New Grower Are these pre flowers?

[FrostyTheDopeman]

hello to all,
another newbie question here!
I have a big bang 2 growing under 400w dual spectrum. It is 4 weeks since popping up. I read that they should show sex or pre flowers around 3 weeks but i'm not seeing anything yet(i don't think).
I only ask as this strain flowers for 8.5 weeks according to the packet and as i'm going to Dam in April i'm gettin close to time limit if i want to get it done before i go and not leave it with my mrs to look after(that would not be wise!). If i'm not seeing any will switching to 12/12 help kick start?There seems to be a lot of debate about this.
The plant is about 1.5 ft tall and really bushy.
here's a pic from a few days agoView attachment 169556

and heres a pic from yesterday - the best close up I could do with my camera
View attachment 169557anything there?

sorry if these are dumb questions people!
thanks for any advice/comments

 

[SmashedByHashish]

wait it out ...not nearly long enough...just cuz it says 8.5 weeks means nothing...

 

[lazylathe]

Plant looks really healthy but i do not see it showing any pistils yet!
Patience is a virtue when growing weed.

I agree with smashed here, just because the packet says 8.5 weeks does not mean you will be done in that time.
That guideline is presuming you have PERFECT conditions for 1005 of the grow.

Here is an example for you:

I am growing some auto Bubbelicious.
Flowering time 6 to 8 weeks.
First plant was harvested at 12 weeks!!
I still have another three that need at least 2 to 4 more weeks till they will be ready.
Same strain, same packet, same seed distributor.
All grown in the same conditions in the same room.

Never rely on what the seed packet tells you!
I always find mine go a lot longer than what is provided!

We also have to remember that we do not know when the breeder decides to harvest.
Are the trichs clear, cloudy or amber? We never know.

Patience in this hobby will leave you with an awesome end product!

 

[evol]

I don't see any preflowers. Switching to 12/12 MIGHT help but it will hurt your yield in the end

 

[Joe Dirt]

Are these pre flowers?

To answer your question, yes, they are pre-flowers... emphasis on "pre". You'll have to wait for either sacks or pistils to show but it should be any time now. If you are really concerned about the time element, you can drop the light hours and it may make that happen a little quicker. If it is an auto, they should have shown by 4 weeks. That would concern me.

 

[FrostyTheDopeman]

thanks peeps!i will let it play out as is at the mo!
one quick question, I'm getting confused when it says flowering 8.5 weeks i assumed this means thats the flowering period. Is this right or does it mean start to finish including veg etc?I have a critical going too which is apparently 8 weeks seed to harvest as its a super auto

 

[Joe Dirt]

one quick question, I'm getting confused when it says flowering 8.5 weeks i assumed this means thats the flowering period

That is normally the way photo's are rated, not auto's. If you bought a photo strain by mistake (which I did once), you will have to cut the hours back, and she is ready for that right now if that is the case.

 

[evol]

Was it labelled big bang auto or just big bang? Usually auto say something like "seed to harvest in 60 days" and photos are how you described

 

[shauninspace]

lazy is right.. patience is virtue ..

looking at your plants... looks really good , auto's will normally go for at least 10 weeks.. normally harvesting in week 12-13..

i have the opposite problems.. plant still to small and it started flowering.. , i prefer your situation over mine any day..

 

[low_and_slow]

I've had Mossy's JEM and PAK take over 28 days to show any signs of sex...I wouldn't be overly concerned until you see the plant reach sexual maturity, which can sometimes be indicated by alternating nodes off the main stem, i.e. each branch stops having a symmetrical twin opposite itself. Most of the "days of flowering" refer to onset of calyx production, not necessarily how long the plant takes to harvest from germination, so 8.5 weeks would be more along the line of 8.5 weeks of flowering + 4-6 weeks of pre-flower vegetative growth.