when to switch to flower?

[vladimir882]

hey there! I'm kinda of a new grower. that's my 4th grow,
first of all if you are curious that's my diary, you welcome to follow - https://www.icmag.com/threads/60x60x160-barneys-pineapple-chunk.18126684/
so here is the situation, tent is 60x60x160 (cm), and I'm not sure when to flower.
I feel like now is the best time because if I flower now I can avoid height issues.
but there are also other opinions, so I'm asking for yours:
when to switch to flower?
I also heard that this strain is known for intense strech..
the plant in the upper left got sowed at 5.4, everyone else at 16.4
lights are 1XHLG-120 QB, 1X6000K flood light, 50W, 1x3000K floodlight, 50W

strain is Barneys Pineapple chunk, from seeds.
the plant in the upper left got topping 3 days ago, the plant in the upper right got topping just yesterday (did that to "slow down" their vertical growth so the other could get to the same height)


added here photos to see the space I have..
thank you!
btw yield is not as important to me as quality. I WOULD take a 20% decrease in yield for quality product.

 

[exoticrobotic]

Nice plants.

They look big enough to start flowering.

I normally flower after 5 or 6 weeks vegetative growth.

I pinch the tip out after 4 sets of fan leaves have formed and wait for the side shoots to form a bit then to flower.

 

[Jellyfish]

I don't know, I usually want my girls to be at least a foot tall before I flip them to 12/12. But your girls look really healthy, and if stretch is an issue, then flip them.

 

[vladimir882]

Nice plants.

They look big enough to start flowering.

I normally flower after 5 or 6 weeks vegetative growth.

I pinch the tip out after 4 sets of fan leaves have formed and wait for the side shoots to form a bit then to flower.

I did a pinch on the plant in the upper left 3 days ago to stop her growing vertically. she is bushy as hell
also pinched the on in the upper right yesterday

I don't know, I usually want my girls to be at least a foot tall before I flip them to 12/12. But your girls look really healthy, and if stretch is an issue, then flip them.

I'm happy to hear they look healthy
stretch is issue as this is only 1.6m height tent, and actually everyone of those plants is bigger then 1foot from the soil.
the hard decision is whether to let them grow a little bit more and risk height issues, or flower them now and risk not utilizing 100% of the space

 

[Jellyfish]

Flip 'em!

 

[NEED 4 SEED]

Flower them....in my 170 cm tent I am flowering them as soon as I am able to take backup cuts which often leads to height issues. So if you're not taking cuts then flower them now.

 

[chilliwilli]

Imo it won't make a big difference if u veg a few days less. Since height is an issue i would flip them now.
I started growing with 400w hps and a few days more or less didn't make a big change. The one i veg longer had the same bud mass as the one with less veg. Only differents was that the plants with longer veg looked bigger.

 

[Creeperpark]

You can flip anytime you want friend. Some people flip from the very beginning and only grow with a 12/12 photoperiod. There are a few good reasons to do that too. IF you don't mind smaller plants in the end using a quick 12/12 flip will do the job.

For me, I think the amount of veg time is extremely important to bring out the best of any plant. I know some breeders recommend that you veg for 60 days in order for the plant to do what they say it will do, and they won't recommend it with anything less. I try to veg at least as long as I flower if not longer as a general rule. IF your veg time is longer than your flower time the amount of bud will increase considerably. The choice is yours friend. Thanks for posting.