How To Grow The Biggest Cannabis Buds

Harvest time is probably the most anticipated and exciting time of the grow cycle, it's the period where you get to reap the rewards of all of your hard work in the form of large, dank, sticky green buds. But with this said, it is truly what happens in between this time and germination that will determine key desirable factors of your reward, these include but are not limited to the traits of quality and quantity.

How much are your green babies putting out, and how good of a recreational smoke or medicinal potential do the buds produce? As a grower you obviously learn tricks and tips over time through trial and error. Were you using too little light? Not enough nutrients? Too much water? However, this has been done by many in the past and we now know what to do and what not to do. To save you a great deal of time, effort and learning through failure we have put together a basic guide on the parameters you should consider in order to make sure your end result is some strong weed to be proud of and savour.

GENETICS

Although a huge part of growing healthy and potent cannabis is the environment you provide in the form of moisture, water, nutrients and air, the genetics of the seeds themselves will play an important role in the outcome of the crop. Considering genetics is probably the first step to optimising the goal you have in mind when growing marijuana.

Do you want to raise some THC-rich sativa plants to give you an energising and cerebral high? Would you rather plant some indica seeds for when it's time to kick back and relax? Perhaps a hybrid to get the best of both worlds? Maybe you want your seeds to contain autoflowering ruderalis genetics to make the grow period easier for you and prevent you from having to change the light cycle in order to force flowering? Or maybe you are growing for solely medicinal purposes and desire cannabis flowers that contain far more CBD than they do THC?

As you can see, growing cannabis is a complex world full of a diverse range of options for many different goals. When you purchase good quality seeds from trusted suppliers you are usually given the cannabinoid percentages within the strain, its smells and flavors, what kind of high it offers, how long the grow cycle will be and how much yield you will probably end up from an indoor or outdoor grow. Choosing genetics is the vital first step in making sure you get the outcome you want to achieve.

Examples of seed selection would be opting for something like Critical XXL by Zambeza for a THC-rich, indica-dominant strain. Critical XXL offers a skunky and sweet taste and a classical stoned indica sensation. It has a flowering time of approximately 50 days and can reach an indoor height of 150cm.

Another great option for those looking for a deeply relaxing stoned sensation would be, for example, Crazy Cookies by Zambeza. This strain is the hybrid love child of the legendary strains Cookies and OG Kush. It contains a staggering 25% THC, flowering in around 55 days and is heavily indica-dominant. It comes with a sweet and earthy taste and can be expected to max out at an indoor size of 100cm.

HUMIDITY LEVELS

The amount of humidity present within your grow space will affect your plants health and yield more than you might think. Marijuana plants have preferred amounts of humidity at different times of the grow cycle. Humidity levels within the grow environment can be easily monitored using devices such as hygrometers and thermometers. Humidity levels are important, because warm air holds more water than cold air, meaning that if your weed plants are at a stage where they require less water in the air, it is beneficial to extract it.

Seedlings prefer higher levels of humidity whilst their root systems are forming, preferably around 65 percent. Higher humidity will also allow extra water intake through the leaves. The next period of the growth cycle is the vegetation phase where humidity levels can be reduced by around 5 percent each week. This is because their roots will start to absorb more water. The next phase is the flowering period where humidity should be lowered further to about 40 percent.

So, it is important to alter humidity throughout the grow cycle, but how can this be achieved? Well, ventilators, fans and dehumidifiers can be utilised to bring levels down, whereas spray bottles and humidifiers can be used to increase levels.

SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE

Maximising the speed at which your buds grow during the flowering stage will result in bigger growth within that specific time window. This means, not surprisingly, that your buds will be tall columns of green goodness instead of small round popcorn-shaped nugs. Based on this, speed is an important factor, and one that can be heavily manipulated if you use the correct techniques at the right time. Here are some things to consider when attempting this important task.

PRUNING

Pruning is the act of physically shaving and manipulating the shape of your plant in a strategic manner to ensure, that the buds themselves have access to the precious resources, such as sugars, and that they are not wasted in unnecessary areas of the plant. Just before and during flowering be sure to cut away any dying, weak and yellowing leaves, that not longer serve a positive purpose. This does not have to be viewed as a waste. Throw them on the compost, put them in a tea, use them to fill out joints and bowls or even put them in a salad! Your marijuana plants will still have enough leaves to photosynthesise without donating valuable sugars to these dying and weaker leaves it no longer needs. 

INCREASE LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE

Carbon dioxide is very important for our plant friends. It plays a fundamental role in the process of photosynthesis, along with water and light, by helping plants to produce sugars, that give them energy to thrive and survive. Increased levels of carbon dioxide can be utilised to help plants grow faster, even in the flowering stage. If you increase light intensity by doing so, you will see an even more effective end result. This is made obvious by looking at the equation of photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide can be pumped into a grow space, but be wise when doing this as too much carbon dioxide might be good for your plants but can pose danger to yourself.

LIGHTING

Optimal lighting plays a highly important role throughout the grow cycle and lack of it will lead to deficiencies within your crop. The more intense your light source, the better your plants will respond to it and the bigger, healthy and stronger they will be. To boost lighting intensity around the flowering stage for bigger buds, use lights of a stronger wattage and move them even closer to your prize buds to treat them to some tasty photons.

NUTRIENTS

When your marijuana plants start to flower, they will require a slightly reshaped diet. Cannabis develops an increased requirement for phosphorus during this stage that it did in its vegetative youth. It would be best to select a nutrient with the profile of 30% phosphorous, 10% nitrogen and 10% potassium.