first time grower

okay so.. this is the first time i've gotten a pot plant to actually grow. i have 2 going right now i think they are about 6 weeks old, ones doing good its about 8 inches tall.. the other one was doing good but started dying.. i have some questions about them.. if anyone can give me some tips that would be sweet...

i cant figure out how to get pictures on here or i'd put some up.. can anyone tell me?

my set up is in my closet, i have a 4 foot floresent twin tube aquarium light, i've been giving them 18-20 hours of light a day scence they sprouted.. i cut back to 12-14 hours of light a day last week. i hear 12/12 hours of light and dark makes them flower but how do i get them to show what sex they are?
do i do the 12/12 thing? or so they have to be a certain age?
i really wish i could get pictures up here so you guys could see
i really want to figure out whether my healthy plant is male or female.

also how much water should they be getting.. i give them water like every couple of days or when the dirt looks too dry but on some of the leaves near the bottom of the plant the tips of the leaves curl a little and turn brown or yellow... do they need more water?

and if my plant turns out to be female how long does it take for them to start budding once you start the 12/12 light cycle?

anyone with some experience please help me out

peace

ok first off the only way to tell sex is to flower them on 12/12. once put in 12/12 it will take about 6-10 weeks to mature and get ripe. also are u using just plain water or do u have nutrients? what kinda soil? the more info u can provide the better we can all assess ur situation

i figured out how to put pictures up the're in the gallery... um yeah i use just water any the soil is a mix of potting soil and soil from an outside garden.... so once i start the 12/12 it takes 6-10 weeks to make buds?.... oh and does it have to be really strict 12/12 like should i get a timer or would it work if i just turn them on and off around the same time everyday?

keep your 12/12 schedule within about 15-20 min everyday. 6-10 weeks is how long hes talking about it taking for it to be totaly flowered. Should start showing sex within the first 2 weeks though. Look at the intersection where the 5th internode meets the main stem. A male will develop what looks like a small bunch of grapes... them female will develop what looks like 1 grape, then 2 white pistils (hairs) will coming out of the grape. Thats about as good as i can describe it verbally. Look at ALL the pics you can on this topic and get the males out of the house within about 5-7days of discovering them so they dont pollinate the fems.

okay sweet thanks man.
at every intersection where a leaf branches from the main stem new little leaves are growing.. i dont see any little grape things... but there are little things coming out of the sides near each intersection near the leaves, they come in 2s they arnt white though... its hard to explain this stuff in words, you're right

i understand exactly what youre seeing. Just keep looking at those little things near the intersection. You should start seeing the grape like clusters or hopefully Lack there of, in that area within the first 2 weeks of sending them into flowering.

alright cool... thanks for the help
i'll keep looking