Quick answer:
- Days 1–14: Run 10 hours ON / 14 hours OFF. Ramp LED intensity up gradually so the plant builds roots before you push photons.
- Day 15+: Increase light duration slowly (example: +15 minutes/day) until you reach 14 hours ON. Hold intensity steady while you ramp hours.
- One lever at a time: Don’t change hours and intensity in the same week. If you want more growth, add photons predictably.
- Diagnose with trend: Stretch rate, pistil progression, and leaf posture tell you more than any app chart.
- Quality is post‑harvest: If drying/curing is sloppy, your haze terps get flattened.
Jump to:
Back to hub: Haze & sativa timing hub (all haze pages, timing notes, and diagnostics).
Seed start (first 2 weeks)
Light ramp (Days 1–14: 10h)
- Schedule: 10h ON / 14h OFF.
- Intensity: Ramp up daily. Don’t blast 100% on day one.
- Goal: Root establishment + stable posture before you feed the stretch.
Why this works: Haze‑leaning plants can punish early stress with chaotic stretch later. A shorter day + gentle ramp buys you stability before you increase daily photons.
Flower timing (don’t shock the plant)
HazeHack light protocol (Day 15+)
- Day 15: Keep intensity steady. Add 15 minutes of light.
- Repeat daily until you reach 14 hours ON.
- Hold the schedule long enough to observe trend (at least 7 days) before you make another big decision.
DLI reality check: If PPFD stays the same, moving from 12h to 14h increases daily photons by about 16.7% (14/12). That’s why longer photoperiods can increase yield in some cultivars—but the response is strain‑dependent. See: Virginia Tech: Daily Light Integral (DLI).
Environment priorities (keep it simple)
- Stability beats perfection. Haze hates swings more than it hates “not ideal.”
- Don’t worship VPD charts. If you don’t know leaf temperature, your VPD target is a guess (VPDleaf vs VPDair).
- Airflow: steady canopy movement, not a hurricane on buds.
Timeline checkpoints (what “good” looks like)
- Week 1: Upright posture, new growth daily, no repeated droop cycles.
- Week 2: Roots established; you can increase photons without the plant “falling apart.”
- Weeks 3–4: Stretch is predictable. If it explodes, you pushed too fast.
- Mid flower: Pistils progress steadily; bud sites stack instead of stalling.
- Late flower: Judge readiness by plant behavior + trichomes—not calendar panic.
Diagnostics (stop guessing)
The rule: Change one variable, then watch trend for 48–72 hours.
- Stretch is exploding / airy structure: don’t add more photons. Hold schedule steady or pull back slightly.
- Healthy but slow: add photons predictably (duration first, then intensity later).
- “Late flower stall” symptoms: before you blame nutrients, check environment + light history. Use: Plants stall in late flower (not nutrients).
- App says one thing, plant says another: trust the plant and your trend log. See: AI grow apps — what they get wrong.
More context: Not every haze responds the same. Use the strain-aware approach here: Why one schedule fails.
Harvest + post-harvest pipeline (where quality is won)
- Harvest when it’s ready (plant behavior + trichomes). Don’t chop early because you’re bored.
- Dry evenly. No heat spikes. No hurricane fan on buds.
- Jar only when moisture is stable (avoid wet-core jars).
- Cure at 62% RH to finish, then store at 58% if you want a “locked” jar.
- Give the cure time. Rushing is the #1 quality killer.
Start here:
Drying cannabis correctly →
58% vs 62% curing humidity →
Why cannabis loses terpenes after harvest.
FAQ
How long do haze strains take to finish?
Often longer than “standard” hybrids. Use trichomes and plant behavior to judge readiness, not a fixed calendar.
Why do haze plants stretch so much?
Many haze-leaning cultivars have strong stretch genetics. Fast light changes and early stress make it worse.
Can haze flower under 14 hours of light?
Some cultivars can. Research shows some indoor cultivars can increase yield with photoperiods longer than 12 hours, but responses vary by cultivar.
Should I use 11/13 for haze?
Sometimes. It can help certain hazes finish cleaner. Transition gradually and log the response.
What’s the safest way to ramp light hours?
Small daily steps (like +15 minutes/day) while keeping intensity steady. Don’t “jump” hours overnight.
Should I change nutrients or light first?
Light and environment first. Many “deficiency-looking” issues are really transpiration or light-history problems.
Why do buds stop swelling late flower?
Often it’s environment/light history, not “more feed.” Use the late-flower stall checklist page before you change inputs.
Can I run one schedule for multiple strains?
You can, but it’s rarely optimal. If you do, pick the most sensitive strain as your baseline and avoid aggressive pushing.
What’s the biggest haze mistake?
Shocking the plant with big schedule changes, then chasing the fallout with more inputs.
How do I preserve haze terpenes after harvest?
Slow, even dry; controlled cure; cool/dark storage; minimal oxygen exchange. Most terpene loss happens after chop if you rush.
Related reads:
Sources
- Virginia Tech Extension — Calculating and Using Daily Light Integral (DLI)
- Ahrens et al. (2023) — Is Twelve Hours Really the Optimum Photoperiod for Indoor Cannabis?
- Ahrens et al. (2024) — Longer Photoperiod Substantially Increases Indoor-Grown Cannabis’ Yield and Quality
- Park et al. (2023) — Flowering Response of Cannabis sativa ‘Suver Haze’ Under Varying Daylength
- e‑Gro (2023) — VPDleaf vs VPDair (leaf vs air VPD)
Next steps
- Strain-aware growing — The why behind the haze runbook.
- 14/10 light cycle explained — How to use extra light without losing control of timing.
- 11/13 vs 12/12 light cycle — Tightening schedule to drive commitment and finish.
- AI grow apps: what they get wrong — Where the apps drift from haze reality.