Cultivating cannabis seeds is always an exciting experience. Many marijuana growers do it mainly for the fulfilling and rewarding feeling that comes with harvesting your own weed buds. Who doesn’t want being able to smoke marijuana buds that sprouted from your very own time and effort? Additionally, cultivating your own marijuana seeds is a great way of making sure you don’t run out of supply. This comes in handy especially during the cold and snowy seasons where cannabis plants cannot usually grow and to learn the marijuana flowering stage.
However, the process of planting your own weed seeds isn’t as easy as some people think. In fact, it is quite different as opposed to other types of plants. One of the most crucial and important stages in a cannabis plant’s life is the flowering stage. During this time, extra care and attention must be given to cannabis plants in order to make sure that they grow to be beautiful and potent marijuana buds.
What is the Flowering Stage?
The earliest stage of a cannabis plant’s life is the vegetative stage. During this stage, the cannabis seed slowly starts sprouting into little taproots and produces branch-like stems that would later make up the main parts of a cannabis plant. However, after the vegetative stage comes the flowering stage. Like we said above, this is probably the most critical part of cannabis cultivation.
Basically, it is when marijuana plants start producing luscious and fragrant cannabis buds that will later be used for consumption. With that being said, it is easy to see that the overall quality of marijuana buds depend greatly on how they are treated during the flowering stage. One great way of monitoring the cannabis plant’s flowering stage is by breaking them down into parts. The whole of the flowering stage may take an average of 9 to 10 weeks. During this span, your time and efforts can literally spell out the difference between marijuana glory and a cannabis disaster.
- WEEK 1-3: The Stretching into Flowering Stage – As the name suggests, this is where the flowers start to develop and “stretch out” into the open for everyone to see. The health and resilience of your cannabis plants depend greatly on their treatment during the vegetative stage so we recommend continuing giving proper and substantial nutrients during this time span! At this point in time, the seeds may believe that it is the “winter season” because of the constant ratio of darkness and light given to it by the grower (which is usually a 12/12 hour ratio). As such, this will cause the seeds to develop a growth spurt and reach a height that may surprise some growers. This stage is also called the “Flowering Stretch” stage.
- WEEK 3-5: Development of Marijuana “Budlets” – After around 3 to 5 weeks, the stretching of the cannabis plants reaches an abrupt stop. During this time, tiny marijuana “budlets” start to form in between the colas on top of the marijuana plant. It is in this stage that you can normally spot any problems. Before proceeding with any steps, make sure your plants are free from any infestations and rotten parts. One common sign that the plant is progressing well is the presence of discolored leaves and falling leaves from the bottom portion of the plant. This means that they are not getting enough sunlight which is normal. Discolored leaves means that they are transferring the plant’s nutrients into leaves and parts that are progressing well.
- WEEK 5-7: From “Budlets” to Buds – As more time passes by, the more exciting this process becomes. During the time between the 5th and 7th week, the budlets start developing white and colored pistils that are familiar to marijuana growers. Also, plants have reached their maximum height now. They have also developed all the leaves that they can. What you need to focus on now is the maintenance and health of the sprouting buds. Continue providing them with ideal amounts of nutrients. However, be careful as too much nutrients can cause “nutrient burn”. Additionally, proper watering of the plants is crucial during this stage. What we are trying to do is maintain the health and structure of the already developed plant.
- WEEK 7-8: Buds are ready and potent – This is the time when marijuana buds grow the largest. During this stage, try to avoid any nutrients that are meant to be given at the early stages of vegetative growth. This can disrupt their structures and cause them to develop improperly. You see, the plants are now more focused on providing the right nutrients to the buds instead of continuing to grow. The pistils sprouting from the buds also start to mature and darken in color. Additionally, wrong lighting can expose your cannabis plants to “foxtailing” which means buds start growing from the wrong places.
- WEEK 8 and Onwards: Final Push and Harvest – Finally, you are at the endpoint of your marijuana cultivation process. It is here where the fragrance and aroma of the marijuana buds start overflowing your growing area. Buds during this period have now reached their potency levels and are ready for harvest.
However, some leaves may exhibit yellowing. Don’t worry since they are already close to harvest. This won’t do anything to affect the taste and potency of the buds. It is common practice to wait for around 1 to 2 weeks before harvesting them in order to let all the nutrients settle in. Once you are ready, it is time to enjoy your lovely marijuana buds.
Marijuana cultivation is easily becoming a worldwide trend. However, it is important for people to know the exact steps in making sure their buds turn out to be rich and potent. Following these steps during the most crucial stages of a cannabis plant’s life can make you an expert in cannabis cultivation much faster.
