11. FLOWERING

The plant can be at any time induced to fruit or flower with the use of dark cycles of 11 - 13 hours that simulate the oncoming winter in the fall as the days grow shorter. There is no other requirement than to keep the dark cycle for flowering very dark with no light interruptions or light “leaking” into the flowering area, as this can ruin flowering completely. When growing outside, be aware that streetlights can prevent plants from flowering. Furthermore, it is possible to force the plant back into a vegetative state by changing the light regime into a 16 - 8 cycle (16 hours of light per day).

Outdoors, Spring and Fall, the nights are sufficiently long to induce flowering at all times. Merely bring the plants from indoors to the outside at these seasons, and the plants will flower naturally. In late Summer, with Fall approaching, it may be necessary only to force flowering the first two weeks, then the rapidly lengthening nights will do the rest.

From 2 to 3 weeks after turning back the lights, your plants will be covered with white pistils emerging from every grow tip on the plant. It will literally be covered with them. These pistils will transform into big buds, as they continue to grow and cover the plant. The whole flowering cycle in the 12 – 12 light regime will normally take up to 7 – 9 weeks. It is also possible to shorten this cycle by going into a 8 - 16 light regime (8 hours of light per day) when you think enough bud development is already there. Now the plant will start to ripen quickly, and should be ready to harvest in 2-3 weeks. This way of operating will of course give a faster but smaller harvest.

Male plant.

Female plant.