When to start my countdown on 12/12

Hi all. So me and a friend, have been debating long and hard about this with me being a new grower he expects me to listen to him like he is the god of growing... So do you start your count down as soon as you flip to 12/12. OR do you start counting when you see pistils/preflowerz or whatever??? I'd like to know when you start your count down... thanks

Most start day 1 as flip day. Strain information tells how long. Use a magnifer to look at trichomes. Read up on what time to harvest due to your prefreance.

Ok so when your pack says 9 weeks flowering do you take that as gospel and flower for 9 weeks or would you let it go longer or shorter if it looked ready or not

THCBrain said:

Ok so when your pack says 9 weeks flowering do you take that as gospel and flower for 9 weeks or would you let it go longer or shorter if it looked ready or not

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I certainly wouldn't use the breeders flowering time as gospel after day 1 of 12/12. I find waiting until actual pistils are popping out is the best way to go when it comes to counting down your days (and using it as a rough guideline)
You have to remember that some people flip a lot earlier than others. You have your SOG dudes who veg 2 weeks and flip. There's even a dedicated 12/12 from seed thread. People with the space and time to veg for a month or more.
The plant itself isn't going to start flowering until it's capable of doing so. Or mature enough anyways. Then there's a transition period.
I've had mature as hell plants that have been in veg for 2+months pushing out pistils and preflowers and going no further. They flipped right over and started flowering fast and didn't skip a beat. They were ready and waiting to flower. Then I've had short vegged plants that took a good 2 weeks of flip to even start pushing out preflowers and pistils.
Then there's also full flowering itself and tric color/maturity. Most breeders just state yes you can harvest in 55 days. Yes your buds could fatten up nicely by then and be frosty. But that frost could still be clear. If you prefer a mild effect then sure you could harvest then. Smoke a bowl and play some games or do whatever. Or you could wait until they've clouded over nicely and get rocked off your tits. Royal Queen actually states different effects in a lot of their flowering times (the first one that came to mind) As do a lot of others. Instead of Flowering time 55-60 days or late september it'll ready something like"You can get a respectable harvest in 55 days" it'll have that as well as a suggestion of letting the strain go another 2 weeks for higher potency, yield, flavors, colors or whatever. I actually find that quite nice because otherwise you're left going at it through trial and error. So harvest time is also factored by personal preference.
Growing an Indica and want to just toke up, eat pizza and play some COD? Sure harvest at 55 days. Wanna smoke a bowl then go to bed and sleep like a rock? Let that girl go another 2 weeks.

I'm finishing up an auto, breeder says can be finished in just as short as 8 weeks but some let go to 10 for full effect!...so some breeders, seed banks aren't all bad!

I always, no matter what the breeder says, run longer then they say! Hell, I BREED again and I simply just run till done.....Look at the plant/buds and follow the trich's........Many Sativa breeds won't amber much and as a sort of signal to done for them - Foxtailing (at the end of flower) is a pretty good sign they are winding down and ready to harvest.....

If you intend to use breeder reports - add a week or 2 to that....I don't even keep a record of "when" I flipped them. I just watch them..

Doc

Dr. Who said:

I always, no matter what the breeder says, run longer then they say! Hell, I BREED again and I simply just run till done.....Look at the plant/buds and follow the trich's........Many Sativa breeds won't amber much and as a sort of signal to done for them - Foxtailing (at the end of flower) is a pretty good sign they are winding down and ready to harvest.....

If you intend to use breeder reports - add a week or 2 to that....I don't even keep a record of "when" I flipped them. I just watch them..

Doc

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Hey Doc

Care to elaborate on the subject of foxtailing? I had a frankenberry strain that did this after my 2nd time flowering the strain. The first time it did not but as peak summer conditions grew so did the heat in my room! Can higher temps force the genetics of the plant to be more profound? I'm basically wondering if you think foxtailing is predominately a sativa trait or if it's the growing conditions?

Also I start as soon as I flip. Just the way I thought everyone did it?

I start counting from the day i flip. That way i can compare flowering time between strains.

I think most breeders count from when the buds first show to make the strain more attractive. IE: if a strain takes 9 weeks to finish from when the buds first show, but it takes 3 weeks to show the buds....a guy like me might be more inclined to buy a strain that finishes 8 weeks to finish, after showing first sign of buds consistently after a week.... because i veg a long time and that 3 weeks makes a big difference to me...

Yes
Sloppy Joe

I have always started counting when the first pistils appear. In my mind when you switch to 12/12 the plant is still in a veg state - usually takes about a week or so for the transition to occur. Just my opinion.

THCBrain said:

Ok so when your pack says 9 weeks flowering do you take that as gospel and flower for 9 weeks or would you let it go longer or shorter if it looked ready or not

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Bank on 11 weeks. And harvest by what the plant is saying. Always expect the worst and be prepared for it.Then be happy if turns out for the best.

MickFoster said:

I have always started counting when the first pistils appear. In my mind when you switch to 12/12 the plant is still in a veg state - usually takes about a week or so for the transition to occur. Just my opinion.

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This is what I was trying to get at

MickFoster said:

I have always started counting when the first pistils appear. In my mind when you switch to 12/12 the plant is still in a veg state - usually takes about a week or so for the transition to occur. Just my opinion.

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Absolutely...

I just figure that the transition time should be included in the flowering time count. Then it makes comparing strains easier...

shloppyjoe said:

Hey Doc

Care to elaborate on the subject of foxtailing? I had a frankenberry strain that did this after my 2nd time flowering the strain. The first time it did not but as peak summer conditions grew so did the heat in my room! Can higher temps force the genetics of the plant to be more profound? I'm basically wondering if you think foxtailing is predominately a sativa trait or if it's the growing conditions?

Also I start as soon as I flip. Just the way I thought everyone did it?

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Foxtailing is predominately from environmental conditions.
Heat, high lighting and excess N can all encourage foxtailing.

Sativas have more chance then most Indicas. Indicas can foxtail by genetic predisposition also. I have seen a pheno of Barney Farms LSD foxtail. But yes, Sativas are more so.

I haven't marked a start date in years! I simply watch the plants.
We do keep track at the Comercial ops far closer but, we run specific breeds in formulated rotations.
Lights never really are shut off for change over. Harvest is done while others clean and transfer the new plants in from veg.

Doc

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I count from the flip. It's the only way to be consistent/scientific about the process of timing how long your plants run. Yes in early flower they are still "vegging" if you will, but is not "vegging" they would do if they weren't in 12/12. They are changing over to flower mode and the stretching is part of that. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how long they run unless once again you are on a timeline, growing perpetual and want to get the most out of your garden with plant counts in place, or are growing outdoors. They finish when they want to finish, and environment can change that.

The plant starts producing flowering hormones after it's first 12/12 cycle. So that's when I start counting. As Doctor said I grow until the plant is ready. I don't really count days to know when they're finished, but rather just as a note of how long any given strain took me that particular grow.

To those who leave plants in the dark for 48 hours then start 12/12 would you consider day 1 the start of 48 hours darkness?

I have never "flipped" using this method. To those who do did you notice quicker flowering growth?

day one of flip

shloppyjoe said:

To those who leave plants in the dark for 48 hours then start 12/12 would you consider day 1 the start of 48 hours darkness?

I have never "flipped" using this method. To those who do did you notice quicker flowering growth?

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Hmm 48 hours dark BEFORE flower? I've heard of 48 hours dark right before harvest. But it's pointless to do it heading into flowering. Flowering is induced with 12 hours or less of darkness. Not the other way around...

PeyoteReligion said:

Hmm 48 hours dark BEFORE flower? I've heard of 48 hours dark right before harvest. But it's pointless to do it heading into flowering. Flowering is induced with 12 hours or less of darkness. Not the other way around...

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believe it or not its to helps the hormone change it does work and here is how
Cannabis plants are referred to as long night or short day plants, because they require a long period of darkness to trigger the hormones that tell the plant to switch from vegetative growth to flowering. These light receptors are color pigments in the leaves called Phytochrome Red (PR) and Phytochrome Far Red (PFR). These pigments get their names from the types of light they absorb. PR absorbs red light between 660 and 760 nm and PFR absorbs far red light between 760 and 800 nm. These two pigments chemically react to the light, and trigger the plant to flower or not.
This is where it gets a little confusing.
In cannabis plants, the normal presence of PFR switches off the flowering signal. The level of PFR is what you can manipulate by adjusting the photoperiod. PFR is quickly produced when plants are exposed to light that contains far red wavelengths. When there is light, the PFR and PR maintain a balance. When the sun goes down or the lights go out, the darkness gradually switches the PFR to PR. Because of this, PR levels gradually increase and the PFR gradually decrease during the dark period. The presence of PR is a neutral condition to the plants and essentially tells them nothing. When the light returns, or if a small amount of far red light interrupts the dark period, the PR immediately switches back to PFR. If the plant is without light long enough, the PFR will decrease past a tipping point. This decreased level of PFR signals the plants that Fall is approaching; and the plant begins flowering.
There fore when you introduce more dark what are you doing ???