Malawi taking a long time

[cough_cough_eer]

I started flowering this Malawi on April 18. The catalog said between 11-13 weeks, I know that's just an estimate. Its been 11 weeks and looks no where ready to finish. I know it could take longer, but its just not filling in. Its grown indoors with the botanicare kind nutes, 600 HPS. Ive been growing for 15 years. Am I doing something wrong? I'm fairly new to sativas. The temps in my room are in the 80's and I have plenty of ventilation. pictured are the tops. Is this a really long flowering sativa thats going to eventually have buds? I grew some sativas last summer and they looked like this, but I ended up letting them flower to long, they never fatten up, but had temp. issues last year. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I really want the sativa experience. Thanks in advance..

 

[Tangwena]

I grow Malawi a lot if you want it to flower fast you need 10 to 11 hours lights on no more what are your lights on times.
My Avatar is an Ace Malawi 12/12 from seed reducing to 10/14 by late flower.

 

[cough_cough_eer]

Thanks Tangwena, your malawi is impressive... My lights are on 12/12. Is it to late to change the light schedule? I did take a cut. Hopefully better luck next time.

 

[tobedetermined]

So you were 12/12 from seed? It should be a lot further along. What are you growing in?

 

[cough_cough_eer]

Hello tobedetermined ,
mine wasn't from 12/12 from seed, I veged it
about 4 weeks, but it seems it should be further along. I'm growing in coco coir. I have another plant with it (hybrid) and its doing well.

 

[tobedetermined]

This was mine at 49 days. I also vegged it for 4 weeks, so this was 3 weeks of flower. I chopped at day 104.

 

[Tangwena]

Thanks Tangwena, your malawi is impressive... My lights are on 12/12. Is it to late to change the light schedule? I did take a cut. Hopefully better luck next time.

I would def take cuts its still on pre flower stretch from the looks of it, then drop the lights incrementally from 12 to 10 hrs and you will see it burst into flowering big time my friend.
On 12/12 it will just keep growing and flowering for ever, well not forever but you know what I mean it will feel like forever.

 

[zachrockbadenof]

I would def take cuts its still on pre flower stretch from the looks of it, then drop the lights incrementally from 12 to 10 hrs and you will see it burst into flowering big time my friend.
On 12/12 it will just keep growing and flowering for ever, well not forever but you know what I mean it will feel like forever.

listen to the man... he knows what he speaks of....

 

[Cactus Squatter]

The Malawi I currently have growing outside I started in January from 12/12, let it grow for a month that way and then flipped to 11/13. No pre-flower signs for between 5-6 weeks of 11/13 at which point it was so far behind everything else in the tent I had to pull it out.
We’ll see what she does this fall outdoors.

 

[Switcher56]

So you were 12/12 from seed? It should be a lot further along. What are you growing in?

That is not what he said!

 

[Switcher56]

Seems to me she's a slow bloomer

 

[zachrockbadenof]

i grew a golden tiger a few grows ago- i started cutting buds at 100 days, some at 120 and finally at 150.... and she def could have gone longer - all for the love of sativa's

 

[cough_cough_eer]

I was going to grow the golden tiger next round. but think I might need more practice with the sativas. Can I shorten the light schedule to 10 hours on or should I do it 15/30 minutes a week until I reach 10 hours on 14 off.

 

[Chi13]

I grew Malawi some years ago and it took about 17 weeks of 12/12. AS Tangwena and other have said, you can cut the light to 11/13 or 10/14. You can also gradually reduce the light much like what happens in nature as the season moves to winter. A technique I use is to reduce light by 15 mins every 2 weeks or so.

If you are going to grow sativa's though, you have to expect longer flowering. The shortest pure sativas I've ever grown took 16 weeks and longest 26. I had one I took even longer but it never finished! Then they often need a long cure to bring out the best. A long cure can change the high significantly from something mediocre to outstanding. This is why most people don't grow longer flowering sativas, but if you get the right one and treat it well they are definitley worth it, but you need patience. You also need enough personal stash to make sure you aren't tempted to consume what you have before it is properly ready.

 

[dubi]

Hi cough_cough_eer, sorry about that. Something went wrong, looks like she is barely starting to flower, but at the same time she is producing leaves with only one leaflets, a sign she have had enough time to be ripe. If the lamp is not the problem, then the only problem i can think of is the photoperiod, you may got a rare very tropical untamed pheno that keeps perpetually in early flowering stage under 12/12, that needs 11/13 to really go deep into flowering mode.

Btw, are you growing the regular or fem version ?

 

[Brother Nature]

I'd say try to keep her going and in a healthy state, if nothing comes of it, at least you've had experience growing a bitchy sativa and you can learn from it.

 

[cough_cough_eer]

Thanks Dubi, I was wondering about those single bladded leaves, I see those with heat stress, but I haven't had the heat issues yet. Its the regular seed not the fem. and Brother nature, I'm gonna do just that, we'll see what happens.

 

[Tangwena]

This was mine at 49 days. I also vegged it for 4 weeks, so this was 3 weeks of flower. I chopped at day 104.

Nice. I just love Malawi grass you can always find something thats just what you where looking for. Every time I grow a plant from Malawi or Africa generally its like a safari adventure you can hear the drums beating.

 

[Tangwena]

Thanks Dubi, I was wondering about those single bladded leaves, I see those with heat stress, but I haven't had the heat issues yet. Its the regular seed not the fem. and Brother nature, I'm gonna do just that, we'll see what happens.

Thats the spirit Malawi plants are tuff it will reward you big time if you treat her nice.

 

[Tangwena]

Here's something to cheer you up this is what I am seeing after some Malawi grass in Panavision thats wide screen ha ha.

Stroll down the beach, spear some fish and then back to the club for another spliff and a gin and tonic ha ha.
Just watch out for the flat dogs on the way home.