How do i force flower on an outdoor female

I have a 6-7f female. And i kinda want to force it to flower but a the same time want to wait for it to do it on its own. so how do i force flower on such a tall girl and or when should it start to flower on its own and how long will it be.

 

It should start flowering soon, I have some 7 footers and they have been flowering about 10 days, and they all started naturaly. I'm in the SE BTW its really hot and humid here still, and my plants actually get lots of light. They are all sativa so you should be seeing some flowering. The only way I know of to start flowering early is to cover the plant with multiple garbage bags (gotta block out all the light), but this poses a heat and STEALTH problem. I think if your plants are healthy, they should begin flowering SOON!
Next year I am going to invest in lowryder #2, its said to be ready in 60 days no matter what!
Hope you see flowers soon.

 

Good thread.
How young can the plants be in order to force flower?

 

i've heard 60 days, but i can't confirm this.

 

Most seed producers recommend at least two weeks growth before force flowering. Personally i'd go with at least a month. Small yields though with such small plants.

 

^Good rule of thumb. Also you can look for when the nodes become alternating this means it is mature.

 

Absolutely! Waiting until a plant becomes sexually mature is best. 8 - 10 weeks usually for a typical hybrid.
I say a month as a minimum though because under average lighting it takes about that time for plants to put out some branches and form a nicely shaped little plant. Kinda like a teenager ... perhaps a little immature but 'up for it' anyway.

However some people do indeed start their seedlings under a 12/12 lighting regime from the off, but from what i've read and seen, some varietys do this better than others and there's no way of telling how they'll perform in this case unless you've done it with that variety before. Experimenting is fun though.

 

I got some "greenlight" rooting hormone today at lows.
How big does the plant have to be for me to take clippings and make clones?

 

A clone is typically a 3" cutting. You need at least one node to be trimmed off and a growing shoot soooo it depends on how many side branches and nodes. It depends on what state the plant is in: Tall and lanky - short and squat. Use your judgement on how the growth is going. Some people pinch the top to encourage more side branching - for more clones.

 

just don't cut clones after the beginning of flowering.

Anytime in late veg period is good. Wait till she's got plenty of offshoots.

IMO... I wouldn't take all my cuttings during one sitting... spread it out a bit- it is less stressful for the plant.

And stress can lead to a Hermi.

 

Ahhhh not quite true. A four week flowering clone can give fantastic results. Have you ever regenerated a plant? Ever notice the crazy growth that comes out of the bud sites? Well the 4 week flowering clone will give just that. It is not as stressful as say interupting the 12/12. The chances of it going hermie are very slim (my disclaimer would be directed towards hermie prone strains).

 

I agree with BudBill.

I've been taking cuttings from a plant which is partially in flower.... under constant light they root in about 8-10 days and then they just reveg. No problem.
I also disagree that taking many cuttings all at once will stress a plant to the point of causing it to hermie. ... it's just the same as pruning a plant right back ... not a huge stress at all and hermaphrodites are generally the product of less than thorough breeding.
For example the plant i'm taking cuttings from right now has been through hell many times in the last 6 months (it was originally a nice plant i had outdoors last season which i revegged) ... no nanas yet and i doubt very mutch i'll ever see any ... it's all woman and probably a good candidate for selfing to produce feminised seeds via chemical means.