Does topping delay pre-flowers for sexing ? (outdoor) (photoperiod)

TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
Southern hemisphere outdoor grow.

27 seedlings in 1 gallon black planter bags.
- 5 are feminised seeds
- 22 are unsexed

Legal limit here is 8 flowering females.

I am waiting to sex the balance to see which lucky girls get a lifetime home in their final pots.

Currently at 5 weeks from germination, going on 6
Currently at 5 nodes, going on 6.

If I top them now, will it delay the showing of pre-flowers?

My gut instinct says yes.
My reading seems to back this up.

What would you guys do?

Top first
or
Sex first

I'm thinking that they will show sex in the next week or two, and it would probably be best to wait for sex to show, and then top at node 5 - even if that does mean they will be topped at 7 or 8 nodes high, and I will be removing and discarding 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 nodes.
 
Last edited:
Southernontariogrower

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
Not usually but shocking them anytime isn't good. Can stall them. Usually you train in vegative stage. I give them a few weeks before flower to recover. They will go fifty days sometimes before showing sex! Need to make those stalks strong. Just starting to hide tip, soon l will start breaking pholeum in stalk. These seedlings are just over a week and only 1 showing growth vigour strongly.
 

Attachments

Last edited:
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
Day 40 from seed ... so I should see pre-flowers for sexing in the next week or two.

True flower stage is only due in March 2023 when natural light goes 12/12
They will veg for around 120 days.

day-40.png

All in organic living soil.
All growing vigorously.
All happy and healthy.

It's windy season in Cape Town - the plants are getting whipped around and about.
No need for me to intervene to make the stalks strong - Nature is doing her job just fine.
 
buckaclark

buckaclark

Well-Known Member
TaoRich said:
Day 40 from seed ... so I should see pre-flowers for sexing in the next week or two.

True flower stage is only due in March 2023 when natural light goes 12/12
They will veg for around 120 days.

View attachment 5227282

All in organic living soil.
All growing vigorously.
All happy and healthy.

It's windy season in Cape Town - the plants are getting whipped around and about.
No need for me to intervene to make the stalks strong - Nature is doing her job just fine.
Click to expand...
Top early and often outdoors.The last thing you want is huge branching up in the waist high area, especially in high wind areas.Train the low and wide ,and do it early.GLIMG_20220920_135701751.jpg
 
omninine

omninine

Well-Known Member
TaoRich said:
Day 40 from seed ... so I should see pre-flowers for sexing in the next week or two.

True flower stage is only due in March 2023 when natural light goes 12/12
They will veg for around 120 days.

View attachment 5227282

All in organic living soil.
All growing vigorously.
All happy and healthy.

It's windy season in Cape Town - the plants are getting whipped around and about.
No need for me to intervene to make the stalks strong - Nature is doing her job just fine.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't think topping would delay preflower at all, just for example my last seed run of wifi 43 x chem d took them all 8-9 weeks from seed pop to preflowers. You could experiment by not topping a few and seeing what happens. As for what I would do, I'll top seed plants once they have hit 5-8 nodes high. PS them girls lookin happy!
 
Last edited:
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
omninine said:
As for what I would do, I'll top seed plants once they have hit 5-8 nodes high.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think I'll let them get to 7 established nodes, going on early 8, and then top at the 5th.

They are a spread of seed strains, and showing quite a range of genotype/phenotype variation within offspring from the same mothers. I'll top individually by node count, and let them show their preflowers when they are ready.
 
VincenzioVonHook

VincenzioVonHook

Well-Known Member
I'm indoors, but have done a few runs outdoors for reference. I find topping usually pushes flower forward. Fir example I have a chemdog #4 fem going and I topped it around day 25. No pre flowers at that time, and no stretch...within two days it was flowering.

I've had a few autos that went straight into pre flower when topped outside, and I've had a photoperiod pop pre flowers and crown early after a topping, but it was a fast flower.

Generally I've found no difference over the majority of plants, but it has pushed early flower on a few autos and fast flower plants.

The current chemdog was 12/12 from seed, so the topping insisted flower. I don't think it would with a veg schedule/season.
 
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
VincenzioVonHook said:
I find topping usually pushes flower forward.
Click to expand...
There could be some logic in that.
A stress response.

"Arghhhh, under attack, shitty living conditions ... we're all going to die! Unlikely to reach maturity. Make babies now !!!"

But that's just speculation on my part.
:mrgreen:

This is useful past experience. Thanks.
VincenzioVonHook said:
Generally I've found no difference over the majority of plants
Click to expand...
So I'll proceed as planned in my last comment:
I'll top individually by node count, and let them show their preflowers when they are ready.
 
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
omninine said:
PS them girls lookin happy!
Click to expand...
Thanks!

Happy soil.
Happy microbes.
Happy plants.
:)
Getting an inch or more of growth a day now.

I've found a few spiders that have taken up residence, and one has built a canopy web.
A teeny tiny praying mantis is also on patrol among the plants.

It seems that the organic approach is attracting a whole supporting environment.
 
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
Just topped them all except for one.

IMAG0226.jpg

Most at the 5th node ... 2 'less vigorous' ones at node 6.

The evening light is a bit flattering on the colour, but they are all stylin' along pretty nicely.
 
speedwell68

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
TaoRich said:
Just topped them all except for one.

View attachment 5229163

Most at the 5th node ... 2 'less vigorous' ones at node 6.

The evening light is a bit flattering on the colour, but they are all stylin' along pretty nicely.
Click to expand...
Looks good. I have spent the last 2 days topping mine and engaging in a little LST. I wish I lived somewhere I could grow outdoors likes that.
 
MATTYMATT726

MATTYMATT726

Well-Known Member
VincenzioVonHook said:
I'm indoors, but have done a few runs outdoors for reference. I find topping usually pushes flower forward. Fir example I have a chemdog #4 fem going and I topped it around day 25. No pre flowers at that time, and no stretch...within two days it was flowering.

I've had a few autos that went straight into pre flower when topped outside, and I've had a photoperiod pop pre flowers and crown early after a topping, but it was a fast flower.

Generally I've found no difference over the majority of plants, but it has pushed early flower on a few autos and fast flower plants.

The current chemdog was 12/12 from seed, so the topping insisted flower. I don't think it would with a veg schedule/season.
Click to expand...
I have never done 12/12 from seed, but I've read alot on SOG and they always said even if you start on 12/12 with no veg, it still takes 3 weeks to "mature" before flowering, so it seems that topping or not, that plant is right on flowering schedule anyways. Just my opinion.
 
W

waterproof808

Well-Known Member
I top around the 6 node and they usually show sex a week or so after. I have gotten pretty good at sexing plants very early though, so your mileage may vary.
 
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
MATTYMATT726 said:
I have never done 12/12 from seed, but I've read alot on SOG and they always said even if you start on 12/12 with no veg, it still takes 3 weeks to "mature" before flowering, so it seems that topping or not, that plant is right on flowering schedule anyways. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
That went off in a couple of odd directions. I am bringing it back on track so that it does not confuse other folks who may be reading this thread.
No offence intended by any of my comments.
Peace out.

- - -

I'm looking for pre-flowers to sex out the females from my seeds of unidentified gender ... not flowering stage as in the beginning of bud.
Cannabis Pre-Flowers: Identify Sex of a Plant as Early as 3 Weeks Old (with pics!)
Click to expand...
https://www.growweedeasy.com/preflowers

MATTYMATT726 said:
I have never done 12/12 from seed.
Click to expand...
Those recently germinated seedlings are just heading into summer.
They have at least 100 days of long sunshine before they get to 12/12.
Me and my garden are Southern hemisphere. at the bottom tip of Africa.

MATTYMATT726 said:
... so it seems that topping or not, that plant is right on flowering schedule anyways.
Click to expand...
That bottom right is one of the two that I didn't top yesterday.
Those are fresh shoots in the zoom-in, not pistils.
He or she (or they/them) got nipped this morning.
 
TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
waterproof808 said:
I top around the 6 node and they usually show sex a week or so after.
Click to expand...
Thanks.
On some plants I am seeing little bumps behind the stipules - not quite clear what they will develop into as yet, but they should show fairly soon.

waterproof808 said:
I have gotten pretty good at sexing plants very early though, so your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...
Like many things, it is confusing as all **ck 1st time around, no matter who explains, or what you read in tutorials or see in pics
And then it drops into place when you go through with it in practice with one grow, and then the knowledge sticks.

Provided these tired old-timer eyes have their reading glasses on!
 
MATTYMATT726

MATTYMATT726

Well-Known Member
TaoRich said:
That went off in a couple of odd directions. I am bringing it back on track so that it does not confuse other folks who may be reading this thread.
No offence intended by any of my comments.
Peace out.

- - -

I'm looking for pre-flowers to sex out the females from my seeds of unidentified gender ... not flowering stage as in the beginning of bud.
https://www.growweedeasy.com/preflowers


Those recently germinated seedlings are just heading into summer.
They have at least 100 days of long sunshine before they get to 12/12.
Me and my garden are Southern hemisphere. at the bottom tip of Africa.


That bottom right is one of the two that I didn't top yesterday.
Those are fresh shoots in the zoom-in, not pistils.
He or she (or they/them) got nipped this morning.
Click to expand...
I'll just be fast on this one. I know what pre/flowering is. My post to another user(yes, other people will respond to and talk about other topics as well) was understood I'm quite sure and was directly a response to their post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top