some questions about flowering

[Matriumcauthon]

hi there, im a first time grower (well technically second time, but i dont like to talk about that drowned plant), and i have a few questions about what to expect as my plants go through this final phase of their lives.

first off, when you look at flowering times on a breeders packaging/website do those times begin when you switch your lights, or when the first flowers form? i understand these timeframes are average, but google as i might i couldnt find a definitive answer one way or the other. in an attempt to get my first crop in in as short a timeframe as possible i opted to attempt (badly) to FiM them and switched them to 12/12 at ~6 weeks. however they were not showing preflowers yet and it took another few weeks before the males began to show themselves, and then the ladies. I need to know mainly so i know when to start giving them straight water, and how long i need to make my stash last for

secondly, the bud growth itself. does it grow slowly over the course of weeks, or is it an explosion of growth over the course of a few days near the end of the flowering cycle?

third, ive read that you can speed up the flowering cycle, but at the cost of potency and yield. but ive not been able to find anything about how much of a trade off it is. if i switch them to a 11/13 will they finish faster by a day, a week? and how much of the yield/potency will it cost 5/10/15%? more? mostly im curious but also concerned i might not have enough left in my stash to make it until harvest and dry/cure

fourth, is it normal to have some of the top fan leaves on the cola only grow 1-3 fans?

and last but not least, i just want your guestimations for how far along a sativa dominant hybrid with a ~8week flowering cycle that looks like this is? (i understand at best these will be educated guesses based on experience your educated guesses are vastly preferable to my clueless guesses)


thanks in advance for the help! also if any of this information is already available on the forums or the site do feel free to just drop a link if you would be so kind ive not had a chance to read everything yet, but im perfectly content to do my own reading if you can just point me in the right direction =D

[CaptainWiese91]

You can decide by yourself when to count the flower days. From day 1 when you switch to 12/12. Or the first day you white pistils.
my experience you can’t you the breeders estimated time. It all depends on what you do to your plants and how healthy they are. And how many problems you run into or make.

2. The growths of flowers also depends on how healthy they are, and you give them what they want - on the exact time they need it. Then maybe from question 1. You can use the breeders estimated time. And also it depends on what strain you are growing. Sativas tends to develop slower over the flowering phase than indicas, but all this you can read here on the site - Nebulas articles are really good and many people can use a lot of reading them and actually get the answers they are seeking.

3. The answer you want here / is different from almost every grower. Many have different opinions on that matter.

[Matriumcauthon]

nebula has written some great articles for sure, ive read as many as ive had time for and theyve been critical in getting me this far... but my time to sit and read is somewhat limited, while eventually ill read them all i dont have that luxury right now. would you mind pointing me twords the one you think would be a help here

[CaptainWiese91]

Use the “search” and maybe type; Flowering phase.. I think you will get the article’s you want to have answer on about your flowering. I’m don’t think there is so many of those kind of articles, that you will get lost in them, when you search 👍🏻

[CaptainWiese91]

When I type in the search; “flowering phase” the first 2-3 articles will answer all your questions.
happy reading 🙏🏻

[Rwise]

I add 2-3 weeks to what is advertised, but I read the plant for the final. There are so many variables that come into play, I made this mistake, I used coffee to drop PH and it worked. However caffeine is an herbicide (I did not know that) and it caused the 65 day autos to go 120+ days. (I no longer give the girls coffee!)

[Gluteous]

I start counting from the flip. And, it will take anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks to finish and that's about as accurate as any breeders estimate. Too many variables.

Bud growth will vary by strain. Usually though you'll see them pack on some serious weight starting around wk 6.

No real guess on how far along those are. I would do some serious cleanup of the lowers though.

[Matriumcauthon]

No real guess on how far along those are. I would do some serious cleanup of the lowers though.

Yeah I realized my mistake not pruning them after I had gotten into flowering, too focused on speed this first grow. Will it stunt them at this point to do it? Either way its something I'll be doing on my next round of plants during veg for sure.