Flowering time - ILGM admins please provide definitive answer!

I’ve been growing for a long time and have always counted “flowering time” immediately from the switch to 12/12. A lot of other folks count flowering time from the appearance of the first pistils.

Personally, I don’t harvest based on advertised flowering time (I go by the maturity of the trichomes under my microscope) but for planning purposes it would be very helpful to understand how seed vendors view “flowering time”.

When I see an ILGM strain advertised with an 8 week flowering time do I interpret that as the average flowering time counted from the switch to 12/12 or is it the average flowering time counted from the appearance of the first pistils?

Thanks!

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Had the same ? On my last grow! The general response was start the count from first flower. I had done the same as you and was always told I was 2/3 weeks min away from harvest when I arrived at the rated week stated by seed house. So I believe it is at the actually flower.

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Inquiring minds want to know? Set to watch.

You are going to find a lot of good answers to that inquiry, but the bottom line is that stated flowering times are only an estimate. It is like asking how long from the day of birth will it be before my children enter puberty. There is an answer that will be close…but none of my children will start at exactly the same point in their age.
Even if you have a perfect answer for when to start your count of weeks once flowering starts…Its still unpredictable when the plant will finish. Even with seeds all off of the same original plant.
Stated flowering times are just an average of what to expect. Typically it will go a bit longer than stated, but nature will do what it wants.
My advice is just enjoy the process and solve the problems as they occur.
Not an answer to your question exactly i know…

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Thanks for the response. I fully understand, and agree with your points

I don’t chop based on a count of weeks, I go by trichomes. What I’m trying to understand is how seed vendors view this topic.

The answer I see most often is the time is figured from the day the plant first shows its sex.
I know lots of people do not count until the plant has thrown pistils for a week or two.
I think there are a couple people here with connections to the seed shop, which is mostly separate from the forum. You will get a more definitive answer once they chime in.

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