4 the Newbies... Keep it simple

Chapter 2... Flowering

So, you have let your plant grow and mature... Here is a sign to look for so you know when you can start flowering

When the top sets of leaves no longer grow in sets, but alternate growth, that is a sign your plant has reached vegetative maturity.

Remember, your plant can double, triple or even quadruple in size when flowering... so you need to make sure you are picking a 'light tight' place, with plenty of vertical room for growth

If you haven't transplanted- now is definitely the time to do it... this should be the last pot your plant will be in until harvest... Obviously, you need to pick pot sizes that you have room for- not everyones space is the same, so use what works for you...


You have previously had your light cycle at either 24/0 or 20/4 or 18/6 (whichever suits you)

Now, you will be changing your light schedule to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark... Mind you, the dark must stay dark to avoid 'confusion' as the plant believes it is time to start flowering. Interruption of dark with light can cause your plant to go back into veg, prolong gender, and prolong flowering- all possibly effecting your yield, and potency.

The first 1-3 weeks or so is when your plant will be starting to show you its gender... Females will have fine white hairs coming out and males will form balls. Once gender is identified, you can get rid of the males (unless you want your Females to have seeds)... If you have bought yourself some fem seeds... This need not apply to you (if its not female, you my friend got gipped!)

Obviously flowering time can greatly vary from strain to strain and lighting conditions... You are most likely looking at 4-8 weeks... it all depends (if you have gotten yourself some auto-flowering seeds, this need not apply to you... lol, auto generally are 7-9 weeks from seed to harvest)

As for light, you want a 2700k spectrum light for flowering. This is the 'red' spectrum your flowers are looking for ('blue' spectrum of 6500k for veg)
Make sure you have enough light for however many plants you are growing... If you limit your light at this stage, you will get nice top buds, but barely any flower development under the canopy (top layer of the plants closest to the light)...

HPS (high pressure sodium) Bulbs are a favorite amongst growers for flowering purposes... but, PLEASE don't think it can't be done without these... As long as you have enough lumen output to support your plants, you will be fine. If you got'em, use them- if not, don't blow a ton of money on this right off the bat... things like that can be acquired when you have the $$$ for it.

As far as nutrients go, flowering requires nutes richer in phosphorous (just like in veg, they like more nitrogen)... and it is highly recommended to flush your plants of their nutes about 1-2 weeks before you harvest to rid the plant of any chemicals or strange taste from your nutes...

What we are ultimately looking for here is trichome development (the little THC crystals that grow on the bud and leaves) this will tell you when your flowers are mature and ready for harvest. Clear trichomes are still underdeveloped, where cloudy is nicely mature... Peak of the floral bouquet is when you have mostly cloudy trichomes with a few brown speckled in between the cloudy ones. If you let the trichomes brown all the way through, your flower is past optimum potency...

What it really boils down to, is supplying enough light and enough dark for your plant to believe its in its natural flowering time, all the way to harvest. Again, all you really have to do is let her grow the way she was intended to.

And PLEASE make sure your area is clean! We don't want to hear about infestations of spider mites or thrips... Clean can help avoid these little pricks from eating away at your plant.


Next step: Harvest... chapter to follow soon

maybe you could put it all on here, then take what people say about it into consideration then edit it, and put it in a new thread

Thats a great thought... I would like to have input, and know more about what you guys need to know more specifically... I'm a writer, so it only felt natural to get it all down at once, instead of answering the same basic questions over and over again... lol

haha i can tell that, it is very well written, kinda reminds me of ANC, everything he posts is like 4 paragraphs long, informative, and well written

I don't believe I have had the pleasure of reading anything of his... I will have to look him up. Thanks btw... **

np mam, antime, im pretty new aswell so i guess were learning together. anc has alot of posts in the hallucinatory substance forum that im in...

Chapter 2... Flowering... Revised

The indoor flowering process is not the same as the outdoor flowering process. Outdoors, plants are subject to moon light, and lengthening and shortening days. Flowering usually initiates when the days stop getting longer and start getting shorter. The plants build up sexual hormones during the night time and that is the fundamental process indoor growers exploit in order to initiate and maintain flowering.

Flowering begins whenever more complete, uninterrupted, darkness is present. This is generally referred to as 12/12. Plants may be started on 12/12 lighting right from the beginning, or you may choose to vegetate a plant for months before initiating flowering. As an indoor grower the choice is yours when flowering will begin. Strains crossed with Cannabis Ruderalis are referred to as "auto-flowering" because they will achieve sexual maturity regardless of the lighting schedule.

Starting a plant on 12/12 from seed does not mean the plant is sexually mature. It will usually take three to four weeks before the plants are actually flowering.

When the top sets of leaves no longer grow in sets, but alternate growth, that is a sign your plant has reached vegetative maturity. This can be confusing for clone growers as their plants may start with alternating nodes. Another method for determining the readiness for flowering is the presence of early reproductive parts. Males will usually present their parts before females do, somewhere around four to five weeks into vegetative life or around the 12th node.

Remember, your plant can double, triple or even quadruple in size when flowering... so you need to make sure you are picking a 'light tight' place, with plenty of vertical room for growth. Sativa strains will stretch more during flowering than indica strains.

If you haven't transplanted- now is definitely the time to do it... this should be the last pot your plant will be in until harvest... Obviously, you need to pick pot sizes that you have room for- not everyones space is the same, so use what works for you... You also need to allow up to four days for recovery after transplanting before initiating 12/12 to reduce the total stress on the plant.


You have previously had your light cycle at either 24/0 or 20/4 or 18/6 (whichever suits you). Many growers find that the extra 25% of energy used for 24/0 lighting versus 18/6 lighting does not increase growth by 25%. As a result you've probably been running 18/6.

Now, you will be changing your light schedule to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark... Mind you, the dark must stay dark to avoid 'confusion' as the plant believes it is time to start flowering. Interruption of dark with light can cause your plant to go back into veg, prolong gender, and prolong flowering- all possibly effecting your yield, and potency. It is EXTREMELY important there is never an interruption of this dark period. Using a grow tent is the only legitimate option for many people.

The first 1-3 weeks or so is when your plant will be starting to show you its gender if it has not done so already. Females will develop a single flower at the points where branches meet the main stem and two white pistils will emerge from those flowers. Males will form a cluster of what is best described as balls. Once gender is identified, you can get rid of the males (unless you want your Females to have seeds).

Obviously flowering time can greatly vary from strain to strain and lighting conditions. You are most likely looking at 9 weeks. it all depends (if you have gotten yourself some auto-flowering seeds, this need not apply to you. lol, auto generally are 7-9 weeks from seed to harvest). Some strains will finish as fast as 50 days from the initiation of 12/12. These are usually indica, or indica dominant strains. True Sativa strains run from ten to twenty weeks, with most finishing in under fourteen weeks.

As for light, you want a 2100k spectrum light for flowering. This color temperature corresponds with HPS bulbs that have a great deal of far red light available. 2700K bulbs are acceptable but do not provide as much photosynthetically active radiation as a 2100K bulb will. Blue light from 5000K to 6500K will provide a great deal of energy to your plants and has a much larger "window" for absorption. Utilizing both wavelengths for flowering will result in the best growth possible. Red light causes the plant to produce more sexual hormones and is known for generating heavier harvests than blue light alone.

HPS (high pressure sodium) Bulbs are a favorite amongst growers for flowering purposes... it can be done without one though... As long as you have enough energy output to support your plants, you will be fine. The Eye Hortilux Super HPS consistently is among the best Horticultural lights available. Price conscious growers should look for Ushio bulbs or any other bulb featuring the Iwasaki chemistry. 400w, 250w, and 150w magnetic ballasts can run Phillips TruColor Ceramic Metal Halide bulbs which have probably the best spectrum of and bulb on the market. There are many other sources of lighting and you should select the one that fits in your budget. LED is not recommended but you can do what you want with your money.

As far as nutrients go, flowering requires nutes richer in phosphorous (just like in veg, they like more nitrogen). Cannabis also requires quite a bit of Potassium, and reduced levels of Calcium while increasing levels of magnesium. There are very many nutrient companies available for people to choose from. It is important for new growers to select a simple, complete, nutrient system. DynaGro, Botanicare CNS 17, Canna, General Hydroponics FloraNova, all have proven track records of being good systems. Personally I like what I see out of Botanicare. Organics can also be done at home by using a tea brewer. Research flowering recipes used by other organic growers. Brewing your own nutrients can be a fun and very rewarding process.

Nutrient companies will usually suggest slightly higher levels than your standard cannabis plant will need during flowering, especially when combining a base nutrient with a supplement and a bloom enhancer. If you do not have the means to measure the EC of your solution then you will need to concentrate on feeding at a lower level than suggested by the mfg. 75% is a good value to aim for.

During the first 15 days of flowering you do not want to change your nutrients as the plant is adding a lot of new growth and will need access to plenty of nitrogen for protein synthesis. The following 20 days is a good time to being dialing back the nitrogen and increasing the PK levels. By the 2/3rd mark in flowering you've given a PK boost and should now be running your nutrients at about 1/2 to 2/3 strength.

Flushing your media with three times the volume of water to media will clean the plant of their nutrients. Many growers do this about 10 days prior to harvesting. You will want to water through the plant 2 or 3 times during this period, after the flush, as the plant leaches elements back into the media to establish electrical equilibrium. This helps remove excess elements in the plant and provides a smoother and better tasting finished product with less residual. Don't want to be smoking that phosphorus now.

What we are ultimately looking for here is trichome development (the little THC crystals that grow on the bud and leaves) this will tell you when your flowers are mature and ready for harvest. Clear trichomes are still underdeveloped, where cloudy is nicely mature... Peak of the floral bouquet is when you have mostly cloudy trichomes with a few brown speckled in between the cloudy ones. If you let the trichomes brown all the way through, your flower is past optimum potency... Personally I shoot for under 5% clear trichomes regardless of how many amber are present. You can harvest when you choose but the window you are aiming for is mostly cloudy trichomes. A 30x magnifier or a 60x microscope will be necessary to determine the maturity of your plant.

Another important thing to remember about flowering is that the more the plant is jostled, turned, or otherwise bothered the slower it will grow. If you want big, fat, sticky nuggets the best plan of action is to just let her run the course and try not to move the plant around too much. This can make managing run off a bit tricky for some people.

My suggestion to avoid this issue is using any one of a number of drain pans. Kiddie pools are affordable. Larger professional flood trays are expensive but worth it. For $50 you can set up a little bucket with a lot of drainage holes in a bigger bucket kind of system connected together to drain to a central point. Hell, simple drain pans and a pump style squirt gun can be a resolution to the issue. Whatever you do choose just make sure you have the ability to manage quite a bit of run off.

And PLEASE make sure your area is clean! We don't want to hear about infestations of spider mites or thrips... Clean can help avoid these little pricks from eating away at your plant. Setting up your own mother plant and making your own clones is a fantastic idea for keeping your area clean. Be wary with cheap soil, or stores that keep their stuff kept outdoors. Hot Shot Pest strips, though a little toxic, in a ventilated space are fantastic at wiping out most flying pests in a few days.

Next step: Harvest... chapter to follow soon

thats a good revision sc but 2 things, the random lol is unprofessional, and the title is keep it simple, but your edit goes into great detail, its all true but not the perfect place for that acute attention to detail

No offense snow crash, but maybe you should make your own advice/grow thread with all your own specs in it... I'm not a fan of people using my writing to compliment their own... If you have your own methods, it is fine to make them know, but this is for people to get the basics down... not trying to over complicate anything or spend 2 much $$$... hence the title Keep it Simple... p.s. 2100k isn't widely available at your everyday joe type store... so 2700k works for us simple folk...

The "lol" is from the original text. I only removed things that needed to be removed or altered. Didn't see much reason to change the entire text of the message.

Not my wording though. Taken from above when I quoted.

captbooyah said:

No offense snow crash, but maybe you should make your own advice/grow thread with all your own specs in it... I'm not a fan of people using my writing to compliment their own... If you have your own methods, it is fine to make them know, but this is for people to get the basics down... not trying to over complicate anything or spend 2 much $$$... hence the title Keep it Simple... p.s. 2100k isn't widely available at your everyday joe type store... so 2700k works for us simple folk...

Click to expand...

For someone who might come to this thread I'm trying to give them a little more foresight than you are providing.

I don't do in in an attempt to be confrontational but there really isn't a need for me to start a thread in competition with yours. Keeping the information organized in one place is a much better idea for keeping clutter out of the forum.

2100K CFL bulbs are not available, that is true, but in reference to HPS bulbs they are EASY to get a hold of. It is a simple choice of one or the other at most hydroponic stores, and if a person has access to the Internet (as we all do) then they can order one to have delivered right to their door for a very moderate price. I got my Eye Sunlux 2100K 1000w HPS from www.plantlightinghydroponics.com for under $60.

2700K is not ideal. Nothing wrong with that, not like you'd know, but I've been doing research for a long time and want to be sure everyone is getting the best information we can offer.

Sorry to be a pain in the ass, but I mean... c'mon... It is an improvement...

I read this "keep it simple" and I am still confused. I have a mature plant (I think it is anyway) that I don't want to flower now. I am trying to find the basics on how to simply keep her healthy until it is time to flower. How often to water, best water to use, best food, fertilizer, how often to feed and fertilize, what to look for, when to flower. I am growing outdoors in a pot. I think you skipped the whole part between sprouting and flowering.

I need to learn how to take care of the plant. A few people have helped me find some answers but majority of people are snarky and bascially tell me to look on google. Don't be part of a support forum if you don't want to offer support, wth??

At least I've learned to bring the plant in at night so it doesn't flower right now.

No... it's my wording, 100%... Like I said, just covering the simple basics for people...

@mmj - just water it when the top soil gets dried out, if you want to give it nutes good for veg growth, if it gets too cold make it a mini green house and just give it some tlc.
(i am no pro, this is just what i know)

Every person will have a different Fave brand of fertilizers.. you need to find one you like... I am a Fox Farm user myself, but I don't want to suggest a brand name to anyone (I'm not trying to tell you what you should use)... keep her healthy by giving her plenty of light, and watering when dry... You can let her grow as long as you want... just make sure the pot she is in is big enough to support new root growth...

Snow crash... I don't believe in competing threads, but your advice is a bit different from what I am trying to do

Right... Whatever dudette. Have fun.

@ sc & cb - you are both right, just with conflicting ideas, you just are just two different levels in your description, sc, no offense but your advice if in the wrong section there is a possibility for a 2 part thread for you guys tho, having each chapter with 2 sections (beginners and advanced) think about it, dont bicker, collaborate, you guys should start a new thread with ch1 in two sections by you two authors if you guys want to be helpful to everyone. i think it is all good advice, just needs to be seperated for people with different experience levels!

Thanks for the advice.

booyah, your little plants look so nice anad lush. Mine doesn't look like that at all. It's kind of drier and skinnier.

I guess I will try working with what I have and see where it gets me. I am known to kill plants, that's why I am so worried I will screw up. I've killed every plant I've ever had. This one has only survived this long because I didn't pay it any attention.

LOL MMJ- I feel ya there... I NEVER had much of a green thumb, but Marijuana seems to be a pretty amazing trooper... I think if you have the proper start for your plants, It's really hard to screw them up. It's amazing how much a plant grows when your not looking! LOL

oh and if your stems skinny and weak, put a fan blowing on it even tho u said it was outside, idk if it would help much but wont hurt to try i guess