john said:
hey im growin a mix of strains big bud sweet tooth and and some local haze. the big bud and st are only six days in but the haze are about 4 weeks. they are only 9 inches tall but they have7 sets ofr laves and one has four tops starting to come out of the canopy. should i start to flower? or wait? i read that the plants should be at least 12" tall but all the pics ive seen the plants dont have as many leaves or nodes as mine. what to do?
Hey John, good to meetcha. Welcome to the group man.
As Bro Grunt said, you should wait at least until you have alternating nodes. The plant will be fully into the vegetative cycle at that point.
When to flower is conditional on several things.
1. The maximum height the plant can reach.
1a. This depends on:
1a1. The height of your light and how far it needs to be from the ceiling.
1a2. The height of your grow chamber.
1a3. The type of light bulb and the strength of the bulb.
1a4. If yield matters to you.
1a5. How soon you want to harvest.
1a1: The light has to be a certain distance from anything that can be damaged by the heat it puts off. This is a variable that can bring the fire department and police to your door if a fire starts.
1a2: The overall height from the floor to the base of your plant has to be considered. This is a factor in setting up your grow.
1a3: Your light may be Florescent, Halide, Sodium or a combination of these. Each bulb gives off heat and has to be a certain distance from the tops of your tallest plants.
1a4: If you flower at first chance, your harvest yield will be minimal. If you harvest at the plants full height, and use all of the possible variables that will increase your yield, then you'll maximize your harvest yield.
1a5: You can harvest as soon as 3 months from seed, or two months from clones. With some strains, you can harvest as soon as 6 weeks from clones. Or, if you want, you can use LST and HST to maximize your plants size and branching characteristics and your grow can last a year before harvest.
As you can see, other than a few variables you can't change, the time to start the flowering is up to you.
Lets start talking about what conditions and variables you have and want and then we can help you decide when to flower.
Good luck to you man.