ok this is my 3rd attempt at doing this an well i live by the rule 3 strikes and i am out… well i hope not! I have GSCE planted, and they spent 3 weeks in seedling stage and then i transplanted. they have now been in veg for 4 weeks. i am so confused about everything i have read as to when to flip to flower. One plant is a bout 2 1/2 feet and the other about not so tall, maybe 18 inches. When do i flip these from veg to flower? When flip them to flower how long will it take. If i understand what I read it will be 10 weeks. Please someone help me understand the grow cycles and how long it should take.
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Welcome to the forum , can’t really advise on photos still working on autos before I switch over, but @MrPeat grows some monsters.
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Harvest usually comes between 8 and 11 weeks from the flip depending on the strain and your growing conditions. They look pretty healthy, but you might want to back off the nitrogen a bit. Those dark green, waxy leaves mean she is getting too much nitrogen. You can flip when you want. Cannabis is generally sexually matured after about 6 weeks.
Welcome to the forum.
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Thanks for the quick reply and the advise about the nutrients. So to make sure i understand there is no set you should grow for 6 weeks in veg before flipping or anything like that, its up to me and i can flip them when ever. so if i want them to grow another foot or maybe 2 before i flip that is ok, just watch the nutrients?
How tall is your tent? @MidwestGuy any concern with height? I’m not familiar with GSCE. Does the general rule about 2x height at flip apply? Top then flip?
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I think my tent is 7 feet high. I rarely use even half of that since I top so much. Some plants will stretch 100%. My experience is that the stretch adds somewhere between 33 and 100% and that it just depends on the strain and the genetics. I always top and let the plant heal before I flip. I won’t do anything to the plant that is very stressful for it once I flip to minimize the chances of getting a hermie.
GSCE = Girl Scout Cookies Extreme
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@BigCountry74 Welcome to the community. I will give you a piece of advice. Don’t quit as you will regret it later on. Not everyone grows perfectly right out of the gate. I had one nice plant for my first grow. Then ok ones and as I started to become an experienced grower is when things changed for the better.
I was going to quit growing and my sister convinced me with how long I have been growing plants, trees and veggies that it would get better. Now my grows are out freaking standing.
I grow only on a 12/12 schedule start to finish. I am so in tune with my plants I can anticipate problems. I have my system dialed in.
Photo time…
![image|230x500]
Top photo the plant hit well past 7’ tall and over 8’ wide.
Bottom is from a nice cola. The cola was over 2 feet tall. You don’t grow these under subpar lights. Purely driven my HLG lights only. 
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The tent is about 6 or 7 ft tall. i can stand in it with head room. i am not sure about topping… makes me nervous since i have with a normal grow. but from what i have read it is something i will want to learn more about because it seems that it can produce more buds and more potent buds.
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I wanna use Mr peet to grow me a monster like that for Christmas I would decorate it out. 
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I have grown autos and now taking my first run at photos. With that said, do you follow why I asked FlxrPower about height. When you switch to 12/12 that is initiate flower phase, the plant will continue to grow / stretch. Some more than others. If your plant is currently 2 1/2’ and it doubles is size you will have a 5’ plant. On top of that add light, filter and height above canopy. That is why I mentioned topping. It is one way to manage height as well as produce additional colas. There is no mystery to topping. Pick a node, move up an inch or so and cut off at a slight angle. Done, you have topped for the first time. Get out the google machine and search for topping videos and you can see how it is done.
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Check my reply. Somehow I did a direct reply to Skorpion
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@BigCountry74, Remember the headroom is what is above the plants canopy and below the light. Most lights sit 24" above the canopy in flower. A 7’ tall tent becomes a 4’ tall tent really quick.
There are numerous grow guides on the forum and I strongly suggest you get smart on growing cannabis soon. Starting with the Grow Bible is one good place to start.
Hopefully you are aware to stay away from Miracle Gro, use cannabis-optimized products and have a decent PH and TDS meter along with the crap that goes with that haha.
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wow!!! those are wicked
Hello and welcome @BigCountry74
I’m going to make zero assumptions about your knowledge and abilities. Please don’t take offense.
What happened with your two prior failures?
What equipment are you using (specific light, heat/cooling/humidity/ventilation)?
What’s your growth medium (please be specific)?
18-30” is a pretty big variation. How high up is your light(s)? Can you place the short plant on a milk crate or tote to level the canopy out?
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no offense taken. I have very little experience growing pot. I have grown veg gardens through out my life, so gardening and the concepts i understand really well.
the first crop i think it was going to turn out really well. it was early in flower stage and because of a situation i had at my home at the time i thought i might get a visit from 5 0 so i burned them.
the second crop i harvested to early, the buds hadn’t matured. i learned that after i harvested.
i am currently using a philzon group light i think its 1000w i will have to double ck that. the light is 18" from the top of the tallest tree. I am growing indoors in a tent. i have a fan in there to keep circulating the air. the hummidity is around 44% and i cant seem to get it any higher. I am looking on amazon to find something that i might be able to use to boost it up cause i know it should be ideally over 50. i go in the tent a couple times a day and mist it with a spray bottle for now. I don’t have anything set up for a ventilation system because frankly i don’t have space for it in the closet.
i was off on me guesstimation on the size i took a tape to it and the tallest one is 19" the short one 11". boy was i off on that one.
i am using the nutrients from ILGM. i used the seed start for the first 2 weeks then i stoped for a week and then transplanted and a couple of days later i used the growing one. i have used them for all three grows. i have now feed them 1 time a week for the past 4 weeks with the grow fertilizer. they are in black 5 gallon nursery buckets. i thought they would be taller by now. but i get confused cause the chart that they have on ILGM shows to use the fertilizer for veg for 4 weeks. then it shows to use the bloom fertilizer for 8 weeks. but i don’t think the girls are tall enough to switch to bloom. ( my stash is empty so i have been tempted but i have not given in…lol) i hope this help if now please let me know. thanks for your help.
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Thank you.
Your original question was when should you transition light cycles from vegetative to flowering. I think we should work backwards from your light.
The Phlizon will grow plants, but like every light it has a limited canopy size it can cover in veg or flower. They market it as a 1000w light, but it actually draws a whole lot less. We can divide the watts drawn by 50 to estimate the square ft coverage of that light. Let’s say it draws 250w. In that case we estimate it will cover 5 sq ft in flower. If you can’t find the actual draw online, you can use a device like a kill-A-watt to get the numbers.
Knowing that your plants are going to double or triple in size during flower, you probably want to flip your light cycle as soon as your canopy is 1 sq ft. You can always add more lights to increase coverage. If you’re going to go that route, I’m sure we can guide you toward a light that works for your budget.
The harvest dates are an estimation; you’ll want a scope with 40x magnification (minimum) in order to visually determine the glandular trichome development. The ideal window for harvest is a matter of personal preference at that point. Lab testing is beyond most of us, so we need to use trial and error along with visual and qualitative measurements to know when to harvest.
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Thanks Keystone that is some valuable info. I wasn’t aware of the Phlizon not producing what it claims. all the reviews i read were good so i thought it would work for my little grow room… i am only growing 2 plants at a time cause that is all have room for inside.
To make sure i understand correctly you think i should flip them now since they are roughly a foot. And they will continue to grow even after i flip them. ok, i have been wait to flip them on the last too until they got about 3 ft. If i can flip them now that would really make my day.
I have read that some people will place there plants out side during the day and in the early evening move them back under the light for the rest of the 18 hours. Is this a good approach? Since they are in buckets, they are use to move. I think direct sun instead of artificial is better for the plants but i don’t want to shock them or do any kind of damage. the solstices isn’t right to leave them outside and the temps are still dropping at night.
any recommendations you have on lights or my set up please feel free to share… I can’t grow with out knowledge. Thank you for your time in reading my post and responding.
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I am thinking about flipping them either this week or next, just looking for some advise