Making seeds in veg-cycle

[Wuachuma]

Ive had some mature at 4 weeks
the majority mature at 5 weeks and people sprout the progeny and give me feed back that they are the most vigorous in their garden.
6 weeks is ideal

But feeding is also a big element
I naturally chelate a lot of nutrients, including minerals. I also feed enzymes (sprouted seed teas) and probiotics (lacto bascilus and purple non sulfur bacteria) and this has a huge benefit that Ive seen over the years in seed vigor and storage life.

 

[GoatCheese]

I’m not too sure nature would agree with the statement that 6 weeks is ideal time for ripe seeds. In the wild seeds stay on the plants till the plants die naturally. So the time from polination to the plant dying could take alot longer than 6 weeks.

Plant vigor has mostly to do with the health and type of genetics, thou poorly fed seeds, i’m sure, lack vigor too. But the offspring from low vigor short afghanis won’t become the fastest growers in the garden just because you fed them something nice.

Good that it’s all working for you, thou.

 

[Wuachuma]

If you leave seeds on the plant too long, you risk them sprouting in the buds, or just molding up the whole plant.

 

[GoatCheese]

Ok, i see..

That may be a problem with outdoor plants or with very high humidity % in the grow room but it hasn’t happen to me indoors. I think the longest i’ve left seeds to mature was around 13 weeks and they didn’t start sprouting at all, and i have never seen that when i usually let seeds mature for 8-10 weeks.

 

[Wuachuma]

Oh yeah, Ive done that indoors no problem with 20+ week sativas

But Ive had friends in greenhouses have alien looking buds as the seeds start sprouting after 2 months.
I've had mold start outdoors when the rains come while unseeded or lightly seeded plants were healthy

 

[PolyChucker]

I was saying 5 weeks until the seeds look mature: full size, brown with stripes etc. Another easy way to tell is the bracts are brown and drying up so the seed is almost popping out. For me it’s still best to wait 2 months. This “clock” is functioning inside the seed somehow and is not exactly connected to seed development on the plant so it doesn’t seem like you need to leave them on the plant

 

[GoatCheese]

Seed bracts can also start turning pale in color if the plant runs out of nutrients too fast and also when the soil and/or tops dry out too much because of heat radiation from the light fixture, so it’s not always just a sign that the seed is done.

That reminded me..

One thing that could imply that the seed is not necessarily fully done in 5-6 weeks is when i have stopped giving my seeded plants nutrients abit too early – i have so little grow room that i have to use even the seeded bud as meds, so i start to starve the plants before harvest to get smoother smokes - I have seen the seed bracts start to turn pale/yellow noticeably faster than when i feed the plants longer.

I grow in soil, and usually when i’m making seeds i want to feed the plant atleast 6 weeks after pollination and the last 3-4 weeks i give the plant just water and Top Max bud booster and allow the plant use the food left in the soil = i feed my seed-plants more Nitrogen and less P than my sensi-plants, so the smoke is quite harsh if i don’t starve the plant before harvesting it, because of the extra N.

..few years ago, some small batch of seeds wasn’t too important to me and i wanted to get the plant out of my tent fast, in 7+ weeks after pollination i think i cut the nutrient feed after about 4½-5 weeks after polli and the bracts started going yellow fairly fast after a week+ of getting only water, so this tells me the seeds still needed energy/food for developing at around 6 weeks old, thou they looked done/dark.