When do YOU consider flowering as started ?

Just a quick question to ponder do you consider flowering started when you switch your lights to 12/12 or 5 to 7 days after or when you see small pre-flowers or small flowers. I consider flowering started when i can identify actual small flowers forming. That's when i start counting down. How about you ?
I also get a good laugh at the seed banks when they state flowering time. I have had 8 week flowering plants totally ready in 7 weeks and others took 11 weeks its all about the conditions and many other variables it's just a good guess.

a plants natural flowering cycle starts as soon as it gets 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. the first day this happens is the first day of the plants flowering cycle. it just take a few days for it to grow enough for to visually see the changes.

thats true if the plant is flowered after reaching maturity but if its not mature in an inside grow b4 you flip you wouldnt consider them flowering when you flipped to 12/12 would you fdd? im just wondering and interested in your opinion on this, no offense of course.

Inside if you force flower it to early I personally dont consider it flowering until it shows actual flowers. thats my opinion.

darkdestruction420 said:

thats true if the plant is flowered after reaching maturity but if its not mature in an inside grow b4 you flip you wouldnt consider them flowering when you flipped to 12/12 would you fdd? im just wondering and interested in your opinion on this, no offense of course.

Inside if you force flower it to early I personally dont consider it flowering until it shows actual flowers. thats my opinion.

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i know nothing of this subject.

imo, if it's not mature enough to flower, don't flower it.

fdd2blk said:

i know nothing of this subject.

imo, if it's not mature enough to flower, don't flower it.

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Just wondering when would you consider it mature enough to start flowering on an inside grow by height ,age etc. would like to hear your opinion on this

I start counting flowering once the sex can be determined. The time a company gives you from flip to harvest is best phenotype scenario, grown in optimum conditions(hydroponically). Soil/Hand fed/Natural takes 95% of strain/phenos more than 8-9 weeks recommmended. But this is why good growers isolate genetics and keep them tight. Not to say you can't get 6-7-8 weeks on a plant grown non hydro, but its far and few between, and the people able to keep producing the same buds are using the same plant everytime. Maybe I'm completely talking out my ass, just my opinion from 5 grows and countless strains and companys.

The gems are out there..

Well id wait til preflowers show if not old enough and count 7 days before. If using clones which are old enough then the day I start 12 12. Honestly i barely keep count myself other than estimation purposes cuz theyre all diff and when theyre done they look done lol kinda like microwaved food its never exact timing...