When you switch to 12/12, or when you see the first flowers?
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for the sake of consistency 12/12 but i still take note of when the 1st flowers start to form.
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What @Neb said.
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I usually start counting when a see the first pistils, usually is pretty accurate, but sometimes when conditions are not perfect and gets a bit cold, I think they need more time to develop.
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Flip to 12/12 and then that’s the start of “Transition week”.
It gets veg nutes for 7 more days and then i switch to flower nutes and thats the ztart of week 1 flower.
If flowers form BEFORE 7 days, I take the hint and that become week 1 flower’s start date. 
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This is a timeless debate, queue the folks with the pitchforks. Some will say from flip, others say from first pistils as in between period is transition period. Personally, I say don’t count. Flip your plants and chop when they are done. Plants cannot read what the breeder wrote anyway 
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It is a timeless debate, like defoliation!
Personally I count from first flower for the record.
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Depends on how mature the plant was, whether it was seed or a clone. If it is a clone then I tend to count from the day I switch to 12/12. If it is from seed and hasn’t shown sex yet, then I tend to count from from the time I see sex.
But that time frame just tells me when to start observing the plant. As the plant enters senescence it will begin to ripen the flowers. The plant will stop producing chlorophyll abd may change colors. The stigma will receed into the bracts and the bracts will swell. The trichomes will become cloudy and amber.
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Never pay attention 
, breeders are always optimistic about flowering days so it’s useless to follow their count, when it’s done, it’s done … 
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That’s why you make your own count, right? So I pay attention still. Then you know your proceeding runs.
i start counting flowering days when i switch my lights to flower cycle but stay with veg nutes through a good part of stretch.
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many feeding regimens will require keeping track of the flowering day, but definitely most breeders are over optimistic, but a microscope never lies 
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Yep. Here’s how I read the breeders flower time.
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this is the easiest way for me. i used to not count until seeing pistils, but i kept messing it up.
A plant will be done when it’s good and ready. I’ve stopped using breeder dates totally. Once the pistils start to shrink I keep an eye on the trichomes with a microscope and once I see around 25% amber or more I chop them.
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I mark down when they start flowering. I don’t go by days though. I let the plant tell me when she is done.
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The day after the ladies, or gents see their first 12 hr dark period is day 1 flower…
Brian(Alaskagrown)
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So why do you mark it down? 
I am always growing strains generously provided by OG pollen chuckers and the majority of them NEVER provide for how long their beauties should remain in flower stage … 
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Like a few others I count from 12/12 flip, week 1 transition regarding nutes and light height/intensity then just keep a record of watering and feeding, noting when key developments take place.
I didn’t know about this!
On My third flowering cycle in 12 months - one year anniversary just this month!
Each time I counted from day zero as flip day and day one the following day 
No scientific reasoning for me , but this is interesting. I will keep on learning
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