What does it mean

[justanotherbozo]

is it important that it does this before i flower?

the reason you have to wait for alternating nodes before flowering is because
the plant isn't mature enough to flower before the alternating nodes begin to
appear. if you start to flower them before the alternating nodes appear you
take the chance of stressing the plants and maybe creating hermies.

think of it like puberty, before you see alternating nodes, you have a pre-
pubescent plant, when you see alternating nodes, that signals that the plant
is mature enough to procreate. (which is what flowering is supposed to be
about)