Poll: When do you start day 1 flower? 12/12 or first pistil?

[maxima32]

My day 1 is when I flip to 12/12 in those first weeks they strech a lot which is also a sign of starting of flowering, but hey to each his own.

I do not rely that much on the counting of days anyways, watching the trichs works better for me.

no doubt i start looking on 12/12 switch . and this is exactly the way i do it . i never count days i am either to drunk or to confused (lol). the pistils talk to me anyways they tell me exactly with trich color the day it is, and when to chop

 

[Johnny Rotten]

Two weeks after flip is when i start counting flowering days. When i start to actually see flowers start to form, which is usually around two weeks. Pre-flowers have nothing to do with flowering days and you should always see them before flowering. They are just a sign of maturity.

I used to think it was as soon as they went into 12/12 but all my plants seemed two weeks behind from breeder descriptions. They do that so it doesn't scare ya, i think.

 

[piosh]

I usually count flowering since i see developed sites where plant starts to produce buds (Im waiting for this moment when pistils become visible at he "tops" of these bud sites , not only for preflowers spreaded somewhere in the plant).
It usually takes like 5-20 days to develope bud sites , some ppl told me that its so called "flowering induction phase".
Almost all the time plant needs breeders time for flowering plus this extra 1-3 weeks.

 

[IndianHay]

When you switch to 12/12! As you can see the most is agreed with that...

 

[smokeymacpot]

well i had always start count down when they start to bud up aswell, not in pre flower stadium but when i see the plant and there is no doubt about the girl is in bloom, i start the count down if i should start the count down when i flip em to 12/12 i will like smokeymacpot says start the count down way to early ...a plant is not in flower when you flip em in 12/12 you flip em to 12/12 because u want them to flower ...so i think its wrong to count from day 1 in 12/12 ...But hey what ewer works for you thats what counts....But when you buy some seeds and they write on them they need from 55-60 days in flower , is it then in 55-60 days under 12/12? that i would like to know

thats it, after noting all dates, plants took 10weeks from the 1st day of 12/12 for a 55day strain, take off those 2weeks of transition and bang, you hit 55days. if you dont they simply arent ripe @ just 8weeks, because they have only had 6weeks in flowering!

always watch the trics tho and watch them from top to bottom of the plant, top ripens last.

 

[Neuronaut]

I'm suprised how many people don't start counting during the light flip. I do...

 

[Hal]

When you switch to 12/12! As you can see the most is agreed with that...

That doesn't mean anything. That could mean most peeps are correct, or it could mean there are a large percentage of peeps who believe the wrong thing.

We need an expert who all would be able to place their faith in....

 

[JoJoDancer]

If I flip say on a Friday, I don't start counting until next Friday day 1...

 

[kallenavndk]

thats it, after noting all dates, plants took 10weeks from the 1st day of 12/12 for a 55day strain, take off those 2weeks of transition and bang, you hit 55days. if you dont they simply arent ripe @ just 8weeks, because they have only had 6weeks in flowering!

always watch the trics tho and watch them from top to bottom of the plant, top ripens last.

Awesome m8 otherwise it wont make any sense to me

 

[L-Thirt33n]

This is a bit controversial here because outdoors you have to start counting as soon as you see the first preflower sites. I normally grow outdoors and let me tell ya, there's no on or off switch for the sun. So when do you start counting? heh...

Indoors can be done differently I suppose but then results will vary greatly...By almost 2 weeks...

I say count from the first sign of preflower....

 

[LolaGal]

Seed vendors all pimp their strains to be the fastest finishers! That's why I never pay too much attention to what they say anyway! All their bloom times surely reflect days of blooming after they start to flower, not start 12/12. Got to get the trichs right for you!

 

[de Toke-ville]

^^^^^^ that's what I was thinking randude. I always thought the breeder flowering times for indoor meant days of 12/12. But now I realize that might not be right at all.

When describing my plants, I always say "day x 12/12" to be precise because of this very issue. But would love to hear from a breeder to hear what they mean exactly in their description.

-dTv

 

[L-Thirt33n]

The important question is what do the seed vendors mean by their days of flower.
I had always assumed that they meant from the day of the light flip. And then I always assumed that they were never correct anyway, as it always seemed to take weeks longer than they say.

That's because you're timing it from when you switch the lighting.

Always try to think about it from a natural point of view. Outdoors you cannot control the sunlight. (well you can by covering the plants up but normally you don't) Thus, flowering count down begins when you see your first preflower!

I would gauge it this way for indoor crops as well. But I'v only made a few puny attempts at indoor growing so I really know very little about it...But I don't see how that aspect would change. It's a biological thing...

As an outdoor cultivationist I would highly recommend counting from the day you see your first preflower for best results. Now if you're doing multiple strains you may get preflowers at different times depending on how varied the different strains are. Guess what? That means you'll have different finishing times for each different strain.

Now as far as breeder-listed flowering times go, that number is always considered a variable due to many factors. Outdoors it's mainly because of environmental factors. Usually results are within 2-3 days accuracy for like strains. Indoors it can be a number of things I suppose, some similar to outdoors. Determining if your plants are ripe is always the same method, check those Trichs...

While the plant may have recognized it's metabolism has changed due to the lack of light that doesn't mean it has started to flower. The plant hasn't started to flower until you see the first preflower.

A "flowering" hormone is present during all stages of growth. This hormone is sensitive to light and is rendered inactive by low levels of light. When the low level light periods are long enough, the hormones increase to a critical level that triggers the reproductive cycle of the plant.

This cycle doesn't begin until the light periods have been reduced for a period of time. Try switching to 12/12 for one day and then returning the light cycle to a normal cycle. You won't be happy with the results. You have to give the plant time to increase the hormone levels to begin the reproductive cycle. Once preflowers are present the reproductive cycle has officially begun.

 

[mOOndiCa]

i switch to 12/12 and when i see first sign of Female Hairs that is day 1 of flower!
in nature or in the outdoors when is the first day of flower...when you see first sign of hairs..it only makes sense. going by # of 12/12 days only cuts the plant short of there potential.

 

[L-Thirt33n]

i switch to 12/12 and when i see first sign of Female Hairs that is day 1 of flower!
in nature or in the outdoors when is the first day of flower...when you see first sign of hairs..it only makes sense. going by # of 12/12 days only cuts the plant short of there potential.

Precisely!

Technically you can gauge the flower period however you wish but as I stated before, you'll be off by at least 1.5-2 weeks if you start counting up/down from the exact day that you change the light cycle.

 

[smokeymacpot]

This is a bit controversial here because outdoors you have to start counting as soon as you see the first preflower sites. I normally grow outdoors and let me tell ya, there's no on or off switch for the sun. So when do you start counting? heh...

Indoors can be done differently I suppose but then results will vary greatly...By almost 2 weeks...

I say count from the first sign of preflower....

ive done outdoors, preflowers again show all throughout veg, but its not in flower. they should be counted just like indoors when you see the buds forming.

of the 2 images, one is the bud starting at around 10days of 12/12 and then 2nd picture is guessing 25days 12/12.


10weeks of 12/12 but only 8 of those i would call flowering, 55day strain and looks bang on, no?

 

[de Toke-ville]

L-T, I think we can all agree that the flowering time is the time when the plant is flowering. But with indoor grows, there is one baseline that everyone shares--the flipping to a 12/12 light cycle. As I'm sure you are aware, many folks here refer to flipping to 12/12 as going into flower, technically incorrect as it might be.

It would not be unreasonable that flowering period for indoor grows would be refering to the number of days under 12/12 light. This would also eliminate uncertainty about when flowering "officially" starts. Different growers could come up with different flowering dates for the exact same strain grown in the exact same conditions simply based on their different interpretations of what they are seeing.

If days of 12/12 lighting is generally 10-14 longer than "flowering" time as it is generally discussed, maybe there should be a wider dissemination of that info on these boards.

-dTv

 

[Maj.PotHead]

heres something funny for ya'll when i flip my plants they get 24 hrs lighting lmao then 12/12
when i chop i have cloudy/clear and amber with my sugar shack some amber have bursted by 50 days. not to mention even after chop the trics still mature a little for a day or 2

 

[L-Thirt33n]

L-T, I think we can all agree that the flowering time is the time when the plant is flowering. But with indoor grows, there is one baseline that everyone shares--the flipping to a 12/12 light cycle. As I'm sure you are aware, many folks here refer to flipping to 12/12 as going into flower, technically incorrect as it might be.

It would not be unreasonable that flowering period for indoor grows would be refering to the number of days under 12/12 light. This would also eliminate uncertainty about when flowering "officially" starts. Different growers could come up with different flowering dates for the exact same strain grown in the exact same conditions simply based on their different interpretations of what they are seeing.

If days of 12/12 lighting is generally 10-14 longer than "flowering" time as it is generally discussed, maybe there should be a wider dissemination of that info on these boards.

-dTv

And granted everyone can and will gauge it in which ever fashion they choose. Give or take two weeks really isn't going to make a difference because in the end it's the farmer who determines when his/her crop is done any way!

The question really should be answered by the breeder of each particular strain in question to be completely accurate.

If you were really concerned about it and couldn't get a response from your supplier/breeder you can establish your own flowering time frames and compare them with advertised flowering times. Simply grow a few different strains containing TWO of each, recording the grow (which most usually do), comparing the lengths of flowering time from strain to strain.

When it comes time to induce flowering start your flowering base line for one plant from each pair of each strain from that point and the alternates from the time preflowering is shown. Judging by the Trichomes results will always vary as far as when the plant is actually finished. But the next step would obviously be to compare the recorded flowering time period with the breeders flowering time.

Then you'll be able to determine better which method they used!

In the end you shouldn't be determining whether the plant is ripe or not by the figurative flowering time any way. It's all in the Trichomes...

So to better answer the question, what evers clever!!

 

[JACKtheREFFER]

First day of 12-12 is daY 1 in my book !!!!