Are there really tips that can help on how to grow bigger cannabis buds? Well, yes! There are 8 amazing tips on bigger cannabis buds.
A cannabis grower’s goal is to grow the biggest high-quality buds possible. If you want to get the most of your harvest, you need to figure out a few things. You’ll need to identify the factors that could increase your yields, the potency of your buds, and its size. Thankfully, there are several proven ways to enhance your cannabis buds; here are 8 tips on how to grow bigger cannabis buds.
Tips on How to Grow Bigger Cannabis Buds
Use the right kind of light
This is how to grow bigger cannabis buds using proper lighting. Plants require different kinds of light and intensity during their various stages of growth. Blue light is advisable for the vegetative state, while red light during the flowering stage may be the key for yield boosts.
Light intensity is vital to ensure that the proper amount of light reaches the plant and does not scorch it. Grow lights are necessary if you are growing your cannabis indoors. Grow lights power the growth of your cannabis buds.
Fluorescent grow lights are a popular choice because they are cheap, efficient, and work well, even with less electricity usage. Mainly, CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp), which is a twisty-looking bulb you can find in any supermarket, is the right choice. CFL produces an excellent spectrum from cannabis, and its size can also fit small spaces that no other bulbs could fit in.
Another type of grow light is the LED. LED grow lights produce less heat as compared to other grow lights. LED also has excellent penetration and is incredibly energy efficient.
HPS (high-pressure sodium) and MH (metal halide) grow lights are other types that you could consider. HPS has a yellow light that stimulates bud production during the flowering stage, while MH produces bluish light that cannabis loves during the vegetative stage. Combining either CFLs or LEDs with HPS (high-pressure sodium) grow lights can get excellent results; the combination will produce more resinous buds.
Light is like food for your cannabis. Without proper lighting, even a healthy plant won’t produce many buds at all.
Pruning your young cannabis using the Sea of Green approach
Pruning will help the cannabis get all the light it needs to yield bigger healthy buds. Pruning shall be made during the cannabis vegetative state. Using the Sea of Green approach, it is recommended that tops shall be pruned at the same height before it goes into the flowering stage, making sure that no main buds absorb loads of light from its neighboring plant.
When doing the Screen of Green approach, cannabis will be grown under netting that restricts the main branches with cannabis buds from blooming straight upwards. The one key cut to make is the first topping of the main bud. Cut at about equal heights to ensure that the main branches are bent out at generally equal heights.
Using the netting, you check and guide the branches each day. Tuck back branches that are growing out of the net gently, not to break the branches. One further advantage of the Sea of Green approach is that all buds, even when woven into the net, get a proper amount of light; another is that it makes the airflow better around the plant, making rotting less susceptible.
Supercropping main buds
Supercropping or bruising is a technique to pinch or bend the branches to damage the inner fibers to stress the plant while keeping the outer lining whole and intact. Super cropping the main buds branches encourages sap stream to the main buds, promoting better vegetative growth and bud development. Super cropping shall only be done during the cannabis vegetative state.
To supercrop, place one of the branches between your thumb and index finger and slowly apply light pressure until there’s a snapping noise. Stop as soon as you hear the crack sound. The natural response of the cannabis plant towards stressors would allow it to recover in just a few hours. The branches would grow initially outwards then start growing upwards again. It is important to note that this technique is not as easy as it seems, and the wrong pinch, wrong pressure, and such would induce a fatal blow to your plant. This technique is not encouraged for rookie growers.
You can get more benefits from super cropping because, since the super cropped branches would take time before it starts growing upwards, the light would reach the buds from the lower parts of the plant.
Topping and fimming technique
Topping and fimming are techniques that involve cutting off the top part of the plant to curb its growth upwards. Although it may seem strange to cut parts of your cannabis, these are necessary steps to redistribute growth hormones to all developing offshoots and stalks farther down the plant. Topping and fimming can promote lateral growth and can keep your cannabis plant healthy.
To top, wait for the topping to have at least 3 pairs of leaves. The top new growth would consist of one big cluster and two smaller ones. Cut the more significant cluster and keep the smaller ones undamaged as these small clusters would form new two branches for buds to grow abound.
Fimming, on the other hand, is the same as a topping, except, its objective is to create more than two new branches. This technique involves cutting a little lower than topping would allow, and would involve damage to the smaller clusters to force them to form new branches. If done correctly, firming would promote an even bigger yield than topping.
These two techniques shall be applied only during the vegetative stage. Topping and fimming both can improve your buds’ size. However, note again that these are intricate and advanced techniques that shall not be done by rookie growers.
Cutting off unnecessary buds
Start defoliating your cannabis at around the sixth week of flowering. Remove small buds that were severely lit. This would redirect the light and other nutrients of the plant to those parts that would potentially produce higher quality buds. This would also increase the airflow and would make the plant less susceptible to mold and pests. Be sure not to remove leaves near budding sites even when they prevent the light from reaching the main buds; just tuck them beneath the branch or tie them up gently using a rope to fix them to the stem providing the right nutrients by choosing the right fertilizer
When the cannabis plant gets appropriate light, it could help them fight diseases and grow faster, and ultimately produce bigger and quality yields. Giving your plants ample nutrients would help you get the most out of them.
Plants focus on growth, especially on the vegetative stage. Hence, giving them nutrient-rich fertilizers, those with high Nitrogen, Phosphor, and Kalium (NPK) would be best. But watch out for leaf ends curling or curling. It means that you are overfeeding the plant, and you need to cut back on fertilizer. You’ll reach a time when your soil would already be NPK-rich. When that happens, you can skip the fertilizer for a month, and only start fertilizing again when the first typical leaves are opened.
During the flowering stage, your plant needs fertilizer high in Phosphor and Kalium but lower in Nitrogen. Phosphor stimulates bud formation, and Kalium enhances the size of the buds. Nitrogen makes the plant focus on growth rather than flowering, and hence, if you are to give your cannabis nitrogen during this stage, it may provide issues on the bud growth and development. Thus, it is essential to be mindful of your fertilizer’s ingredients/ nutrients and the proper time to utilize them.
Another essential thing to keep in mind is the fertilizer’s pH level. Keep your growing medium’s pH level at 6.0 to 7.0 for soil and about 5.5 to 6.5 for coco peat and hydroponic. This is the right acidity level, so the nutrients will dissolve adequately and get absorbed efficiently.
Growing your plant in the right-sized container
Choose a medium-size pot for your cannabis to reach its maximum potential faster. If you pick a larger container, your plants’ roots will take a longer time to stretch deep into the soil and reach for the nutrients it needs. This overpotting may cause growth stunt to your buds. Likewise, choosing a smaller container may cause a poorly-developed rooting system and may lead to the growth of lower branches and lesser and smaller buds.
It is proper for the right sized container. Take into consideration the strain of your cannabis, and the time it usually takes to flower, and the height it often grows, to give them enough space to grow. For instance, Kush strains or hybrids have a more extended flowering period than Skunk strain; this means that Kush strains may need a larger container than the fast flowering strain.
Harvest at the right time
Do not harvest too soon or too late, so you will not miss the perfect yield. Harvesting too soon might result in unpleasant taste and smell. And since your plant wouldn’t get the chance to mature, it wouldn’t have much of that high effect. On the other hand, harvesting too late would cause your plant’s potency to fade.
To determine the right time to harvest, look for the signs on the buds’ hairs that hold resin. The trichomes will tell you if it is the best time for harvest. When 50-70% of the trichomes have become cloudy, do your harvest if you are after the cerebral psychoactive effect. Or wait until 70-90% of the trichomes turn cloudy if you look for a more soothing effect.