These are the several tips and tactics you can apply to make your buds ripen or mature faster so that you have to harvest sooner!
A longer ‘night’ helps plants to flower sooner. A plant that’s taking too long to produce a flower, needs a long ‘night’. Give your plants fewer hours of light in a day to ripen buds quickly. This article is about how to make your Cannabis buds ripen faster.
Reduce The Hours Of Light
A plant getting less light each day ‘thinks’ that winter is coming. That’s why giving a plant about 12 hours of darkness a day will cause it to start flowering.
But, some strains (such as sativas and hazes – discussed below) are inclined to take a long time to finish maturing. In such cases, shortening their days will encourage them to grow faster.
To do this successfully, try switching to a 10-14 hour schedule (ten hours of light and 14 hours of darkness), or 8-16 (eight hours of light and 16 hours of darkness) will do.
If you happen to have an auto-flowering strain that is not ripening or maturing, switching from the typical 18-6 (18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark) schedule, to 12-12 (12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark) schedule.
To do the same with photoperiod (the period of time each day during which an organism receives daylight) Cannabis plants, is the best alternative.
A longer night can help encourage plants to produce flowering sooner. If you happen to have one that’s taking too long to produce a flower, give it a long night. Take note to give your plants fewer hours of light in a day to ripen buds quickly.
Darkness in Night
This may sound simple, but you need to check it twice to ensure your plants are getting complete darkness in the dark period, without the presence of light at any angle of the Plant.
A little bit of light leaking through the darkness that you don’t notice can prevent buds from maturing properly. Make sure you maintain complete darkness in the room where you put your buds for their dark or ‘night’ period of time.
A Low Humidity, Temperature, and Light
Some growers believed that giving lower temperatures and reducing light levels can help ripen plants quickly by simulating the fall.
Another method some growers believe and use in increasing trichomes and probably gives speed to maturation is lowering the humidity below 40% RH, which would also help to imitate cold and dry winter weather.
Buds will ripen if you simulate the fall; this is because the plants think winter is coming.
A Specialized Supplement to Help Ripen your Buds Faster
Some supplements help support boosting the level of maturation, but, sad to say, not yet proven. These supplements are Kool Bloom (the dry version) and Terminator.
Have Patience
You do need to have patience. You need to learn how to wait for results. But your waiting will be worth it.
During harvest time, there’s an increase in potency.
The good side of buds, when it takes longer to ripen, usually end up with a more significant yield because those buds have been given the luxury of time to bulk up more!
Examples Of Buds That Can Be Harvested Even Trichomes Don’t Appear Already:
In your desire to determine when you will harvest your Cannabis, you may disturb the Trichomes. Don’t worry because this is possible when you inspect your Plant. However, to ensure the highest potency in your buds, you need to look at the trichomes on them.
Trichomes are the gooey, sticky glands covering the flowers and the small leaves of the Cannabis plant. To clarify, a trichome is a small outgrowth or extension on a plant.
The word Trichome is Greek in origin and means growth of hair. Not unlike terpenes (chemicals on the Plant determining smell and taste), most Cannabis plants have trichomes that perform a good many functions.
For example, because of their nasty, bitter taste and strong, acrid aromas, Trichomes serve as a deterrent for animals, making Cannabis flowers disgusting to their palates. Simultaneously they are multi-functional by protecting their plants from harmful winds and even certain types of fungal growth.
When the Cannabis buds finally reach the highest level, you will notice that the trichomes will have mostly turned white and looking milky.
To be sure, you could try using a magnifier to inspect the highest potency. Take note, however, there are times when trichomes don’t look 100% ready. But, don’t hesitate to harvest them anyway.
When Buds Become Burnt and Brown?
The appearance of toasted or brown buds in spots is a sign that it is time to harvest. Even the trichomes don’t look quite well.
It’s also vital to harvesting your buds when they turn brown because it’s at this time the potency starts degrading.
When the Plant has Stopped ‘Living?’
In the wild, the Cannabis plant will germinate during spring; in its entire life, it lives and eventually dies at the end of the year.
It’s made to produce buds and then ceases to exist. When a Cannabis plant has stopped ‘living,’ you no longer get more growth out of it.
Take the Plant down if you’ve burned it off, or the leaves and sugar leaves are all lost. The buds won’t flatten up without the presence of green on the Plant; they’ll just get discolored and damaged.
When there are no green leaves left – it’s ready to harvest.
Plus, when it turns into yellow leaves, you should harvest it to prevent discoloration from spreading to the buds.
Hermie
‘Hermie’ is a term for ‘hermaphrodite marijuana plant’. Growers and Breeders remain alert to the possibility that their plants may hermie and they must attempt to prevent this, or take fast remedial action.
A completely broken marijuana plant outfit with its hermie pollen sacs or bananas you should harvest immediately to avoid self-pollination or pollination with other plants of yours, which eventually causes seedy buds.
A hermie is a Marijuana plant that has both male and female characteristics – and gender is essential.
Female Cannabis plants need the pollen from male Cannabis plants to produce the next generation. Breeders must have male plants – but growers of their own Medical Marijuana only need the female plants and their buds.
Please be careful in moving a hermie plant if other plants are surrounding it, and take note even if you can’t see any, pollen might have contaminated the room where you put your plants.
In moving your hermie, gently cover your Plant in a plastic bag before moving it; this will prevent most pollen from spreading or escapes.
Hermies usually occur when your ordinary Cannabis plant is under stress (fears its own death and inability to survive because it’s not being cared for correctly). It then self pollinates to survive but, in doing so, fails to be of any further use to the Breeder or Grower.
A Bud Rot
If you are affected by bud rot, please take it down the buds immediately. Kindly do it on the day it occurs, if possible. Or else the bud rot will spread; when it hits one cola, it can get the others also just overnight.
Even it’s not ideal on the early side to harvest; it is better to do so than to lose your entire crop!
If you have dense buds, an outdoor grower’s advice is you better take it down the plants, especially when you know you will be cold and humid and rainy for a few days- these are the days when bud rot occurs.
A Bug Infestation
If a plant has its schedule for harvest within a few weeks but has gotten infested by bugs and there’s no way in making it stop.
It is recommended to take down your plants and salvaging what you can salvage and not treating the plants with a harmful pesticide (that would surely get on your buds).
Why Are My Buds Taking So Long to Mature?
There are times when you encounter that your buds are taking too long to mature – the opposite of what you have expected. What can you do about this?
These are the common reasons why your buds are taking too long to mature; then, later, we will discuss the things you need to do for your buds to ripen faster are?
Strain
Some Cannabis strains take a long time to mature, for example, Sativa, Haze, etc., And its flowering stage even gets a lot longer. Another to put into consideration is that some of the strains are lazy.
A lazy strain their buds don’t look ready in a long time, but all of sudden look mature overnight. It seems late in its ripening. Please make sure to notice your Plant if it takes a while in ripening because you might be surprised one day it is about to harvest.
The notorious Sativa Cannabis strain called Haze is globally recognized, becoming widespread during the last few decades.
A sweet-smelling and tasting strain – quite citrusy and reminiscent of sweet herbs and spices, is a good description of Haze. Originating in Santa Cruz, California during the 1960s it is the parent strain for a huge assortment of hybrids throughout the world. Its species are a cross between four different sativas: South American, Thai, Mexican, and South Indian.
Haze takes between ten to twelve weeks to flower. It grows best in indoor or desert climates.
Breeder Failed Expectation
In looking at the estimated tie of flowering for a strain (information taken from trusted see source), but in mind that most breeders start counting when the first flowers appear, and not after 12/12 switch.
This is only possible to outdoor growers, but it is required to add two weeks to the breeder’s time being listed to have an accurate estimation when referring to indoor growers.
But, even doing so, take note, most Cannabis plants take a little bit longer to mature, and the breeder’s recommendation is not all the time true. This is done because most buyers tend to buy a strain that is fast in maturing.
Heat or Even the Light Stress
Having a high temperature or even a bright light can be stressful to the growth of your plants.
If you notice the top leaves of your Plant look yellow or starting to look yellow and burned, it is a sign of heartburn or light burn due to high temperatures. This will keep your buds thicker and thicker on its top that is close to the lights.
The Plants are in Reverting Stage or Vegetative Stage.
For various reasons, I think one of it is that your buds may have stopped maturing, and the Plant is returning to its vegetative stage, in which your Plant only produces stems and leaves.
This usually happens when plants are getting light during their 12-hour dark period. Sometimes, a small amount of light may greatly trigger the Plant to return to the vegetative stage.
So, make sure that no single light can pass through to your plants or reach them.
When your buds stop getting bigger, this is a sign that your Plant is returning to the vegetative stage.
Remember – Check Trichomes on Buds, not Leaves
Make sure you’re checking the exact one; you should check its trichomes only on its buds, not on the leaves or even in the small sugar leaves.
If you notice the Plant keeps producing new white hairs over and over, quickly check the trichomes on the sides of the buds where you can find the older growth, instead of looking into younger growth.
In Cannabis-related terms, ‘bud’ refers to the flower prior to harvesting, but it also means the dried ad cured, consumable parts of the plant post-harvest. The term ‘budtender’ is associated.
Once a Cannabis plant grows to be about six weeks old, it will begin to develop buds. First, the Plant develops two white hairs where the bud will form. Then, after about two to five weeks it is fully formed and ready to harvest.
Final Thoughts on How to Ripen Cannabis Buds Faster
We’ve brought you all the information we can find about ripening your buds faster.
However, as we’ve never grown our own, and don’t know any Tribal Member who has, this is where we wish you well in your decision – to grow, or not to grow!
It’s certainly changed the way we use the term ‘budding’!!
Read More: Do Buds Swell during Flushing?
