When does flowering really start?

I started counting once I see the pistils, however that's typically ~2 weeks into 12/12. Should I count the time from switch, or count once I start to see pistil and bud development? I'm creeping closer to the 7 weeks from pistils and 9 weeks from 12/12 and she's looking fantastic.

I count from the day I switch to 12/12.

Might as well document...
Flip date.
Pistols date.
Stretch duration.
Stretch %.
.....
Harvest date.

JohnCee said:

I started counting once I see the pistils, however that's typically ~2 weeks into 12/12. Should I count the time from switch, or count once I start to see pistil and bud development? I'm creeping closer to the 7 weeks from pistils and 9 weeks from 12/12 and she's looking fantastic.

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you should count from first signs of flower.. so if its an 8 to 9 week strain it will go 10 to 11week min from flip 12/12.. you should also invest in some kind of magnification device to check trichs before you chop to make sure your fully ready.... breeders specs should just be used as a guide.


peace out

Week 1 is when you can see the first real buds developing, not just hairs.

Have fun

neckpod said:

you should count from first signs of flower.. so if its an 8 to 9 week strain it will go 10 to 11week min from flip 12/12.. you should also invest in some kind of magnification device to check trichs before you chop to make sure your fully ready.... breeders specs should just be used as a guide.


peace out

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I agree with you, especially, sativa varieties

JohnCee said:

I started counting once I see the pistils, however that's typically ~2 weeks into 12/12. Should I count the time from switch, or count once I start to see pistil and bud development? I'm creeping closer to the 7 weeks from pistils and 9 weeks from 12/12 and she's looking fantastic.

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Flowering begins when the plant starts forming flowers. Its very simple biology. It sounds like you have been counting correctly so far. Also flowering doesn't end at a specific day or even week. Breeder times are just loose estimates. Your grow environment and the specific phenotypes of the cultivar you are running will effect over all flower time greatly.

Plants don't instantly begin to flower when you switch to 12/12, it takes time for them to transition from veg to flower. That period of time can be as fast as 5-7 days with fully mature genetics, and a good grow environment. OR it can take over 20 days or anywhere in between if the genetics are not mature at the switch or if the environment has issues. If you had plants out doors you wouldn't pick a date and say ok its flowering. You would watch the plant and consider it flowering when it starts to form flowers. Outdoors the transition phase goes un-noticed because humans don't switch the lights, but it still happens. The plants start to change their hormones based on the amount of darkness they get each day, and they stretch and then begin to flower.

Counting from switch date is totally arbitrary and means absolutely nothing because different plants take different amounts of time to transition. Thankfully counting all together isn't really necessary so, in the end, it's not about when flowering begins, it's about watching the plants and learning when to properly harvest. I stopped counting days/weeks years ago. I put plants in to flower when I want, and take them out whenever they are ready. Putting an arbitrary time frame on it all never made my weed better .

I'll also add that its VERY easy to harvest plants too early. Letting them FULLY ripen is going to give you the best quality smoke, period!

It is VERY hard to harvest plants too late. In my 14ish years of growing I have NEVER seen someone accidentally harvest a plant to late, it just doesn't happen.

I don't count. I switch to 12/12 and harvest when ready. I don't pay attention to breeder times.

If we count from when there are signs of flowers forming and that takes 3 weeks from the flip. What would you class the 3 weeks at 12/12 as with out flowers veg?

I only count from flip for nutrients. Count from flower and you could give ferts to late. As said it's done when it's done.

What Thundercat said....

It's also during this same transition from veg to bloom that nute changes are common on nute vendor feed charts. Boosting p and/or k for example.
If growing the same strain more than once, documenting grow dates and details is very helpful.

DustyDuke said:

If we count from when there are signs of flowers forming and that takes 3 weeks from the flip. What would you class the 3 weeks at 12/12 as with out flowers veg?

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Those 1-3 weeks are called a few different things depending on exactly which piece of botany literature you are looking at. It is very commonly referred to as the "preflower" stage or the "transition" period. Many nutrient companies even identify it on the bottle as the transition period.

Blue back said:

I only count from flip for nutrients. Count from flower and you could give ferts to late. As said it's done when it's done.

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It's exactly the opposite though. People feeding flower nutes too early is a huge reason for nutrient deficiency issues. The plants need some Nitrogen through the transition to reach their best potential.

Thundercat said:

Those 1-3 weeks are called a few different things depending on exactly which piece of botany literature you are looking at. It is very commonly referred to as the "preflower" stage or the "transition" period. Many nutrient companies even identify it on the bottle as the transition period.


It's exactly the opposite though. People feeding flower nutes too early is a huge reason for nutrient deficiency issues. The plants need some Nitrogen through the transition to reach their best potential.

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100%

formation of calyxes on the nodes is when it starts. approx 10 days. the tops look kinda like a venus flytrap right before the cola tops start to develop calyxes

Add 2-4 weeks when using soil & learn when done is done.