For plant jars, cycling means letting water, microbes and plants settle before you declare the build hands-off — not a reef-tank nitrogen slogan.
Aim for light morning or evening mist on glass that clears by afternoon, green plants, and no swamp smell.
Constant lid-off “to be safe” desiccates humidity lovers; constant lid-on with a flood creates anaerobic soup. Neither extreme is cycling.
Condensation rules of thumb (for example lower-third mist) vary by room temperature and vessel shape — treat patterns as diagnostics, not laws.
