The flowering stretch. This usually occurs in the first two weeks of bloom and is when the plant shoots upwards. In some strains, it may almost double its height before it focuses on producing the bud. Since larger plants will often produce more buds, most growers want to encourage this stretch period.
Weeks 4-6 – Buds swell
Next, in the cannabis flowering stages, you can expect the swelling of the budlets. They will fatten with each passing day. The buds will still have a bunch of white pistils shooting out in all directions. Now that your plant is focusing more on fattening the buds, you can stop training.
In week 5 of flowering, you can observe the buds all over your plant becoming thicker. You may also spot new buds growing in new places such as along the main cola. With buds abounding, your cannabis plants will get fatter every day. This is a surefire sign you are in full flowering mode.
In weeks 6-8, the buds of your plants will begin to harden; the delicate trichome heads of your flowers will cloud and turn amber, and the once milky pistils of your buds will shrink, turn brown and become fragile. Also, as your plants continue to ripen, new aromas, flavors, and pigmentation will develop.
During the seventh and eighth week of marijuana flowering, the buds finish forming, increase their weight and density, most of the pistils wither, and many of the trichomes change color, going from transparent to white or from white to reddish or amber All these changes are symptoms that announce that the harvest of ...
Most cannabis strains stretch for around the first 2 weeks of flowering. Some stretchy strains will continue to stretch into the 3rd or even 4th week of bloom. Sativa strains will stretch more than indicas. A sativa may double or even triple her height during bloom whereas an indica may increase her height by 50%-100%.
Week 7: The calyxes in the seven-week varieties swell to near bursting as THC is produced in the glands. At the end of the week they will be ready. The trichomes stand more erect and the caps swell with newly produced resin. At the end of the week the flowers reach the peak zone.
Late flowering / Ripening stage – week 6 to harvest
In the last few weeks, buds gain the most weight. They are sticky to the touch and can be very smelly.
The last three weeks is when your buds can actually gain the most weight – that is if you feed them Overdrive®. After your peak bloom phase, your plants enter their late bloom phase (the precise timing and length of which depends on the strain of cannabis you're growing).
In the last two weeks, the buds will mostly be ripening and not really growing much more in size. At this point, the previously white pistils on the buds will now slowly turn amber-brown.
To some degree, more light translates to fatter buds and higher yields (you'll need to pay attention to the distance between your grow light and plants or your plant may suffer from light burn). Increasing light intensity is the most effective way to fatten up buds.
Nighttime provides darkness, keeping cannabis on somewhat of a natural clock. This is why indoor growers need to make a deliberate effort to not only create long, bright days but also emulate dark cycles for cannabis to grow large full buds.
If it's not in their genes, it could also be due to a lack of phosphorus which tends to come out during the flowering phase, maintaining a healthy green during the growth period and at around the fourth flowering week the leaves will begin turning purple, lilac or slightly red.
The bigger the leaf area, the bigger your buds will be. Nitrogen is the nutrient needed most for this green growth. When plants reach their mature size and begin flowering, they need more phosphorus, the nutrient most essential for budding.
In fact, you'll see some of the best bud development in the flushing period, as your plant uses up the rest of the nutrients within it. It thinks it's starving, and senses the end of its life is near. The buds will fatten up the most in the final few weeks of flower, and you'll also notice more trichome production.
Giving insufficient nutrients tends to produce light, fluffy cannabis buds as the plant struggles for the essential minerals required for healthy growth and dense bud formation.
Generally, you want to water every 2 or 3 days during Flowering and you want to water enough that 10-20% of water comes out from the pot as runoff. You can check your soil moisture by sticking a finger in the pot: if the soil is dry a couple inches down, then it is time to water again.
Week 4: Growth Stops and Plants Focus on Their Buds
Even though there are still white hairs sticking out from the buds, the buds themselves become larger with each day and as the buds grow more and more, the plants will produce more trichomes. This causes the odor to become much more pungent.
A bud hardener is an additive you can use at the end of the flower cycle to tighten up your flowers and pack on weight. They are typically used in the final 3 weeks or so of the grow cycle and contain a mix of macronutrients, micronutrients, minerals, essential oils, etc.
Higher THC
Trichomes are present on all marijuana plants, but sticky plants have the most and therefore generate the most THC on their tips. Since THC is one of many factors that affect an individual's “highness” from weed, sticky weed will often be more potent than dry weed of the same strain.
If you are dry trimming, the flower is dried if you can snap the branches rather than them bending. If you have doubts, you can always place a nug in a small container and return in a few hours to check if any moisture has collected. If there is moisture, your buds need a longer drying period.
The best way to check the trichomes on your buds is to use a magnifying glass or a specially designed-trichome viewer. If you see that the trichomes are mostly clear, the plant is not mature enough to harvest. If you see that the trichomes are milky white, the plant is ready to be harvested.
You will need to wait 6-12 weeks until the harvesting depending on the strain. Harvest when around 90% of trichomes are milky white, and 10% are amber. Plus, around 50-70% of pistils should have turned red, brown, or orange.
Weeks 4-6: Buds Fatten Up
They'll still have all the white pistils sticking out, but you'll be able to see the buds getting bigger every day. At this point the “stretch” is about over and you can reduce the amount of training you're doing with your plants.
Cannabis plants need water and nutrients to grow and develop big, healthy flowers. Drought, overwatering, and over/underfeeding can all affect your plant's ability to develop big, dense, and heavy flowers.