The size and quality of the yield of marijuana plants are formed during the flowering stage. It’s the time that the plants experience a longer period of darkness every single day. When you chose to have an indoor plantation, you can give your plants 10 to 12 hours of darkness per day. This provision can happen for outdoor cultivation at the end of the summer.
Since you are concerned about your incoming harvest, you have to be particular with different stages of flowering. The plants will be in this stage for 7 to 9 weeks. But it can be longer for Sativa varieties.
Know the Different Stages of Flowering Cannabis
After Switching to Flowering Stage (1st, 2nd, and 3rd week)
There will be a sudden change in the growth of Cannabis plants once the flowering stage has begun. It’s not about immediately halting the growth. Some considerable stretch and growth still happen in the first few weeks of the flowering stage.
You must know it so you can feed the plants well and give them enough space for possible growth.
Week 1
It’s the transition period or stretch phase so that plants are still inclined to grow. It happens quickly as they will be bearing buds soon. Some of them will multiply their height. Expect new leaves at the main cola which is the topmost part. They take their time growing leaves and stems for them to be sturdier and stronger.
With the happening on the first week of flowering, your plants require a lot of feeding. It’s fine to give them growing nutrients during this time. Training specifically LST is also acceptable. You can bend the stems down so you can create a canopy.
Week 2
It may excite you to see white pistils on female plants. They will pop up as fine, wispy white hair on the part where the big leaves and main stem intersect. These hairs will become the buds in due time. Small pollen sacs will grow on male plants at this point.
To properly feed your plants, you need the guidance of the manufacturer. A feeding schedule comes with its product. You can increase the number of nutrients to boost future yield.
Week 3
Your plants may not let go of the chance of growing and you will see the differences. Their size increased 50% more and they will stretch a bit at this point. Then they gradually stop and on their final size.
White hairs are now replaced by small buds that are on its way to development. You can’t get a hint of its smell as there’s no trichomes or resin glands. They put their energy into the growth of the buds. So make sure you provide them an adequate amount of nutrients.
You’re on the critical point of feeding the plants. Be sure and attentive to what you’re doing. Check the labels of the nutrients and follow the recommended dose. It’s the time that the plants are picky. So deficiencies may arise and some of the signs are yellow or discolored. They may fall off too.
Too much care may cause overfeeding which is not good for your plants. The result is nutrient burn and you will find leaves with discolored tips.
Week 4
No more chance of growing at this period and the plants are concentrating on making buds. Buds are becoming bigger and fatter but they still have the hairs on. Trichomes appear at this time so some aroma can be detected.
Don’t do any training this week. What you need to do on the fourth is to prepare a support system for stems that will be soon burdened by heavy buds.
Week 5
The buds are thick now. Some new buds are starting to grow near the main cola. The plants are budding so they become fatter too. It’s the full blast flowering mode. It’s the time that the ventilation system is necessary because the odor is undeniably strong.
The white hairs turned into amber or brownish color while the trichomes are in opaque form. The latter has a milky white hue so the hairs appear darker. They are the signs that harvest time is fast approaching.
Week 6, 7, and 8
The different stages of the flowering period phase come to its finale. However, there’s still a lot of jobs needed to be done but you can harvest within this time frame. Some strains can be ready in just 8 weeks but not so many of them.
The Need to Flush your Plants
Flushing your Cannabis is usually done two weeks before the harvest. The necessary time differs as some strains can reach flowering quickly but some need more time. Flushing means you stop feeding your plants with nutrients and you instead solely give them pH balanced water.
This process will wash away salt and minerals left in the soil for you to collect pure, tasting buds. So you will be able to avoid tasting hints of chemicals on your smoke which will not be too harsh on the throat.
Checking if your Plants is Ready for Harvest
You will need a microscope or a loupe to fulfill your intention. It is used to observe the trichomes whether the clear color has already turned into milky white. If most trichomes remain clear and transparent, it’s too early to harvest.
The signs that your buds are ready to be collected are opaque clarity and amber color. They imply that the THC content is at its maximum. So you don’t need to waste time and wait to collect them later on. Pick the buds and be ready for curing and drying so you can enjoy the fruit of your labor.
Afterthoughts
You have to regularly check your plants as it grows. But there will be more exciting when you go over different stages of the flowering of Cannabis plants as harvest time is coming soon. If you want to get pure-tasting and quality buds, you have to focus on giving tender, loving care to your plants.
