Are my Children ready for Flowering?

[SWABLR]

This is my first time trying this, growing my own. Here are eight of my Children grown from seeds that I have saved over the years.

Can you tell me if they are ready for flowering?

[SWABLR]

More of my Children

[SpaceNeedle]

You can flower any one of them at any time. It all depends on what you are trying to do, and what kind of lights you are using.

Yours look like they are about 4 to 6 inches high, and if they are from seeds, you don't know which are male and which are female.

So, if you are gonna use one or two as a mother, you obviously cannot at this stage since they are not sexed. What is usually done, is letting your plants grow a bit more and then take a cutting, let it root, and as soon as its well established, mark that plant so you know where it came from and flower it. It will show its sex within 10 to 14 days. If its male you can throw both that plant and the one you cut it from in the garbage. If its female, then you can seriously start taking cuttings from that main plant and root some more of those.
When you put a female plant into flowering remember that the plant will end up about 3 times the size it was when you started it in flowering. So the question is, how much head-room do you have for it? If you have lots of head room, but only a small light, you're best off flowering them when they are smaller since the light does not have that much penetrating power such as a 1000W HPS light.
Hope that helps

SN

[Italiano715]

if your children have alternating nodes that means its mature and ready to flower, of course you can put them at 12/12 whenever, but they still won't show unless mature. Also, I think your yield will suffer a little if thrown into 12/12 before it matures.

[SWABLR]

The pictures are a little deceiving, five of the eight are twelve inches and growing. I have seen alternating nodes on two of the eight; the others are still growing with the nodes side by side.

The funny thing is that the alternating nodes are on the two smallest plants! While the side-by-side nodes are all on the plants that are still growing.

I really do not plan on cloning or anything like that, am just experimenting to educate myself.

OK, I do hope to harvest some smokable herbage. :jointsmile:

Currently have the little onesâ?? under a 400W MH light.
Was planning on putting a 400W HPS over them when I flower them.
Of course I realize that once the males have been identified, that they must die.

[SWABLR]

SpaceNeedle, you make a good point, cloning and sexing the clone to find out what gender the parent is.

From the readings I have done on cloning it is recommended to take a cutting from low on the stem and to make sure that it is several inches long.

Unfotunately the potential cuttings are high on the stem. Would it be alright to use these if all they will used for is to determine the gender of parent?

:jointsmile:

Did I mention that I Love to smoke weed?

[SpaceNeedle]

Well, of course you can do it that way. I've always found that a bit more of a dangerous route, because a 12" male if not caught right away can mess up a whole room of females and you'll end up with seeds in your bud. It happened to me a couple of times, so I won't do that! Good luck!

SN

[SpaceNeedle]

SpaceNeedle, you make a good point, cloning and sexing the clone to find out what gender the parent is.

From the readings I have done on cloning it is recommended to take a cutting from low on the stem and to make sure that it is several inches long.

Unfotunately the potential cuttings are high on the stem. Would it be alright to use these if all they will used for is to determine the gender of parent?

:jointsmile:

Did I mention that I Love to smoke weed?

You can take clones from nearer or even the top.... however they are more difficult to clone. Say if you clone 10 from branches near the bottome you may have 8 or 9 clone successfully, and if you're taking the 10 from near the top you may get 7 or 8.... . this is just a comparison of course.

SN