Let me start by asking what exactly are you concerned about with the new growth? Color? Leaf texture? Something else?
I see pretty happy, healthy plants. They call this thing 'weed' for a reason - it wants to grow almost no matter what you do to it. So, try not to over think it.
On to the questions and comments:
As others mentioned, this could be an issue. You often get weird crinkled leaves if you are overwatering. Watering on a schedule is not recommended. A better method is to water after the plant has used all of the water, and just before it begins to droop. The watering link provided by
@013 above to Emilya's watering thread will explain it in some detail.
But, it doesn't look to me like it is any major watering problem. Those plants are pretty big and I would imagine the root structure is sufficient to handle the water you are throwing at it. But still, better to not be on a schedule until the plant tells you that it wants water every three days, etc.
I know some growers like to use a 24/0 light schedule, particularly for autos since they have a pretty short time frame before they go into flower and they like it to have as much light as possible before that happens. However, the plants will only be able to absorb a certain maximum amount of light in any 24 hour period, so how fast you get there depends on your lights. Any light after they have reached their max is essentially wasted.
Personally, I like to give my plants a rest period in the dark. I understand that the dark promotes root growth, and nature gives them a rest so, so do I.
Agreed.
Great link. Not everyone agrees with the wet/dry cycle, but it has proven a very effective method for those that do employ it. If you do, the link points to the thread with the advice to follow.
I see you have already done this.
This 'finger in the soil' method tells you nothing about what's going on in the bottom half of your pots and is
not recommended. Follow the guide in the above link while in veg. In flower you'll want to push more water at them assuming you've built a good root structure, which I suspect you have.
With photoperiod plants (as opposed to autos) you can stay in veg indefinitely, as long as you provide enough of a light period. And it's actually the dark period that the plant is concerned with. Anything around 12 hours of darkness will cause the plant to go into flower as long as it is sexually mature enough to do so. It is sexually mature enough when it starts growing with alternating, as opposed to opposite, nodes on the plant. I suspect yours are already there.
So, the question becomes when to flip them into flower? The longest you'd want to leave them in veg is more of a height issue in an indoor grow. Indica based plants often stretch to double the height they were when you flipped them. Sativa based plants can stretch 3x or more! so you want to figure out how much height you have in your flower space, and account for the lights and the recommended distance the manufacturer suggests you keep them from the lights. Then divide that by 2 or 3 or whatever you need based upon your plants and that will allow you to max out your space without overgrowing it.
If you are already past the recommended flip height, you can do some training on the plants like LST (Low Stress Training), supercropping, topping, etc. to help you manage the plant for the space you have.
Unless you flipped it to a flowering schedule and then back to this 24/0, revegging is likely not it. And it is not a gradual decrease in light but actually the number of dark hours that is the issue.
Also, be sure that when you do flip to a flower schedule that the dark period is truly that. Dark. Any light leaks like from a seam or zipper, or from an indicator light on a power strip or appliance that the plant can see, counts. This can cause hermies or in extreme cases confuse the plant enough that it does want to return to veg (revegging).
The pistils are another indication that the plant is sexually mature, not that it is starting to flower under a 24/0 schedule unless it is an auto. Those are called pre-flowers and it is totally normal as the plant matures, even if it is still under a vegatative lighting schedule.
Revegging, or reverting the plant from flower back to veg, is very stressful on the plant and something you want to avoid without lots of experience. An example of why some growers might do it shortly after they flipped to flower mode is if they suddenly notice a bug issue or some other thing that they think they can correct quickly. But again, very hard and stressful on the plants and they throw some very weird leaves as they struggle through that period.
Agreed.
See above, but I think it is more of a height issue once the plants reach alternating node status which tells you they are ready whenever you are. The fact that they are showing pre-flowers also tells you they are ready.
So, in short, the plants look pretty good to me, and I thnk you're stressing too much on a non-issue.
You can keep any auto's in the same space as your regular photoperiod plants and they'll flower when they want to. So, I'd flip to a flowering schedule based on the photoperiods and the height you have and then when you're ready, and the autos will just go along fo the ride.
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