It's the first day of spring, which for me means getting some seeds started indoors today. This year I'm just doing four plants: Blueberry Kush, Chemdawg #4, Skywalker OG, and Tahoe Kush.
I've got a bunch of seeds given to me but they are not feminized. I am going to plant in trays ina couple days. Not sure how to proceed as far as sexing them and what not. Any way to sex them before budding season? I don't have room etc for 20 plants hoping half a dozen will be female.
Mark, there's a way to force flowering early by only giving the plants 12 hours of light a day. If you're working indoors under lights, that's fairly easy to do, but if the plants are outdoors, that means you have to cover them (and uncover them) every day with something that won't let light penetrate for 12 hours, but lets air circulate. For me, that sounds like extra work, added expense, and the likelihood the plants will go back into their vegetative stage after the manipulation and then start flowering again later in the season, which doesn't always produce the best quality bud.
I think it'd be easier to start 10-12 seeds with an eye towards harvesting 6, and let nature do the work. There's a chance all of them will be females, but more likely only about half of them will be.
You might want to think about using feminized seeds next year, Mark. They're not cheap, and usually cost around $10-15 per seed. But if you can get one seed (plus the cost of nutes) to produce 10-12 ounces of finished bud (a reasonable estimate for growing in 10-gallon pots) on total expenses of maybe $40, the cost of the seeds starts to look pretty darn good, and especially when you factor in not needing to invest time, effort, and money on plants that come up male.
Again, thanks Mike. Turns out I found a three variety pack of feminized seeds that I was given a couple months ago. So I am planting tonight, 4 varieties total. 2 days in the fridge and an hour soak in black tea. We'll see how the seeds do and go from there.
For anyone who wants to eventually grow non-fem seeds, thereby allowing you to avoid someone else's pick of the phenotype ( if they even take the time to pheno hunt ) you receive from fem seeds. Sexing is very easy in the veg stage, allowing the grower to not lose precious time placing young veg plants into the flowering cycle and then reverting back to veg.
I used this method on over 14,000 regular seeds I was responsible for starting within the first year of my employment in a huge IL grow. I had an almost 100% success rate with this method, only missing three times, but catching the males very early in the flower cycle. This method also allows you to separate and pick males for eventual pollen capture for breeding and collecting your own seeds, if you're so inclined. Saves a lot of money on buying seeds, as one pollinated female can produce hundreds of plump, healthy seeds.
Males can be accurately sexed in the veg cycle within 3 to 4 weeks, and females within 4 to 6 weeks in the veg cycle, both timelines starting from the germination stage.
You're welcome, Mark. I hope the info helps. Thanks for your tips as well, and for being so benevolent with your skills and time for those in need. I'm glad we got to talk a while back. Cannabis is most certainly genuine healing medicine. :)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I've got a bunch of seeds
I've got a bunch of seeds given to me but they are not feminized. I am going to plant in trays ina couple days. Not sure how to proceed as far as sexing them and what not. Any way to sex them before budding season? I don't have room etc for 20 plants hoping half a dozen will be female.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
Mark, there's a way to force
Mark, there's a way to force flowering early by only giving the plants 12 hours of light a day. If you're working indoors under lights, that's fairly easy to do, but if the plants are outdoors, that means you have to cover them (and uncover them) every day with something that won't let light penetrate for 12 hours, but lets air circulate. For me, that sounds like extra work, added expense, and the likelihood the plants will go back into their vegetative stage after the manipulation and then start flowering again later in the season, which doesn't always produce the best quality bud.
I think it'd be easier to start 10-12 seeds with an eye towards harvesting 6, and let nature do the work. There's a chance all of them will be females, but more likely only about half of them will be.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Thanks Mike.
Thanks Mike.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
You might want to think about
You might want to think about using feminized seeds next year, Mark. They're not cheap, and usually cost around $10-15 per seed. But if you can get one seed (plus the cost of nutes) to produce 10-12 ounces of finished bud (a reasonable estimate for growing in 10-gallon pots) on total expenses of maybe $40, the cost of the seeds starts to look pretty darn good, and especially when you factor in not needing to invest time, effort, and money on plants that come up male.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Again, thanks Mike. Turns
Again, thanks Mike. Turns out I found a three variety pack of feminized seeds that I was given a couple months ago. So I am planting tonight, 4 varieties total. 2 days in the fridge and an hour soak in black tea. We'll see how the seeds do and go from there.
watermelon/ milk shake femmed
Foxy cereal milk / jungle juice femmed
frosted flakes BX frosted flakes / cereal milk femmed
Melted Rainbow and Starburst 36 not femmed.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
Nice. That's going to make
Nice. That's going to make things much easier for you.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
It's day five and two of my
It's day five and two of my beans have emerged. Should see the other two in the next 24 hours.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
Third seed emerged late
Third seed emerged late yesterday, and the fourth came up overnight. Here we go.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dimethyllovebeam
For anyone who wants to
For anyone who wants to eventually grow non-fem seeds, thereby allowing you to avoid someone else's pick of the phenotype ( if they even take the time to pheno hunt ) you receive from fem seeds. Sexing is very easy in the veg stage, allowing the grower to not lose precious time placing young veg plants into the flowering cycle and then reverting back to veg.
I used this method on over 14,000 regular seeds I was responsible for starting within the first year of my employment in a huge IL grow. I had an almost 100% success rate with this method, only missing three times, but catching the males very early in the flower cycle. This method also allows you to separate and pick males for eventual pollen capture for breeding and collecting your own seeds, if you're so inclined. Saves a lot of money on buying seeds, as one pollinated female can produce hundreds of plump, healthy seeds.
Males can be accurately sexed in the veg cycle within 3 to 4 weeks, and females within 4 to 6 weeks in the veg cycle, both timelines starting from the germination stage.
Link to a good article with accurate pics.
https://www.growweedeasy.com/preflowers
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Thanks Joe!
Thanks Joe!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dimethyllovebeam
You're welcome, Mark. I hope
You're welcome, Mark. I hope the info helps. Thanks for your tips as well, and for being so benevolent with your skills and time for those in need. I'm glad we got to talk a while back. Cannabis is most certainly genuine healing medicine. :)