The "pro breeder" is incorrect You cannot ALWAYS count from flip for one simple reason.Pure sativas take an unpredictable amount of time to trigger.My Hawaiian Snow from Greenhouse Seeds takes between four and six months under 12/12 to show a single flower, then 14 more to finish.The Nevilles Haze is almost as bad, so in this case there is no arguing that the counting starts when you first see flowers.Indicas and Indica/Sativa Hybrids are a whole different ball game depending on how much sativa is in the hybrid some are.triggering in days, as little as three.So quick in fact, the count becomes a moot point, as environmental variations can make your flower time plus or minus that many days.Some hybrids take weeks.So Subcool was incorrect, though he seemed absolutely sure.He's not the only pro breeder out here with an opinion and decades under the belt. So nubies, always look at the form of the bud, the ratio of white to red hairs,and not only the colour of the trichomes, but, also look at an entire section of them and watch them all start bending under the weight of the bulbous heads when they are mature.A lot needs to happen for a great end product, not only Cannabinoid development, but Turpine development as well for fragrance and flavour, a certain amount of fermentation actually takes place and tiny amounts of alcohol are even made.These things happen in the last week or so,one eventually learns by fragrance alone when a flower cluster is ready when well familiarized with a particular strain. I might add that not every cluster rippens at the same time, and buds can be harvested weeks apart off the same plant, thus increasing overall crop value, and, yield. I am in the commercial tree fruit industry and have observed this same ripeness phenomenon across the board. Every new crop is unique and variations are common place with average windows of give or take 1.5 weeks on both sides, so, three weeks (Average)total, in Cannabis, Cherries, Plums, Apples ect. because of this, there can be no REAL counting, only observational guesses with honed in accuracy caused by hands on experience.The most obvious observation for counting flowering is the appearance of flowers.Remember this is Science.It's ALL about observation, and applied averages.
