A basic question that I should know the answer to, but I've forgotten and can't find the answer to...
Do alternating nodes mean the plant is sexually mature and ready to flower
It means it mature. But really you should wait for pre flower hairs before flowering her out!
Before the start of flowering, the phyllotaxy (leaf arrangement) reverses and the number of leaflets per leaf decreases until a small single leaflet appears below each pair of calyxes. The phyllotaxy also changes from decussate (opposite) to alternate (staggered) and usually remains alternate throughout the floral stages regardless of sexual type.