How can you recognize your plant’s bloom?
Growing outdoors for beginners. It’s around the middle of August and the days have shortened enough for your plant to start blooming. Maybe you tricked your plant into believing it was time by blacking it out. Anyway: it’s time for the flowering phase. But how can you tell if your plant is in bloom?
Calyxes and pistils
Plants start to flower because they want to procreate. In order to do this, they make flowers and fruit. If you see the formation of actual flowers, you’ll know your plant is in bloom. Male flowers give off pollen, which female plants catch with their flowers. The females then start to make seeds. As a grower you want to prevent that, since it’s not good for the quality of your harvest. So, what are flowers made of?
The calyx. This is the first part of a flower that’s formed. It’s a chalice- or cup-shaped ring of small leaves that protects the procreative parts of the flower. If you picture the flower as a building: the calyx would be the foundation.
Pistils. These are formed later, once the calyx is complete. Pistils are long hairs arranged around the center of the flower. Later on, they will be an important indication of how far flowering has progressed. As the plant matures, their color changes to yellow and eventually amber. They are also an indication if a plant is female or male, since only females have pistils.
Male plants have little sacks of pollen, that open to dispense their contents and pollinate female plants. Since female plants stop further formation of flowers when they are pollinated, you want to prevent pollination. If you recognize male plants: remove them. If you’re growing from feminized seed, chances of male plants are low, however.
If you need help during your grow cycle about your plant or nutrition, ask our Grow Experts via Servicedesk.
Flowering products from Plagron
We advise you to use Pure Zym and Power Roots along with Plagron Terra Bloom or Alga Bloom in the first few weeks of flowering. From the fourth week you should start adding Green Sensation. You can add Sugar Royal throughout the entire cultivation. This combination ensures optimal flowering by providing the correct nutrients and helping plants with energy management. You can try these combinations at a good price with our Top Grow Box 100% TERRA or 100% NATURAL. Both of these sets include growth and bloom nutrients as well as additives.