counting weeks on an outdoor plant?

I have several different strains of pot growing outdoors. Some are 6 and 7 week indicas and others are crosses and some are sativas that require 9 or 10 weeks to finish.
My question is, just when do you start counting weeks on an outdoor type grow?

Previous grows I just went with the trich color ( around 40/40/20 ) to judge when to harvest, but I am planning my next years grow and am trying to get the timeing down a bit better in choosing which strains to grow.

I think knowing the breeder's Weeks to Flower suggestion is good to know when your buying seeds. Mainly so you can pick the right strains to stagger your harvest. I just have't found them accurate enough to rely on when it comes down to chopping my plants.

Vindicated said:

I think knowing the breeder's Weeks to Flower suggestion is good to know when your buying seeds. Mainly so you can pick the right strains to stagger your harvest. I just have't found them accurate enough to rely on when it comes down to chopping my plants.

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i don't even look at what a breeder says a plant's finishing time is when i'm buying new gear as i find it to be pretty worthless imho.. i've yet to find an 8 week strain no matter what i've grown despite what breeders suggest..

i'd just start counting weeks when you start to see pistils form ... that would be week one of flower or w/e.. it really doesn't matter what you use as a refference so long as you keep the same refference for all of your grows...

It's a good thing to know for estimation but there is an average date for your area that most 8-9week strains will finish. Usually in October for most of Ca. I think amount of direct light, temps, humidity, mold potentials all have a say in outdoor. I go by feel but my feel is a cumulation of all factors. Trichs are the best/most important to use. If you don't need to havest early I would wait for the trichs. In SoCal, my dad has solid 9weekers finish by mid sept, but he losses some morning and afternoon sun. I on the other hand in NorCal, mine are normal but I get sun from rise to fall.

Thats kind of how I thought it was. I know that as a rule 8 to nine weeks minimum for almost all indicas and longer for sativa dominant strains. I do know when the weather usually turns and try to get under the wire on that to minimize losses. I lost a bit do to storm damage last year and I'm holding my breath for this year. I think next year its going to be all indicas or indica dominant except for 1 or 2 c99 which is a fast sativa strain that I like for my daytime smoke.
This year has been phenominal for my outdoor grow, I don't think we had one full day of rain since I planted them on may 15. I've got several that are very close to harvest already. Last year I didn't start harvesting till the middle of Oct.
-Thanks all-