From Seed to Weed: A Simple Guide to Cannabis Flowering Stages

Keep your baby on track with this easy to read explanation of cannabis flowering stages. Click here to learn the do's and don'ts of growing.

Did you know, more than 1 in 10 Americans are active marijuana users?

Growing cannabis at home is a great way to keep yourself stocked up with products for less. But to grow great weed at home, there are a few tips you should familiarize yourself with first.

If you want to produce a high-quality crop to enjoy at home, our guide can point you in the right direction. The last thing you want is to waste a perfectly good batch of seeds or clones.

So, read on to learn more about cannabis flowering stages.

Transition to Flowering

Around 3-4 weeks after planting, your cannabis plants will reach the end of their vegetative state.

Depending on your stretch and split routines, your cannabis plants should now be growing tall, with many colas beginning to sprout pistils from the main bunches of the cannabis stems. These will go on to become the budlets, and ultimately the flowers of your marijuana plants.

Wire training can spread out your canopy and increase your yield exponentially. 

Forming Budlets

Following the 3-4 week mark, you will see the pistils begin to develop from hairy growths to premature budlets.

You must strictly monitor environmental and nutritional factors during this stage. Your plants will be particularly sensitive to health problems now and you should ensure sufficient nutrients for cannabis in this flowering stage.

While some yellowing and vegetation death is normal in this stage, extensive discoloration or molting should be treated with caution. Negligence can result in a sub-par crop, or worse yet, total failure.   

Fattening Up

One of the most crucial stages of flowering cannabis is the forming and fattening of the cannabis flower itself.

Disregard any wire training regimes at this stage. No new flower sites will be formed at this stage of maturity. Instead, practice strategic defoliation in order to redirect nutrients towards the forming buds.

Ensure there is still enough leaf cover to protect flowers from overexposure to light and power the grow. 

Ripening

From this point on, your plants won’t be forming any new leaves and growth will generally be minimal. 

You are now around seven weeks into your growth. Ensure soil pH is optimal to guarantee full ripening. At this stage, your flowers will be developing the terpenes which will contribute to the flavor and potency of your final product.

Avoid overexposure to heat and light at this stage; this will divert energy away from the buds you have worked so hard to develop thus far.

Flush and Harvest

At week 8+, you have reaches the final stages of flowering your cannabis.

By this point, your plants should be smelling strong. Cease any nutrient programs now. You should employ a water flush for up to two weeks. Do not be discouraged by the yellowing and molting of most of your plants’ leaf matter.

With trichomes present and your buds full and ripe, you can now harvest and enjoy the finished product of your growth. Check out “cannabis dispensary near me” for examples of finished cannabis flowers and great starter seeds.

Cannabis Flowering Stages Explained

So, that’s the complete guide to cannabis flowering stages.

By referencing our helpful guide, you can achieve the results you always wanted from your cannabis-growing operation. 

Did you find this guide helpful? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for everything you need to know about marijuana, vaping, and more.

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