We pay attention to the buds before and after start forming in order to increase cannabis yield. After buds start forming, light is food to your plant, and giving more light will increase yields. For the best yields, we recommend using LED grow lights while buds are forming. Avoid low-quality LEDs! Giving plants the right spectrum is also important. Besides, remove specific leaves at specific points of bud development to “hack” the plant’s natural processes and cause buds to grow bigger and denser than they otherwise would. Most effective on very leafy plants. Then, plants get much more picky about nutrient ratios and nutrient strength in the flowering stage. Make sure you quickly diagnose and fix any nutrient deficiencies, bug infestations, or other visible problems. An unhealthy plant doesn’t have as much energy to put into bud formation. Here are the rest things you should pay attention to after the bud begins to form. They are also important!
6.) Create an Optimum Bud-Building Environment
There are a few key factors that you need to remember about the environment in the flowering stage if you want to maximize yields.
- Temperature– Keep the temperature between 65°F (18°C) and 80°F (26°C) if possible. Heat is associated with loose/airy buds, lower bud smell, reduced potency, and mold/bugs (especially if it’s also humid).
- Humidity– Don’t let it get too humid after buds start developing. High humidity is associated with mold and bud rot, and can also prevent buds from growing as dense/big (high humidity makes it hard for water to move efficiently through the plant).
- Reflection – When your grow space has reflective walls, it prevents light from getting lost. There are a variety of options for increasing reflectivity, such as painting your walls with flat white paint or covering them with a sheet of mylar. Ensuring more light gets to your plants will help buds grow as big as possible.
- Air circulation– In addition to maintaining the right temperature and humidity, it’s important to give plants a gentle breeze and plenty of fresh air. Efficient air circulation prevents a host of problems and makes plants grow faster, resulting in bigger yields overall.
- Add extra CO2 to the air– Some growers supplement their air with extra CO2 to increase yields. Plants need CO2 to photosynthesize light, and (in certain situations) adding extra CO2 to the air can allow your plant to make more energy from the same amount of light. There are a variety of different ways to increase CO2 levels, some of which are more effective than others!
Many growers focus on trying to find new nutrients and supplements to increase yields, yet ignore known problems with their environment. If your flowering environment isn’t ideal, focusing on the tips above will likely make a far more significant difference to yields than any product you can buy in a bottle.
7.) Harvest Plants at the Right Time
Most importantly, don’t harvest early! Cannabis buds gain a significant amount of weight in the last 2 weeks before harvest. Harvesting even a few weeks early can cut your yields in half! Plus, buds won’t be as potent, sparkly, or smelly. Cannabis plants are ready to harvest when most of the white hairs on buds have darkened and curled in. Some growers check the sparkly trichomes under a magnifier to ensure the right harvest time.
And Most Importantly…
1.) Always Be Growing!
If you don’t pause between harvests, your coffers will soon be teeming with buds of different strains. Some growers even create two grow spaces for a perpetual harvest. You’ll soon have to figure out what to do with it all.
Along the same line of thought, never stop learning. Surprising discoveries arise every day, which means there is always more to learn about growing and increasing yields!