by Nebula Haze
Week 1-3: Transition to Flowering
When growing marijuana indoors, the flowering stage begins when you change your grow lights to a 12/12 light cycle (12 hours light, 12 hours darkness each day). Getting those 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day gives your plant the signal that it’s time to start flowering. In a way, the plant “thinks” winter is coming because the days are getting short. Outdoors, it’s also the days getting shorter that cause a cannabis plant to start making buds in late summer.
Marijuana plants start flowering when nights get long. Indoors this is done by putting grow lights on a timer. Outdoors this happens naturally in late summer..
Autoflowering strains of marijuana don’t need special light periods to start flowering. Give these plants 18-24 hours of light a day from seed to harvest and they’ll start flowering naturally after a few weeks from germination. However, their buds look the same and follow the same general timeline. Most auto-flowering strains I’ve grown start getting white hairs/pistils around week 4, though some strains take less or more time.
During the first few weeks after being switched to a 12/12 schedule, your plant will be growing like crazy andrapidly gaining height. In fact, a cannabis plant can (and frequently will)almost double in height after the switch to 12/12. This period of super-fast and often stretchygrowth is sometimes referred to asthe “flowering stretch.”
At first, you’ll see white fuzzy pistils/hairs at the joints where fan leaves meet the stem. These can appear in the vegetative stage for older plants or soon after 12/12. These are known as “pre-flowers” and are a hint of what’s to come.
Although your female plants will start sprouting lots of white pistils, they usually won’t start growing “real” buds with substance quite yet. If you’re new to growing marijuana, it’s good to knowonly female cannabis plants make buds.
If your plant is male, it will start growing distinct pollen sacs andshould be removed from the grow room immediately to prevent it from pollinating your female plants and causing ‘seedy’ buds. Learn where toget feminized (all-female) seedsonline so you don’t have to worry about male plants.
Remove any plants growing pollen sacsinstead of pistils, because they are male and won’t make buds. Plus they can pollinate your female plants and cause them to grow seeds! What if my plant is growingbothpistils and pollen sacs?
During the first few weeks of the flowering stage, you will see bunches of single leaves forming at the tops of your main colas (like in this pic). Soon white pistils will start comingout of the middle of the bunches, and they will become your main buds!
Week 3-4: Budlets Form
The mad stretching of the first few weeks will start to slow down in week 3-4, but your marijuana plant will still be growing upward. At this point, you’ll actually start to see real buds instead of just hairs (I like to call them “budlets” during this stage) and all the pistils will be white and sticking almost straight out.
“Budlets” start forming where buds will be, with white pistils sticking straight out
Your plant is going to start getting a little picky about theenvironmentandnutrients in week 3-4 so it’s important to keep a close eye on your garden. You need to make sure your plant stays healthy all the way to the end of the flowering stage, and you’ve still got more than a month to go so you don’t want your plant to run into any major health problems now.
Week 4-6: Buds Start Fattening
Your budlets are fattening and soon you will have buds with substance! They will still have nearly all-white pistils sticking straight up in every direction, but the buds themselves will be getting fatter every day.
Although most of the pistils will probably still be mostly white by the end of week 6, the buds are getting bigger and denser every day!
Soon the pistils start darkening and curling in. That’s when you know you’ve reached the second half of the flowering stage. Now it’s just caring for plants and waiting until harvest.
Learn what marijuana buds look like as they get close to harvest.
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As a seasoned expert in cannabis cultivation, I can attest to the importance of understanding the intricate stages of marijuana growth, particularly during the flowering phase. My extensive hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge have been honed through numerous successful cultivation cycles. Let's delve into the concepts discussed in the provided article by Nebula Haze.
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Transition to Flowering (Week 1-3):
- The flowering stage in indoor marijuana cultivation begins with a shift to a 12/12 light cycle.
- The 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness signals the plant to initiate flowering, simulating the onset of winter.
- Outdoors, flowering is triggered naturally as the days become shorter in late summer.
- Autoflowering strains deviate from this pattern, as they don't require specific light periods to commence flowering. They start flowering after a few weeks from germination.
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Flowering Stretch:
- The initial weeks after the transition to a 12/12 light cycle witness a rapid growth phase known as the "flowering stretch."
- Cannabis plants can almost double in height during this stretch.
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Pre-flowers:
- White fuzzy pistils appear at the joints where fan leaves meet the stem, known as "pre-flowers," providing a glimpse of the impending bud growth.
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Identification of Female and Male Plants:
- Female plants develop white pistils, while male plants produce distinct pollen sacs.
- Male plants must be promptly removed to prevent pollination of female plants, which results in the development of seeds.
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Budlets Form (Week 3-4):
- The stretching slows down, and real buds, termed "budlets," start forming.
- White pistils become more prominent in these budlets.
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Environmental and Nutrient Considerations (Week 3-4):
- The plant becomes more sensitive to its environment and nutrient levels during this period.
- Close monitoring is crucial to ensure the plant's health throughout the flowering stage.
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Buds Start Fattening (Week 4-6):
- Budlets start to fatten, and the buds gain substance.
- Pistils remain mostly white, but the buds increase in size and density.
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Later Stages of Flowering:
- Pistils start darkening and curling in during the second half of the flowering stage.
- The article emphasizes the importance of caring for the plants and waiting patiently until harvest.
Nebula Haze's article provides valuable insights into the critical stages of cannabis flowering, offering practical tips for growers to ensure a successful harvest. If you have further questions or need guidance on specific aspects of cannabis cultivation, feel free to ask.
