Sexxing, Space management question

My plants are beginning to get big enough for me to start worrying about how I'm going to figure out males from females in time to get my plants down to a more managable number. I have a 5x6x7 room with a 1000w MH, sunshine mix for medium and organic ferts.I've got some dog going as well as 3 other BB strains for genetics.There are 17 plants in one gal pots as of now. I have the light at 24", should I move the light up to create a larger light footprint, in order to cover a larger area? I have only grown once and it was outside and i was able to pluck all the males out relatively easy during the preflower. Will they show theirselves in preflower anytime soon? and if not how long after 12/12 will they begin to show usually? I am aimming for nine females to stay in the room. I want to veg for a month( I'm at 2.5 weeks now) then switch over. Any other suggestions about anything is welcome as long as it's constructive.
Thanks, green217

Pre-flowering varies a little by strain but I think somewhere around the 1 month to 6 week mark is my estimate. Once you flip to 12/12 it can be as soon as a few days or as long as a week to really know.

I'd probably try to maintain that 24" spacing if the temps are where you like them at canopy level. It's gonna get crowded but keep moving them around, top them, and it will work itself out.

Bugeye said:

Pre-flowering varies a little by strain but I think somewhere around the 1 month to 6 week mark is my estimate. Once you flip to 12/12 it can be as soon as a few days or as long as a week to really know.

I'd probably try to maintain that 24" spacing if the temps are where you like them at canopy level. It's gonna get crowded but keep moving them around, top them, and it will work itself out.

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Bugeye said:

Pre-flowering varies a little by strain but I think somewhere around the 1 month to 6 week mark is my estimate. Once you flip to 12/12 it can be as soon as a few days or as long as a week to really know.

I'd probably try to maintain that 24" spacing if the temps are where you like them at canopy level. It's gonna get crowded but keep moving them around, top them, and it will work itself out.

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Sounds about right. I appreciate it. I'll just have to move'em around like u said till i switch.

I usually see preflower by week six of veg. If they still haven't shown and I'm in a pinch and need to know, I will put them in the dark for a day or two. That's only if I intend to flower them out.

Freda Felcher said:

I usually see preflower by week six of veg. If they still haven't shown and I'm in a pinch and need to know, I will put them in the dark for a day or two. That's only if I intend to flower them out.

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Never heard of leaving them in the dark for a day or two would get them to show, this works?

Doesn't it get scary????

You're sitting there looking at all your plants, and then imagining how big they're going to get, vs the space you have....

LOL!!!

I love it.

@green217, if you can get a branch big enough to show sex, take a branch put it in dark for a week, it will show you.... instead of the entire plant. =) It's how I take my clones.

I will take a mess of clones from a single plant, then put that plant in to flowering and cross my fingers it ends up being a female... If it's a female.... I end up with a crap load of "I know for a fact those are females" plants.

If they are male, I suck it up, and start over.

Yeah it is getting scary, they are competing for space more and moore everyday! Appreciate the advice guys.

green217 said:

Never heard of leaving them in the dark for a day or two would get them to show, this works?

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It's fine to set them in the dark for a day or two, as long as you are ready to flower them. It can help speed up sexing by a few days.

gosh 6 weeks? You flowering Sativa or Indica ? I myself just get tired of waiting on those Sativa's & Haze. But damn some of them are just so good.!!

Freda Felcher said:

I usually see preflower by week six of veg. If they still haven't shown and I'm in a pinch and need to know, I will put them in the dark for a day or two. That's only if I intend to flower them out.

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I actually have eight Connie Chungs in a dark closet atm. My flower tent isn't ready and I'm on a schedule to have them done well before the 4th of July. So instead of waiting another two days for my tent to be all ready, I started the flowering cycle in the dark. Maybe it's not a good idea with more finicky touchy strains, but I have never had a problem with herms after doing this on any of my grows.

~Dankster~420 said:

gosh 6 weeks? You flowering Sativa or Indica ? I myself just get tired of waiting on those Sativa's & Haze. But damn some of them are just so good.!! View attachment 3125569

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Six weeks at the latest is when I get antsy in my pantsy. Sativas take a while to trigger sometimes, same with cloning them.

I hear that.. A good friend had told me about a write up about a fella that would just leave his ladies in total darkness towards the end of his grows.! lol He swear by it increases potency, and also said that the dude said in the write up they turn out alien looking..

Freda Felcher said:

I actually have eight Connie Chungs in a dark closet atm. My flower tent isn't ready and I'm on a schedule to have them done well before the 4th of July. So instead of waiting another two days for my tent to be all ready, I started the flowering cycle in the dark. Maybe it's not a good idea with more finicky touchy strains, but I have never had a problem with herms after doing this on any of my grows.

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Hell yeah they do.. I just finished up my F1 K.A.S.I in 6 weeks. Her trichs was at 60/40 at the 6 week mark.

Freda Felcher said:

Six weeks at the latest is when I get antsy in my pantsy. Sativas take a while to trigger sometimes, same with cloning them.

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~Dankster~420 said:

I hear that.. A good friend had told me about a write up about a fella that would just leave his ladies in total darkness towards the end of his grows.! lol He swear by it increases potency, and also said that the dude said in the write up they turn out alien looking.. View attachment 3125574

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Yes, I have tried it. I wanna do a side by side test someday. Maybe that can be my 'side by side' addition to your thread

Why not just flip it now, "weed" out the males, dispose of carefully. Then replant all females into huge pots, revert to veg, wait another month or so, take some clones, then throw them into flower.

You do risk hermaphrodite if the strain is touchy, but imho, its worth the risk, to know. Track your mothers/clones careful, and the mothers that hermie (if any) dispose of there clones, cause that's one touchy ass bitch.

Freda Felcher said:

It's fine to set them in the dark for a day or two, as long as you are ready to flower them. It can help speed up sexing by a few days.

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Maybe I'll try that in a couple more weeks.

I believe he is wanting to pollinate his ladies so he doesn't have to purchase anymore beans I maybe wrong though...

TheSnake said:

Why not just flip it now, "weed" out the males, dispose of carefully. Then replant all females into huge pots, revert to veg, wait another month or so, take some clones, then throw them into flower.

You do risk hermaphrodite if the strain is touchy, but imho, its worth the risk, to know. Track your mothers/clones careful, and the mothers that hermie (if any) dispose of there clones, cause that's one touchy ass bitch.

Click to expand...

TheSnake said:

Why not just flip it now, "weed" out the males, dispose of carefully. Then replant all females into huge pots, revert to veg, wait another month or so, take some clones, then throw them into flower.

You do risk hermaphrodite if the strain is touchy, but imho, its worth the risk, to know. Track your mothers/clones careful, and the mothers that hermie (if any) dispose of there clones, cause that's one touchy ass bitch.

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Not that patient i'm paying top dollar off the street right now for me and ole lady. So one month under the MH is what I'm shooting for, before flipping.

~Dankster~420 said:

I believe he is wanting to pollinate his ladies so he doesn't have to purchase anymore beans I maybe wrong though...

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yeah i'm planning on sticking a male or two under the floroecent I had the seedlings under 12-12, They will give me some pollen like that shouldn't they?

green217 said:

Maybe I'll try that in a couple more weeks.

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I missed this reading before that you're only 2.5 weeks in. They need at least a month or so to reach maturity before they show sex. I'm sure theres an exception to this, but normally its at least four weeks. If you get impatient after that time you can try my suggestion or Snakes idea was pretty spot on as well. All depends on how long you wana go and how big you want them.