflow, soil pH levels, and water quality like you would during regular marijuana growing.
Pests and mold can still be a problem. The plants can experience stress, which may mean stunted growth. Not to mention, the number of nutrients a plant receives can change as it gets bigger. You do not want the young seedling to suffer from any deficiencies or burns.
Some growers are concerned that growing 12-12 from seeds reduces yield sizes, but all these factors can ensure a maximized harvest.
Use the SoG Method
If you want to boost your yield size, you can use something called Sea of Green (SoG). The SoG method involves growing many small plants together instead of larger ones. You would place one or two plants down for every square foot.
The SoG setup does not require much effort, and you can grow various strains. However, you would need at least four plants for this method.
The technique works well with growing 12-12 from seed. You would change the light cycle around the third or fourth week, which increases how much you harvest in the end.
Do Not Use Autoflowers
Growing seeds under a 12-12 schedule would not be effective for autoflower plants. You would not be able to get the results you want. The reason is that autoflowers do not need a light cycle to transition to the flowering phase.
As a result, it would not matter if you use a 12-12 or 18-6 schedule. The autoflower plants have their own timeline, and you have less control of their flowering pace. A few autoflower strains might reach harvest sooner than other seeds.
You can buy one that reaches its harvest time quickly if you need to finish growing cannabis sooner.
Final Thoughts on Growing 12-12 From Seed
Many growers like to grow 12-12 from seed, and others do not. You can try it out to see if the method is something you will enjoy. A part of marijuana cultivation is figuring out what works best for you.
Before you get started, you should buy some suitable strains for growing 12-12 from seed. The ones that react the best have a fair share of Indica genetics. The light change is not as effective for Sativa-dominant seeds.
One strain you can try is the Big Bud. The plant naturally has the potential for a large harvest, so you could get more when growing 12-12 from seed. The strain also is great for SoG if you choose to apply the method.
Grape Ape seeds can grow under almost any condition. They can have significant yield sizes and have high THC content. Alternatively, Pinkman Goo is a mixture of other great strains. While sticky, you can get some tasty buds.