Hey guys, I've been growing a couple of plants in my courtyard for about 8 weeks. They are all female and around 4 ft tall as of right now. A few days ago I began to notice white pistils growing on a handful of them. Obviously females, so I ripped out the males. Over the past few days the pistils have become more numerous and noticeable on the remaining females. Overall, the plants look very healthy. My question pertains to the light cycle and the stage the plants are in. Does the growth of the pistils mean that they are in the flowering stage already, or do I still have to induce budding by giving them a strict 12/12 light cycle? It wouldn't surprise me if they are already in flowering stage because my courtyard is set up in a way where they receive approx. 12-14 hours of light per day. I hope I made myself clear enough...first time grower here. Thank You
If the number of pistils are multiplying, it's flowering. However, without knowing exactly how your courtyard is set up, it's hard to say if that's the reason or not. Usually, plants will detect even ambient light. May not be enough to supply them energy, but I'm pretty sure they need TOTAL darkness (or close to it) in order for it to actually count as dark time.