How do outdoor photo plants know when to flower, if 12/12 is in late September?

[Valentina]

I am serious, to the point that this is making me lose sleep.

How do outdoor plants know when to flower, assuming that there is no light pollution, no pests, no mad storms etc.

And I am not talking about Autoflowering plants, I mean just plain photo plants.

If a quick flowering outdoor plant finishes at the end of September, before autumn equinox, the trigger is not 12:12 then, right?

Basically, I have been browsing for seeds, and some flower 8 or 9 or whatever 14 weeks indoors, and outdoor harvest in e.g. Late September, or October or November, blah blah green house and all that.

So is this a rate of decrease of daylight hour that nudges their hormones?

In August, the decrease is some 3.5 minutes per day in terms of day length, but overall day length is still approximately 13.5 hours at the shortest, and 15.5 at the longest.

In some articles the writers say that in an indoor environment, they can make a plant flower by 12:12, then once they are happily deep into flowering, the light hours are increased to about 14 per day for an extra 2 hours of photon pelting per day. If the plant can get an extra 2 hours' light per day, and assuming that they don't re-veg, do those photons and their energy very quickly add up?

[CityDweller]

Correct on all counts. As I understand it. The shortening of daylight and the change of seasonal parameters trigger the hormonal change into flower.

I have tested increasing lights on. Longer lights on leads to larger and longer growth. The slight increase in bulk vs the long increase in time to harvest is a loss for us indoor growers.

If you increase your lights on incrementally to 14 on it should not shock them and they should not hermie. At some point it helps to start reducing lights on or the plants dont even try to finish. When I ran 14 on I had to reduce to 11 on before I started to see any amber. I was only a few weeks behind schedule. I did not wait to see how long it would continue. Everything i have read agrees that there is only a slight increase to yield by extending lights on indoors.

I have not tested incrementally reducing lights on and stopping at 14on as a method of inducing flower. Slowly lowering temps at the same time should help. I am guessing that if done right we could start flowering with 14on. Is there any point? No idea.

[CityDweller]

I love this subject.

Additionally, I have tried and confirmed that reducing lights on towards the end and reducing temps will speed up harvest with minimal if any loss to yield. Flowers that finish colder always taste and hit better to me.

The idea of 12/12 is all about efficiency imho.

Thanks for the opportunity to ramble. Cheers.

[Valentina]

...At some point it helps to start reducing lights on or the plants dont even try to finish. When I ran 14 on I had to reduce to 11 on before I started to see any amber. I was only a few weeks behind schedule. I did not wait to see how long it would continue.

This is giving me some serious "ideas". I mean, is this how people get - besides genetics - those very super frosty plants?

I have not tested incrementally reducing lights on and stopping at 14on as a method of inducing flower. Slowly lowering temps at the same time should help. I am guessing that if done right we could start flowering with 14on. Is there any point? No idea.

I am guessing that stresses of any kind may mess things up...?

I love this subject.

Additionally, I have tried and confirmed that reducing lights on towards the end and reducing temps will speed up harvest with minimal if any loss to yield. Flowers that finish colder always taste and hit better to me.

The idea of 12/12 is all about efficiency imho.

Thanks for the opportunity to ramble. Cheers.

Thanks for the tip about temps. I have read about dropping light hours to 8 per day. A bit deviant but if it works!

I am all up for tweaks, but generally I have had more success with being on the well-trodden path.

I want to squeeze the last trichome out of the genetics, I mean, why not?

[CityDweller]

Lights!, genetics, enviourment imo. The rest of the tweaking plays a tiny part to make the best even better.

I have stressed my plants like crazy for years and rarely see a hermie. I believe that is mostly genetics but again just my opinion.

[Trex]

Al depending in strain of course and ive done LOT of outdoor grows . Tons upon tons .

Some can start flowering as soin as end of July some end of august . Sativas usually end of august . I cant do em in canada as our growin season is tops 4 minths if were lucky . This yesr we had a frost september 7th that wipped out my outdoor tomatoes ffs .

Depends what lattitude etc etc lots of factors really .

If you are undecided and cant choose . Ill tell ya these two strains you cant go wrong with

Texada Timewarp
And Dutch Passions Passion #1 .

Both are early flowerers . Ready by mid to end of september . And very very resistant to moulds and cool shitty weather and the high is great 😉 there may be others but these imho are the most reliable

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[Trex]

Ohh and Northern Lights #5 always did well for us ... but not as mouod resistant but still great just the same .

My moby dick from dinafem is about 11ft high now . Big buds but i dont see her finishing up the ripening process . Its getting cool very very fast round these parts with wild swings in between .

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[GEORGE]

I am serious, to the point that this is making me lose sleep.

How do outdoor plants know when to flower, assuming that there is no light pollution, no pests, no mad storms etc.

And I am not talking about Autoflowering plants, I mean just plain photo plants.

If a quick flowering outdoor plant finishes at the end of September, before autumn equinox, the trigger is not 12:12 then, right?

Basically, I have been browsing for seeds, and some flower 8 or 9 or whatever 14 weeks indoors, and outdoor harvest in e.g. Late September, or October or November, blah blah green house and all that.

So is this a rate of decrease of daylight hour that nudges their hormones?

In August, the decrease is some 3.5 minutes per day in terms of day length, but overall day length is still approximately 13.5 hours at the shortest, and 15.5 at the longest.

In some articles the writers say that in an indoor environment, they can make a plant flower by 12:12, then once they are happily deep into flowering, the light hours are increased to about 14 per day for an extra 2 hours of photon pelting per day. If the plant can get an extra 2 hours' light per day, and assuming that they don't re-veg, do those photons and their energy very quickly add up?

Columbia is 12-12 every where else north of there from the States up Flower on a 15 to 14.5 hour light. Here in Florida, some strains flower as early as first day of summer, around 20th of June, and like Trex said also Middle of July and August. Depending on Strain.

[Trex]

Columbia is 12-12 every where else north of there from the States up Flower on a 15 to 14.5 hour light. Here in Florida, some strains flower as early as first day of summer, around 20th of June, and like Trex said also Middle of July and August. Depending on Strain.

Yea .you guys can transplant outdoors in beginning april lol . Us its first week of june lol 🤣🤣 us northern fawkers dont stand a chance lol

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