What Does Early Flowering Really Mean? Choosing the Right Cannabis Strains for Your Latitude
When shopping for outdoor cannabis seeds, one of the most common things growers look for is an early-flowering strain. But what does early flowering actually mean? And more importantly, what does it mean for your particular growing environment?
A strain that finishes in early October might be considered early flowering in Oregon, but the same strain could finish in mid-September on the East Coast. Meanwhile, growers farther north in Canada may struggle to get that same strain to finish before the fall rains arrive.
The problem is that many growers select strains based on advertised harvest dates without considering how their latitude affects flowering times.
I’m Bradley Danks, an Oregon-based cannabis breeder, and I’ve spent years selecting and growing outdoor varieties in the Pacific Northwest. Growing at approximately the 45th parallel near Portland has given me a pretty good understanding of how flowering times change with latitude, soil conditions, and environmental factors.
In this article, I’ll explain how I classify early-flowering varieties, why the same genetics can finish weeks apart depending on where they’re grown, and some techniques I’ve personally used to influence flowering times outdoors.
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