Earliest Flowering Time

Well, I've done alot of research and have read threads and posts from the very beginning, along with spending plenty of free time at Barnes & Noble's bookstore reading all of the marijuana gardening books, so while this question may seem a bit like a question a newcomer would ask, I am just asking out of curiousity.

I know that a plant can be forced into flowering by changing the light cycle to 12 hours light and 12 hours darkness, and within a few weeks, it will show it's sex, and you wait for the buds to mature, etc... I also know about the different stages of life for cannabis plants.

A basic answer when someone asks "How long before I can get bud?" or "What is the life cycle of marijuana would be as follows: "Well, first the plant would sprout. Once the first set of true leaves has formed, your plant is now a seedling. After a few more sets of leaves have formed, your plant is in vegative stage. In vegative stage, the plant grows. Then when the plant is about 1' tall, the light cycle can be limited to 12/12 to induce flowering. In about 2 weeks the plants will show their sex. The males will be removed unless you want seeds, and flowering time can finish anywhere between four weeks and four months."

So, I know the basics of growing pot, how it's done, what I'm supposed to do, etc... Here's my question: I have one very healthy seedling that is almost 3 weeks old. It is just now developing it's 5th node. If I changed the light cycle to 12/12 say, next week, or even today, would the plant flower? I know they haev the flowering hormone with them from when they first sprout out of the ground, but I was wondering if the plant is too young to flower. Obviously I would get very little bud, but if I DO decide to flower now, if I find out it works, I wouldn't mind. I am not growing to sell to dealers, I am growing for personal use, so ANY bud I get off of my plants would be greatly appreciated. So, would it work? And how much should I expect to get? 1 or 2 grams?

Also, is it possible to flower an even younger seedling? Like I said, I am not very interested in doing this myself, and I don't see why anyone would really WANT to do it, considering the very small yield, but like I said, it's just a question I've been thinking about.
Peace,
horror business:rasta:

yes! when you flowr a seedling (not a clone) with only 4 or 5 nodes it will often take more than 2 weeks to show its sex... early flowering can be done.. and very sucessfully... and is recommended in cfl lighting scenarios.

if you look in the basic growing forum, you will find a thread that I started that says something like "this is what a healthy 2 week old plant looks like"... this thread will show you pictures that will answer all your questions... : ) regarding flowering seedlings with 4-5 nodes...

iloveyou