Trigger-points for seed strains

[Elevator Man]

Following on from this thread in the Growers forum:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31915

How feasible would it be for seed breeders and re-sellers to publish a maxiumum day-period for each strain for it to resist flowering? Or conversely, a minimum day-period to induce flowering? So along with recommended flowering prediction at 12/12, you also get the required photoperiod to induce flowering. For example, my NL X BB will flower at 15 hours daylight, whereas my other varieties won't. Knowing the trigger-point for each variety would be a huge advantage for alternate photoperiods than 18/6 and 12/12.

Is this possible? I know it could take a few months to get the data, but as this can all be accomplised with a few trays of clones in a cupboard, I'm sure the data could be given out fairly confidently before long.

What does anyone think?

 

[ElAhrJi]

I think this is very interesting stuff indeed.......In addition to Djs theory on pheno varation thru photo period manipulation, this research would be a huge help for outside growers who live above the 55th northern latitude.......

Very nice work Elevator Man.......

 

[Guest]

Some strains adapt, and different phenotypes will flower at different photoperiods. I personally would love this info, but am more worried about when it finishes rather than when it starts. ie Frost

 

[Elevator Man]

For outdoor growers at those latitudes it would be hugely useful - I agree. Then a grower planning to flower early could adopt different schedules for each strain for covering-up. In many cases it could be that inducing 12/12 too 'early' could produce less yield, or a more narcotic high.
A grower could cover up for 14 or 13 hours, a couple of weeks earlier, inducing flowering then, and only dropping to 12/12 when the buds really start. Effectively, take the graph of the photoperiod and 'accelerate' it. A friend of mine with an outdoor Flo grow will test this theory shortly for me.

One other very interesting point that can be gleaned from the Marijuana Botany graph (is there a scan anywhere on ICMag?) is that peak THC production for virtually all latitudes north and south of the equator occurs between 11 and 10.5 hours daylight, not 12.
Therefore it follows that if you can replicate the natural photoperiod, but earlier and more compressed, you can harvest well before the frost and get bigger, more powerful buds, even on a sativa-dom strain. I think...

 

[Elevator Man]

Just a follow-up on this thread.
From my indoor experiments, I've deduced that Nirvana NL X BB and my mystery mother (probably NL#5 or NL#5 X Haze) will both trigger at 15 hours. From the outdoor tests, the Flo (green pheno) triggers at 13 hours 50 minutes, and the purple pheno triggers at 13 hours 32 minutes, near as dammit. I still have no data for the G13 and CrissCross, but I imagine they are somewhere around the 14-hour mark.

I'd love to know what some breeders think about this, and whether it could be included on seed data for growers?

 

[Raco]

Interesting!

 

[ElAhrJi]

I'd love to know what some breeders think about this, and whether it could be included on seed data for growers?

Ditto.....

 

[dubi]

It's a very interesting idea but the 'trigger point' is not the unique variable that induces the flowering. It's the main variable in non auto flowering cannabis plants but is not the only one.

It's very important to think about the age of the plant, nutrition, moon etc ... all this variables would affect the start of flowering.

For example, im working with an indica IBL line. The plants i started in April had a long vegging and become adult in 2 mounths. Plants from the same line were also germinated in early June. While the plants germinated in April started to flower early in July, the later ones started to flower almost 3 weeks later. Now in September the plants germinated in april are finishing while the other ones are at mid flowering and would probably finish at mid October.

I have also had different flowering reactions when moving copies of the same clone to outdoors. If your clone is highly feed with N and has pot space for the roots, then she would like to grow a little before flowering.But if the clone has some deficiencies and the pot is small then she will start the flowering earlier.

The moon phases are very important too.

You can determine aproximatly the trigger point of an adult plant or clone but think is not the unique variable that induces flowering.

 

[Raco]

Well said brother dubi!!

 

[dubi]

Yepa raco!

How are you doing bro!?

Best wishes for the auttum harvest! dubi

 

[Elevator Man]

Good point - especially the moon phases - I hadn't thought of that. Presumably for indoor grows a trigger-point might be valid though? Given that generally grows are more precisely controlled from a lighting perspective?

I've also found that if the lights are on 16 hours for veg, rather than 18, they'll start budding a few days earlier - say 5-7 instead of 8-10 which I used to get. All very interesting stuff...

 

[Naun Briones]

Hey elevator man, nice experiement. I think the criteria here should be the dark periods instead of the light periods, as it is the continuous dark hours which will "activate" the flowering hormone. I grow outdoors in the equator literaly (12/12 year round) and the way I keep my indis vegging long enough (to avoid minimal yields) is simply by interrupting their darkness hours by flashing light at them for a few minutes at midnight. If not autoflowering strains, they will keep growing 'till i want to!
Anyways, just tought darkness should be the criteria for your topic.
Enjoy & keep growing!