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When is the right time to start the flower countdown

Chemichael

Chemichael

New member
If I could put a pen on one of the biggest questions- its when is the bud ready to be harvested. There are one hundred answers and even more factors involved in answering- however, to have the CORRECT context as to when flowering has begun and when the true window is open to harvest- its no pure science. All specimens seem to behave differently - therefore I started to think about what the real issue is-

Main Question


When does flowering begin in a 8 Week flower cycle?



At the time you start the 12/12 flip- it probably takes 5-10 good days before you start to see the flowers forming. If you had started your 8 week cycle - on the 12/12 flip- you could drive yourself mad for the last 3 weeks waiting for the crop to be ready - when all along you needed to set the correct countdown.

It seems most of the time- the answer is wait another 2-3 weeks.... hence- the countdown was started wrong again.

In the best case scenario- with several of the same genetic, you may see one plant finishing at the 10th week ( 8 +2 ) while the others are seemingly always a 5-10 days behind the leader. finishing sometimes 11-12 weeks ( 8-9 weeks plus 1-2 give or take your countdown- plus give or take the particular phenotype of the strain and its behavior

I do also believe that heat and light type / environmental conditions ( co2 , other stuff ) play a huge role in the development and time frame- specifically related to temperature range


Anyhoot- I think if there was a better idea of how to start the countdown- growers in general would have an easier time towards the later stages.
I know I struggled earlier on in my grows with timing. After a full 2 years under my belt- I am starting to notice the nuances that can make a grow great and also maddening.


Correct nutes
Understanding PH
Understanding why you have problems and correcting them
Dialing in YOUR environment. Every one is different
Dialing in your lights-
Knowing more about the genetics and adjusting nutes
Proper harvest window
 
Each strain is a bit different IMO But as a rule 4-5 weeks for fotos before switching to 12-12 and as for autos it’s about the same I’ve found a switch to mhs bulb for the autos and the photos helps bring out the hairs lol
 
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Here is the deal with photoperoid plants.. every strain has a range for flower time. The reason it’s a range and not a solid date is because there are different phenotypes with in each strain that finish at different times.
Beyond that, these ranges are fairly accurate as long as you are veging the plant long enough to where the preflowers are showing. If you veg and force into flower before the preflowers show...you need to add an extra week or two to the recommended flower times so that the plant has time to reach maturity.
So forcing flower too early in a plants life can add time to the recommended flower ranges.
 
I can veg a plant for 1 year. I am not sure how without flipping to 12/12 will any pre- flowers form. It takes several days for pistils to show. And several more for little baby crowns to form- at about 2 weeks into the 12/12 flip- you are in Flowering mode- and should begin the countdown to 8-14 weeks flowering finish time depending on strain
 
Yes... every strain I have ever grown shows preflowers at around week 3 or later. If you are flipping them earlier you need to add a few weeks to the breeder recommendations for flower time. If not..the recommended flower times are fairly accurate. Just need to know which phenotype you have to know which end of the spectrum you will fall on.
That’s where a 100x pocket scope comes in handy. You should judge the final harvest date by the oil production/degradation process.
 
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