captbooyah
Active Member
Chapter 2... Flowering
So, you have let your plant grow and mature... Here is a sign to look for so you know when you can start flowering
When the top sets of leaves no longer grow in sets, but alternate growth, that is a sign your plant has reached vegetative maturity.
Remember, your plant can double, triple or even quadruple in size when flowering... so you need to make sure you are picking a 'light tight' place, with plenty of vertical room for growth
If you haven't transplanted- now is definitely the time to do it... this should be the last pot your plant will be in until harvest... Obviously, you need to pick pot sizes that you have room for- not everyones space is the same, so use what works for you...
You have previously had your light cycle at either 24/0 or 20/4 or 18/6 (whichever suits you)
Now, you will be changing your light schedule to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark... Mind you, the dark must stay dark to avoid 'confusion' as the plant believes it is time to start flowering. Interruption of dark with light can cause your plant to go back into veg, prolong gender, and prolong flowering- all possibly effecting your yield, and potency.
The first 1-3 weeks or so is when your plant will be starting to show you its gender... Females will have fine white hairs coming out and males will form balls. Once gender is identified, you can get rid of the males (unless you want your Females to have seeds)... If you have bought yourself some fem seeds... This need not apply to you (if its not female, you my friend got gipped!)
Obviously flowering time can greatly vary from strain to strain and lighting conditions... You are most likely looking at 4-8 weeks... it all depends (if you have gotten yourself some auto-flowering seeds, this need not apply to you... lol, auto generally are 7-9 weeks from seed to harvest)
As for light, you want a 2700k spectrum light for flowering. This is the 'red' spectrum your flowers are looking for ('blue' spectrum of 6500k for veg)
Make sure you have enough light for however many plants you are growing... If you limit your light at this stage, you will get nice top buds, but barely any flower development under the canopy (top layer of the plants closest to the light)...
HPS (high pressure sodium) Bulbs are a favorite amongst growers for flowering purposes... but, PLEASE don't think it can't be done without these... As long as you have enough lumen output to support your plants, you will be fine. If you got'em, use them- if not, don't blow a ton of money on this right off the bat... things like that can be acquired when you have the $$$ for it.
As far as nutrients go, flowering requires nutes richer in phosphorous (just like in veg, they like more nitrogen)... and it is highly recommended to flush your plants of their nutes about 1-2 weeks before you harvest to rid the plant of any chemicals or strange taste from your nutes...
What we are ultimately looking for here is trichome development (the little THC crystals that grow on the bud and leaves) this will tell you when your flowers are mature and ready for harvest. Clear trichomes are still underdeveloped, where cloudy is nicely mature... Peak of the floral bouquet is when you have mostly cloudy trichomes with a few brown speckled in between the cloudy ones. If you let the trichomes brown all the way through, your flower is past optimum potency...
What it really boils down to, is supplying enough light and enough dark for your plant to believe its in its natural flowering time, all the way to harvest. Again, all you really have to do is let her grow the way she was intended to.
And PLEASE make sure your area is clean! We don't want to hear about infestations of spider mites or thrips... Clean can help avoid these little pricks from eating away at your plant.
Next step: Harvest... chapter to follow soon
So, you have let your plant grow and mature... Here is a sign to look for so you know when you can start flowering
When the top sets of leaves no longer grow in sets, but alternate growth, that is a sign your plant has reached vegetative maturity.
Remember, your plant can double, triple or even quadruple in size when flowering... so you need to make sure you are picking a 'light tight' place, with plenty of vertical room for growth
If you haven't transplanted- now is definitely the time to do it... this should be the last pot your plant will be in until harvest... Obviously, you need to pick pot sizes that you have room for- not everyones space is the same, so use what works for you...
You have previously had your light cycle at either 24/0 or 20/4 or 18/6 (whichever suits you)
Now, you will be changing your light schedule to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark... Mind you, the dark must stay dark to avoid 'confusion' as the plant believes it is time to start flowering. Interruption of dark with light can cause your plant to go back into veg, prolong gender, and prolong flowering- all possibly effecting your yield, and potency.
The first 1-3 weeks or so is when your plant will be starting to show you its gender... Females will have fine white hairs coming out and males will form balls. Once gender is identified, you can get rid of the males (unless you want your Females to have seeds)... If you have bought yourself some fem seeds... This need not apply to you (if its not female, you my friend got gipped!)
Obviously flowering time can greatly vary from strain to strain and lighting conditions... You are most likely looking at 4-8 weeks... it all depends (if you have gotten yourself some auto-flowering seeds, this need not apply to you... lol, auto generally are 7-9 weeks from seed to harvest)
As for light, you want a 2700k spectrum light for flowering. This is the 'red' spectrum your flowers are looking for ('blue' spectrum of 6500k for veg)
Make sure you have enough light for however many plants you are growing... If you limit your light at this stage, you will get nice top buds, but barely any flower development under the canopy (top layer of the plants closest to the light)...
HPS (high pressure sodium) Bulbs are a favorite amongst growers for flowering purposes... but, PLEASE don't think it can't be done without these... As long as you have enough lumen output to support your plants, you will be fine. If you got'em, use them- if not, don't blow a ton of money on this right off the bat... things like that can be acquired when you have the $$$ for it.
As far as nutrients go, flowering requires nutes richer in phosphorous (just like in veg, they like more nitrogen)... and it is highly recommended to flush your plants of their nutes about 1-2 weeks before you harvest to rid the plant of any chemicals or strange taste from your nutes...
What we are ultimately looking for here is trichome development (the little THC crystals that grow on the bud and leaves) this will tell you when your flowers are mature and ready for harvest. Clear trichomes are still underdeveloped, where cloudy is nicely mature... Peak of the floral bouquet is when you have mostly cloudy trichomes with a few brown speckled in between the cloudy ones. If you let the trichomes brown all the way through, your flower is past optimum potency...
What it really boils down to, is supplying enough light and enough dark for your plant to believe its in its natural flowering time, all the way to harvest. Again, all you really have to do is let her grow the way she was intended to.
And PLEASE make sure your area is clean! We don't want to hear about infestations of spider mites or thrips... Clean can help avoid these little pricks from eating away at your plant.
Next step: Harvest... chapter to follow soon
