Question on timing and self-reversal

[Odissey]

F1 cross will give plants that are mostly right in the middle of the parent strains. The big swings in diversity will come when you breed the F1 seeds and move to F2. F2 is were you'll see the biggest variety in the offspring. From there it is selection for the traits you want.

Thanks for the feedback! So, unless I would like to refine a new strain, F1 should be better due to increased stability and the "hybrid vigor" right?

 

[Arthur]

Yep, when I crossed Sour stomper with gold glue the plants I've run (now about 15) are all fairly uniform in size shape etc, somewhere between the 2 parents. (Beautiful nugs...big, sticky, sweet...) have now crossed those with an autoflower portal male, will be running F2s this spring, or I may cross back to the sour stomper, love the grape smells. Or I may do both.

 

[Odissey]

Yep, when I crossed Sour stomper with gold glue the plants I've run (now about 15) are all fairly uniform in size shape etc, somewhere between the 2 parents. (Beautiful nugs...big, sticky, sweet...) have now crossed those with an autoflower portal male, will be running F2s this spring, or I may cross back to the sour stomper, love the grape smells. Or I may do both.

Fantastic! many thanks for the feedback

 

[Odissey]

Yep, when I crossed Sour stomper with gold glue the plants I've run (now about 15) are all fairly uniform in size shape etc, somewhere between the 2 parents. (Beautiful nugs...big, sticky, sweet...) have now crossed those with an autoflower portal male, will be running F2s this spring, or I may cross back to the sour stomper, love the grape smells. Or I may do both.

By the way, how soon can you start spraying a seedling? Can I wrap a paper towel saturated with CS around the stem as soon as possible or should I really wait 21 days?

 

[parsing_trees]

Can I wrap a paper towel saturated with CS around the stem as soon as possible

That would probably just lead to the seedling catching damping-off (fungal pathogens) and dying.

I've only done a reversal once so far, but the advice I've generally seen is to start spraying around or just before when the plant would show sex, so around day 20 or so from sprout. That's consistent with my understanding about how the process works -- the CS is blocking ethylene, a plant hormone that affects sex differentiation in cannabis, and it works better to block it and have the plant grow male flowers than to start growing female flowers, then, wait, oops, nevermind, male flowers. That probably takes longer before producing useful pollen, and may be more stressful to the plant.

 

[Arthur]

By the way, how soon can you start spraying a seedling? Can I wrap a paper towel saturated with CS around the stem as soon as possible or should I really wait 21 days?

No need to spray till the plant has shown sex. Silver not needed until the plant begins producing ethylene. That doesn't happen until the plant is "mature".

 

[Odissey]

No need to spray till the plant has shown sex. Silver not needed until the plant begins producing ethylene. That doesn't happen until the plant is "mature".

I have read somewhere around AFN that this may not apply to autoflowers since their sex differentiation is genetically programmed to start from birth. I do not know whether this is true nor if there is any lab confirmed evidence of this. Anyway, to me it makes sense that the plant would start producing ethylene well before it shows sex, so it could be advantageous to start spraying before female organs are shown no?

 

[parsing_trees]

I have read somewhere around AFN that this may not apply to autoflowers since their sex differentiation is genetically programmed to start from birth. I do not know whether this is true nor if there is any lab confirmed evidence of this. Anyway, to me it makes sense that the plant would start producing ethylene well before it shows sex, so it could be advantageous to start spraying before female organs are shown no?

I don't think autoflowers are categorically different here -- photoperiods will also grow male or female flowers on their stems as they mature, without light cycle changes, autos just mature a little quicker.

In terms of timing, I defer to anybody with more experience reversing autos (I've only done it once), but next time I do it I will start spraying STS around day 20.

 

[Arthur]

I have read somewhere around AFN that this may not apply to autoflowers since their sex differentiation is genetically programmed to start from birth. I do not know whether this is true nor if there is any lab confirmed evidence of this. Anyway, to me it makes sense that the plant would start producing ethylene well before it shows sex, so it could be advantageous to start spraying before female organs are shown no?

The only thing that differs between auto and photo is light makes one flower, the other is on a clock. They still go through all the stages of a photo period plant, just at an accelerated pace, that is not affected by light quantities or quality.
Probably not going to do any damage by starting early, but unless your making your own cs, it could get expensive.
I started spraying when I saw the first pistils pop, twice a day and had no issues whatsoever.

 

[Odissey]

Thanks @Arthur and @parsing_trees! I will start at day 15 and report here on the timeline!