It’s important to note that flowering will only occur in situations where the plant receives total darkness for approximately 12 hours. If you interrupt the darkness period even for a few seconds, you may trick the plants into thinking they’re getting more light. It should also be noted that certain varieties have “thresholds” of darkness that need to be passed. That is to say, 12 hours might not work for some plants. You might even be able to get away with a smaller length of time in the dark (say, 10 hours), and you may even need to provide as much as 14 hours of darkness.
If you’re growing outdoors, then you may be at the mercy of the of the Earth’s tilt. Varieties that have extra-long darkness thresholds will have to stay outdoors for a longer period of time. If applicable, you can but a blackout sheet over the plants so that they get the recommended amount of darkness, but that won’t always work. Downoad the free marijuana grow bible for more tips.
Once the actual flowering process begins, you’ll start to notice distinct changes in plant growth and behavior. Male plants will differentiate themselves from female plants by creating pollen sacs rather than pistils. Male plants often tend to grow larger, earlier so that they can drop their pollen onto the female pistils and promote reproduction. Both males and females will have internodes that extend. Male flowers are rather small and they have a yellow, red, purple, or pale green color to them. Female flowers are characterized by two hairy, white stigmas that are designed to catch the male pollen. Over time, the female flowers will begin forming clusters that are referred to as “buds.”
