Modified on: 26/08/2022
How do you deal with the end of flowering with cannabis? Here is what experienced cannabis growers check
From the moment the marijuana seeds are planted to the harvest period, several weeks pass, during which time cannabis growers must carefully monitor the growth and nutrition of the plants.
At some point, however, when the cannabis flowers have finished flowering, the time for harvesting is near, and to ensure that the months of previous work are not ruined, it is essential to know what to do.
What is good to consider?
How to defoliate and feed the plants at this stage?
How do you know when it is time to harvest?
This article wants to answer the main questions about the final stage of flowering cannabis while reminding you that its cultivation is not permitted in most European countries.
End of flowering of cannabis: when the plant changes its needs completely
When we reach the final stage of cannabis flowering, the plant presents itself differently from the previous months.
Resin production increases in inflorescences and sugar leaves, white pistils grow larger, fan leaves tend to turn yellow and trichomes turn from transparent to opaque and only eventually amber.
The signs of the final stage of flowering are all there, so what to do?
While in the period after planting cannabis seeds and in the vegetative phase, the plant needs particular care. Everything changes in the flowering stage, especially in the last two weeks, so it is essential to take this into account.
The plant needs different nutrition (which must not be excessive or you risk spoiling the crop’s aroma), the roots need to be washed, defoliation needs to be done differently. And finally, the appearance of trichomes, the indicators of the harvest time, needs to be monitored.
Let’s start with plant nutrition.
Read also: Opaque, transparent and amber trichomes: why is it essential to know them before harvesting?
Nutriments at the end of flowering of cannabis
While after planting marijuana seeds and in the vegetative phase, it is essential to feed the hemp plants with the right amount of nutrients. When the cannabis plants have reached the final flowering stage, there is a tendency to reduce the nutrient supply until it stops. However, differences are depending on the type of cultivation.
In hydroponics, you only stop feeding the plants in the last 5 days before harvest. In soil or coco crops, you stop about two weeks earlier, as the soil may still be full of available nutrients.
The reason is simple: nutrients, especially chemical ones, may adversely affect the inflorescences’ aroma.
If you think that the plants will be affected, this is not the case at all.
When the nutrient supply is cut off, the plants absorb whatever is left in the substrate and then use the energy of the fan leaves, which is why the largest leaves of the plant turn yellow at the end of flowering.
To be sure of obtaining products with quality aromas, some hemp growers also carry out root rinsing.
The soil is soaked in pure, pH-balanced water, which is then allowed to drain away to remove any excess minerals.
Above, we talked about the timing of the nutrient suspension, but keep in mind that depending on whether you are dealing with plants from fast-flowering, feminized seeds or auto flower seeds, the timing can change.
What about trimming?
Defoliation in flowering: is it necessary?
During the flowering phase, defoliation occurs practically naturally. How?
Above, we told you about the fan leaves turning yellow because they supply the hemp flowers with nutrients. There, once their nutrition has been fully absorbed, they wither and fall off on their own.
A hemp grower can only clean up his plants to cut these leaves before they fall by themselves, nothing more.
Checking ripeness before harvest
At the end of cannabis flowering, in addition to everything else, of course, it is essential to monitor the ripening of the inflorescences.
How?
By looking at trichomes, which are only visible with a magnifying glass.
When the trichomes are transparent, the flowers are still too young; when they become dull and milky white, depending on the variety of cannabis you grow, you are very close to harvest time.
Some cannabis growers wait for trichomes to become almost entirely amber in colour before harvesting. Others harvest when the trichomes are practically all white and only 15% darker.
It is essential to monitor the appearance of the trichomes, as they are responsible for the production of resin and cannabinoids.
How to speed up harvest time?
If the trichomes take a long time to ripen, there are a few things to do.
First of all, make sure that the hemp plants are exposed to the right amount of light. Too little light means slow growth.
Secondly, you need to pay attention to nutrition and moisture levels.
While those who ask how to speed up the flowering of hemp generally hear the answer that the plant should be fed with a special fertilizer, at the end of flowering, as well as suspending the supply of nutrients, it may be advisable to bring the plant to a state of stress by reducing the water supply.
Why?
When the plant is defensively stressed, it increases its resin production and tends to ripen faster.
To conclude
These are the main steps that need to be taken in the final stage of marijuana flowering.
Of course, depending on whether you are dealing with plants from fast-flowering seeds, feminized seeds or auto-flowering seeds, the needs and timing of growth, flowering, and ripening can change. Still, the plants and their behaviour can provide you with a lot of helpful information.
After this insight, if the world of cannabis fascinates you, we remind you that in our Sensoryseeds online shop, you can find all the best BSF cannabis seed varieties to collect.
Complete your marijuana seed display with our proposals: we are waiting for you!
