growing, but short on time

nonexistant

Active Member
so i just started a grow about a week and a half ago(5/26) from clones, but i'm moving out of my place at the end of july, giving me about 7 weeks left to grow. i'm wondering what the best lighting plan would be for the rest of the grow. right now i'm giving them 21 hours of light with a light amount of nutrients and theyre growing pretty well. Should i start flowering them now? theyre not very big yet so i dont think the flowering process will take as long as usual. i'll probably be able to dry the plants wherever i move to, but i dont know if i'd be able to transfer live plants or have a good setup. what do you guys think i should do?
 

demonic1

Well-Known Member
The flowering time takes the same amount of time whether they are big or small. You should flip them to 12/12 right away, if you only have 7 weeks left. Even then, you will be harvesting early. Now some have stated that by giving it 48 hours of darkness before flipping to 12/12, shaves about a week off the flowering time so you might try that however I don't know if that works or not. In addition, I think flowering with fluorescents or cfl’s takes a little longer also as well as any Sativa strains. Best to get them flowering as soon as possible if you want to harvest before moving and having some decent quality smoke.
 

nonexistant

Active Member
sweet, thanks i think i'll switch them to 12/12 in a day or two depending on how long i want to keep them in the dark. good news is i'm growing two indicas with a 400w hps. do you think if i get the light closer, it'll help the plants grow faster? right now i have the lights about 20 inches away, and i'm afraid if i get them closer they might scorch the plants cause theyre still kinda young. if i placed a revolving fan between the plants and light, would i be able to get the lamp closer?
 

Nocturn3

Well-Known Member
The only thing that has been proven to reduce flowering time (slightly) is to give the plants a 36-48 hour dark period before 12/12. This can shave several days off flowering time, but at the expense of end yield. This method also carries a slightly increased hermie risk.

Another (experimental) method i have heard is to use a non 24-hour cycle, for example 6/12, for an 18 hour day in total. This would require a 7-day timer, which would need regular adjustments. Some people say they have heard of others doing this successfully, but I have never seen a documented grow with this method myself, so try it at your own risk. At the very least it will reduce your end yield, if it works at all.
 
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