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Sexing plant by pre-flowers

N

NoSocSlic

At what point in the life cycle of my plants should I throw them into flower for a week to sex them?

The thing about it is that once you switch the lights, you are committed to flowering them out. You can't switch to flower then back to veg without a recovery time.

That being said, you want to switch the light schedule when the plants are about half the size you want them to be. They are going to stretch for the first couple weeks of flower. You can veg for a long time if you want huge plants and tons of bud, or initiate flower early if you want a small amount. It all depends on your needs.
 

Ingski

Active member
I'm not too worried about needing an extra week or two to reveg my plants. I just don't want to have to transplant my males the final two times before flower. That's why I'm curious if there is anyway to flower then reveg them, just to sex them and not waste my time/resources with the males.
 
N

NoSocSlic

Well during veg they are going to eventually preflower if you wait it out. I know you can reveg a plant but switching the light cycles too much like that could really stress the plants, and stress can mean hermies, stalling, or it could be fine. What I do if flowering before preflowers develop, is time the final transplant into the biggest pot for when flowers start showing. I switch the lights then as males show I get rid of them and as soon as I see hairs on a female I get her into the big pot. No one wants to waste good dirt, I know what you mean.

If time isn't an issue then just let a few veg then pick a female to be mom, then run cuttings off of her. Doing it all by seed, generally the males show quicker than the females anyway.
 

Ingski

Active member
Time isn't the issue. I have already mixed/amended my soil, and if I'm not careful I will have to start a whole other batch and barely use any of it...

So you're recommending transplanting them once more from 1 gal to 2 gals here in 2 weeks, keeping them in veg, and by the time I need to switch to 5 gals/flower they will have preflowers? Could I grow them out long enough to sex in the 1 gal pots?

I'd prefer to grow out all my females, clone them all and pick a winner or two to keep growing once I finish the first batch.
 
N

NoSocSlic

That is the idea, about four weeks in their small pot, then four weeks in their medium pot, and then right when you flower them. With good timing, that leaves plenty of nutrition in the new soil for about half of flower. I find that by week 6 or 7 the leaves start showing signs of nitrogen deficiency and around then, I want them to use up the nutrition in the leaves for a better tasting finished product.

If they are quick to mature you might see preflowers in the one gallon pots. In my experience not all plants are ready at 4 weeks though and some don't show sex for 6 to 8 weeks.
 

Ingski

Active member
You think I will be in the one gallons for a whole month? Most other sources(Soil mix thread and a few others I've thumbed through) have been saying 2-3 weeks.

Will I be seeing preflowers before I transplant into my 2 gallon containers? I'm not sure I have enough soil for the plants I have if that's not the case.. Not that I can't buy/mix more up, I'd just rather not have to.
 
N

NoSocSlic

It depends on how fast they grow. If their roots fill the pot then they need transplanted, at 4 weeks from seed most plants will not have filled a 1 gallon pot with roots yet.
 

Ingski

Active member
A lady at my local grow store gave me a great idea. She suggested that I take clones of each plant and as soon as they are healthy, flower them in my bathroom or something. She was guessing that it would take about twoish weeks, which is plenty of time before I flower. Thoughts?
 
N

NoSocSlic

That is a good idea. You can also see which of the moms has the best bud and keep her to take more cuttings from, instead of flowering out directly. Many if not most serious growers grow from cuttings they take off of their best mother plants.
 
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Boleman

Member
You tell me freezerboy!

You tell me freezerboy!

Seems this question can't be asked enough. 3 separate threads on the page as I type. So.....

Check the internodes for pre-flowers. Females (at left, circled in red) show two hairs or, pardon the vulgarity, two spread legs. Males (at right) are hairless and cluster like grapes.

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/gallery/data/500/35769IC_1-27-8_PreFlowers.jpg]View Image[/url]

Now, you know :tiphat:



It's been a long time since my mini fridge, but I'm pretty sure you are right freezerboy! Let me know if you have any advice for my CMH Tent!
 
I've seen differing methods for presenting and was wondering how to do efficiently without a flowering room? Is there a way to do outdoors? I've heard of plants that don't show for much longer than 4weeks
 

Phaze1

New member
Is this a male? I think those are clusters but i don't wanna jump the gum
 

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species

Member
The Major's short version is all you really need but, allow me to bore you with a bit more.

From the moment it sprouts the plant tries to flower. The first two weeks are spent building the gear flowering requires. Once this is done it starts to produce flowering hormones.

Thing is, the flowering hormone is deathly allergic to light. It builds up hormones all night and the sun comes along and kills them all. Lather, rinse, repeat. Eventually days get shorter and nights get longer. More hormones are produced than the sun can kill. Each day more and more hormones survive the sun until they finally hit critical mass and ... BOOM, flowers.

Follow the Major's orders, keep nights short and days long and you'll be golden.

I was curious how a change in light promoted the plant to flower, thanks.
 
Help Please

Help Please

I need URGENT HELP!!
I always ALWAYS buy fem SEEDS. This one was a freebie and for some reason im leaning on it being a MALE :( can somebody please confirm, and if its too late to yank it from the room or if they are all pollinated by this point :(
 

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