Light, # of hours

[cheezydemon]

My hops sprouts are in with my pepper plants that I had on 20 hours of light a day.

It occurred to me that longer hours are what stimulate hops to flower.

Could this be bad?

 

[pjj2ba]

You are probably OK. Often plants have to get to a certain size/age (go through a juvenile period) before they can properly process the signals to induce flowering.

I assume you are going to transplant these. Make sure you harden them off for 5 days or so before putting them in the ground. The cold can be quite a shock.

 

[cheezydemon]

Will do. Thanks!

 

[david_42]

Hops flower when the days start getting shorter, but until the sidearms are out, no problem.

 

[cheezydemon]

Good to know.

 

[mot]

plants need dark also just like they need light

 

[mr x]

You could probably cut that light cycle back a bit, to 18 hours on max, maybe even as low as 16.

 

[EvilTOJ]

So what kind of 'pepper' plants you growin cheezy ?

 

[cheezydemon]

OHHHHHH....just:
Naga Morich, Dorset Naga, Trinidad Scorpion, The dreaded 7 pot, red orange and yellow roccotos, scotch bonnets, orange and red habaneros, and a few mild ones. maybe 42 plants or so in all.

 

[pjj2ba]

Hops flower when the days start getting shorter, but until the sidearms are out, no problem.

Yes, they do flower as the days are getting shorter, but they need a long enough light period to induce them to flower in the first place. It is very similar to flipping a switch on. It then takes a while for us to see the results of the switch being turned on. Once turned on, it is very difficult to turn it off. This is why they don't flower real well or at all in Southern latitudes. The nights are too long further South.

 

[cheezydemon]

That is what I thought. Also my peppers are flowering despite their juvenile state, I wouldn't doubt if hops might do the same.

I cut it down to 11 hours.

 

[King MF Midas]

as many of you may or may not know, the hop plant is very closely related to marijuana, being that i used to grow the stuff i know a thing or two about the stages of life, early on you need at least 14 hours of light to keep it out of the flowering stage. some indoor grower prefer 20 on 4 off for veg but it is almost universal understanding among pot growers that 12 on 12 off triggers the flowering stage. if you accidentally make your hops flower before you trans plant them hit them with a fert. that has a a high nitrogen level (n-p-k) and a few days of 24 hours of light should bring them back but not with out some stress to the plants

 

[mr x]

That is what I thought. Also my peppers are flowering despite their juvenile state, I wouldn't doubt if hops might do the same.

I cut it down to 11 hours.

That's too short. Don't go with a shorter cycle than 15 on/9 off. If you start flowering those plants, there is a good chance they won't go back to a normal vegetative state.

 

[EinGutesBier]

Is this all applicable to rhizomes? Or do you just put hose in the ground and let them do their thing? Also, do you have to insulate them from any remaining spring cold?

 

[mr x]

It relates to most flowering plants if you start them indoors under artificial light. That include hops.

 

[davefleck]

I really question just how related hops are to their cousin... the smoking stuff isn't a rhizome base growth. They really function very diffrently.

now asume they are similar... It's not the amount of light that is important but the amount of dark that causes them to change. Some argue you can have them on 24/7 and no rest and have gotten great results. Some give 4hrs off. Doubt many get any diffrences. The key is the quality of the dark. when you switch to 12 hrs of dark they will start to flower. Light polution is very detrimental at this point. So if you want your hops to be better, turn off the darn back yard light at night. Can't do much about the moon though...

same gig with starting tomatos indoors. You're not going to harm them under 24hr light. Just be carefull you're not burning them with heat!

 

[mr x]

Whether or not it is a rhizome base has little to do with the overall mechanics of flowering and food transmission. The roots of both plants feed the plant. The more developed the root mass, the more food available to the plant for flower/fruit production.

To say it's the amount of dark instead of the amount of light is just playing word games. Most plant cycles indoors are based on a 24 hour period (although you can play with this to a certain extent). If I say you need 12 hours of continuous light to begin the flower cycle, you automatically get 12 hours dark. No difference.

Some plants will allow 24 hours light, but in my experience and research, all you are doing is wasting power. You get next to no additional return, and probably negative effects in many cases. Lots of plants need the oxygen cycle in the dark for healthy results.

 

[EinGutesBier]

It relates to most flowering plants if you start them indoors under artificial light. That include hops.

I can start my rhizomes in outside in the soil, though, right? Or would that not be a smart idea?

 

[davefleck]

To say it's the amount of dark instead of the amount of light is just playing word games. Most plant cycles indoors are based on a 24 hour period (although you can play with this to a certain extent). If I say you need 12 hours of continuous light to begin the flower cycle, you automatically get 12 hours dark. No difference.

.

sorry, but I strongly dissagree with that statement.

getting darkness during a light cycle won't be harmful but light during the dark cycle can be very disruptive.

the light cycle can be a lot more inconsistant in quality but the dark is where the plant will begin to think the season is changing.

 

[EvilTOJ]

I can start my rhizomes in outside in the soil, though, right? Or would that not be a smart idea?

Oh sure, it's good to plant rhizomes outside in the ground as long as the final frost is gone. Most people who get rhizomes and start them inside just want to give them a longer, stronger root system.

 

[King MF Midas]

I really question just how related hops are to their cousin... the smoking stuff isn't a rhizome base growth. They really function very diffrently.

members of the cannabaceae family can be trees or a twining herb (bine). both weed and hops have the same flower structure of symmetrical caylax designed for wind pollination. aside from the very similar reproduction methods a nice ipa smells like a fat sack of funk.

 

[mr x]

sorry, but I strongly dissagree with that statement.

getting darkness during a light cycle won't be harmful but light during the dark cycle can be very disruptive.

the light cycle can be a lot more inconsistant in quality but the dark is where the plant will begin to think the season is changing.

When talking indoor gardening, when people specify light cycling, the golden rule is uninterrupted. So you don't strongly disagree, you are just saying the same thing in a different manner. But if you start giving plants dark interruptions of an hour or more during the light period, you can disrupt their veg/flowering cycle. It just depends on the plant species and it's environment.

As far as the poster asking about starting the hops outside, you should be able to start plants anytime outside as long as the temperature permits. Light cycles aren't an issue.