Best way to transition from veg to flowering?

Discussion in 'Hydroponic Growing' started by Nisai, Mar 31, 2011.

  1. Hi, I'm just starting on week 4 of veg on a lemongrass clone. She's 12" now, but because of space problems she's definitely reaching about mid-height so I was thinking of switching to flowering within the next week.

    According to other posts there are a lot of different ways to do it, some say give flower nutes 1 week before switching, some don't... some tell me to leave her in darkness for 24-36h, others don't. Soooooo..... I was just wondering what the best way to do it is.

    Any help is greatly appreciated =)
     
  2. Switch the lights to 12/12. That's the only thing that will cause a plant to flower.

    You want to start changing the nute mix because once flowering begins, she'll have different nutrient requirements. Nitrogen becomes less important than phosphorous in that part of the life cycle.

    Also, if you have an HPS light and aren't using it, now would be the time to change your light source as well. It's well established that HPS is the preferred light source for flowering.

    Seeing as you're posting this in the hydro forum I'll assume you're using a hydro setup, you should probably know that your plant will end up anywhere from 2 to 3 times the size it is from the point you switch the lights to 12/12. Hope you planned accordingly.
     
  3. I'm growing with hydroponics and LEDs... the question is really more centred on procedural steps that I should take to make sure she gets the smoothest transition. So the exact timing of nute switch, whether or not I should have an extended dark period and when exactly I should switch to 12/12.

    I'm running 18/6 atm, she has 4 or 5 main shoots after I gave her a topping in her 2nd week of veg, strong root system and steady pH. She's looking beautiful and healthy and I want to make her retirement as stress-free as possible.
     
  4. That sounds ok...

    Think about it this way, If you were outdoors, mother nature changes the light cycles gradually from 18 hours of light to 12 hours between a 6 to 9 month period. Indoors, you are mother nature. So, if you don't want to change the light cycle directly into 12 hours of darkness (which is the correct method regardless of how you prune your plant), you can ease into bloom by changing the timer to 16 hours on 8 off the first day. Then 14 hours on and 10 off the next. Finally the third day you can change your timer to read 12 hours on and 12 off. That way its not all at once...

    Hope that answers your question, and in turn helps :0)
     
  5. Ah, well to answer your question you could step the lights down 2 hours a day as stated above until you reach 12/12 if you're that worried about stress, but just going straight to 12/12 is how 99% of blades do it and it doesn't hurt anything.

    I've also never seen any evidence that a 24 hour dark period jump starts anything, and if it does it's definitely a stress event so you might want to avoid it since you seem worried. I've tried it before and it didn't seem to change anything.

    Most also usually use the light change event as an opportunity to change out the rez with fresh solution. Typically you want to use a solution that's in-between your veg and your flower solution. I use 2 tsp per gal Floranova Grow during veg, and 2 tsp per gal Floranova Bloom during flower, so when I first change the lights I use 1tsp Grow / 1tsp Bloom per gal. After that just replenish solution with Bloom formula and you're good to go.

    One thing though, these plants are tougher than you might think. As long as the lights and the nutes are good they can flourish through nearly anything. If they couldn't most of us wouldn't succeed at all. :)
     
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  6. Ok, that seems to answer the question =)

    It's my first grow ever and I just wasn't sure exactly which way I should go about doing the switch-over... especially when it comes to the nutrients. I'll do it by starting off half half as you said and then just top up water with bloom nutes as the plant drinks. That should make the transition smooth, and I think I'll do the light thing as well. Should be happening in the next day or two because she's now hitting the upper limit of how big I want her to be before flowering.

    Is it worth it getting a yield booster by the way?

    Thank you for the help
     
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  7. It would be alright to just flip them to 12/12. I think people got mixed up on the extended dark period. If u do it at the begining I don't think it really does anything. But I here the extended dark peroid right before u harvest increases resin production. I would switch the lights at the begining of the dark peroid and set it for 12/12 from then on. Hope that helped some :smoke: May u have a bountiful harvest
     
  8. To answer your question about a bloom enhancer, as you called it, a "yield booster", yes it would definitely be beneficial but it also depends on what your base nutrients are. So let me know that way I can better answer that question for you.

    I also wanted to mention to everyone, Flora Nova is a great nutrient however it is a very concentrated nutrient. It is best to use Flora Nova less than half of what it calls for on the back of the bottle. Less is always more.

    Typically you want to have between 300 to 600 ppm in the early cloning and vegetative stages. Then you want to move between 600 and 900 ppm in mid veg. In full veg to transition, you want to be between 900 and 1200 ppm.

    Also, in hydro you need to remember to change out your reservoir every 7 to 10 days. And if possible have a free standing pump or air stone or both recirculating your water and nutrients so that they dont settle at the bottom of the res.

    As stated above the best vegetative light cycle IS 18 hours on 6 hours off. A plant only needs 18 hours to photosynthesize and also needs a resting period (6 hours).

    Ideally you stay with your veg formula when you transition to 12/12 until you start seeing bloom sets which is between 5 and 10 days into bloom. Then you stop using the veg formula, change your water in your reservoir, add only a bloom base and if you want a "yield booster" you can start using that at this time depending on which ones you purchase. Your ppm at this time should be between 900 and 1200. At the end of the flowering stage, you dont want your ppm higher than 1500. 1800 at the very most.

    Honestly there is no wrong or right way to garden. Everyone has their own successes. Once you have your method down, try not to over analyze yourself because it's very easy to do.

    Just remember less IS more and these five key components when your gardening and you will be good to grow :eek:)

    Proper Lighting 20%
    Proper Ventilation 20%
    Proper usage of Nutrients 20% Fresh water - preferably RO 20%
    Your favorite strain 20%
    100% Harvest!
     
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  9. I was reading your post and thinking to myself that there was a lot I agreed with and a lot I didn't until I read this line. Now this I agree with 100%. :)

    One interesting example, I'm running an Ebb & Flow but I still tend to have problems with root rot, especially late in the grow. I did all the normal things like change the res weekly, used hygrozyme or Roots Excelurator, but it was always an ongoing issue. Even worse, in my case it's a real pain in the ass to change the rez and sometimes I literally can't get to it.

    To make a long story short, I found that bleach not only cures root rot better than anything, but MJ tolerates it much better than I'd heard. Now I run 1 drop/gal as a preventative measure, and I don't have to change the rez for a month at a time. I'm sure lots of blades would give me a ton of crap over it, but it works for me and I grow some dank shit.

    Learn all you can Nisai, and pretty soon you'll be giving us advice.
     
  10. Exactly :eek:)
     
  11. Btw, for sxgrower, how often do you water and what is your medium?
     
  12. Thanks for all the help =D she's now on her third day of flowering and seems to be feeling good... however about a week ago some spots started appearing that have spread a little. I first thought it may be a calcium deficiency and the watering schedule was still set to what she was drinking about 2 weeks ago. I have changed the schedule so now she's getting fed twice as long everytime. She doesn't look overwatered, so my hope is that she'll get more nutrients now and the spots should disappear. Ph is stable at 5.8 and she has just developed her first couple of 7-fanned leaves ^^

    Here's some pics, any idea guys?
     

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  13. What a crazy color! It looks like you do have a nutrient deficiency. Question is which one? Look up the strain online using google images and then type in common deficiencies and see what looks the most like what you have. If its calcium or magnesium use calmag plus. That works well.
     

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