If you have let your cannabis flower too long, then you may be in for a bit of a surprise. While it’s true that most people don’t want to waste any of their plant’s energy, there are some pretty serious consequences when you do. For example, you might find that you can’t eat much of it, or you might even end up with a ruined product.
Trichomes
If you let cannabis flower too long, you may miss out on the most potent buds. In order to harvest a high quality crop, you need to understand the stages of trichome development.
Trichomes are tiny crystals that are found on the leaves of a plant. They are the storage mechanism for the phytocannabinoids in the cannabis plant. The more trichomes a strain has, the more cannabinoids it can produce.
Depending on the strain and environmental conditions, trichomes may stay on the plant for up to two weeks. They are a good indicator of when a marijuana plant is close to harvest.
The bulbous tips of trichomes begin to change in color when they reach full maturity. They turn amber. This indicates that the cannabinoids in the trichomes are becoming less potent.
There are three main types of trichomes. These are the capitate-sedsile trichomes, the bulbous trichomes, and the stalked trichomes. Each type of trichome has a different color and function.
Capitate-sedsile trichomes are usually found on the underside of the plant’s leaves. They contain the highest concentrations of cannabinoids. When these trichomes are exposed to ultraviolet light, they emit a bright blue color.
Bulbous trichomes have a mushroom-like shape. The tip of the trichomes turns amber when they are fully mature.
Stalked trichomes are the largest and most densely populated trichomes. Their large pie-shaped cells store terpenes and CBD metabolites.
A trichome’s color changes indicate the level of THC and CBD in the bud. Typically, the color will change in two to five days.
In addition, the chemical composition of trichomes changes as they mature. During this time, the cannabinoids turn into CBN. CBN is associated with a stronger stoning effect.
Pistils
When you’re growing marijuana, it’s important to know when your pistils and trichomes are ready to be harvested. If you wait too long, you may end up with lower-quality buds and less THC than you could have expected. Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use to help you determine when your cannabis is at its peak.
The most common method for determining when your plants are ready for harvesting is by using the pistil method. Pistils are hair-like structures found on the flower calyx of female cannabis plants.
These hairs are designed to catch pollen from male cannabis plants. They also produce seeds that are then stored in bracts.
As your cannabis plant matures, pistils will begin to change color. Their colors will gradually increase from white to orange to red. Often, the trichomes will be clear or milky, with a few becoming opaque.
In addition to color, you should check to see if the trichomes are turning amber. If they are, the medicinal compounds within them have reached their peak and are beginning to degrade. A good rule of thumb is to harvest when about 60% of the trichomes are amber.
When you’re ready to harvest your cannabis, you can do so when most of the trichomes are milky, amber or opaque. This will ensure you get the highest THC possible and also preserve some of the terpenes.
While the pistil method is the easiest way to tell when your cannabis is ready for harvesting, the trichome method can be more precise. Trichomes are mushroom-shaped resin glands. During the first week of flowering, trichomes will be clear. Eventually, as the plant ripens, the tops of the trichomes will become transparent and turn amber.
Temperature
During the flowering stage of the cannabis life cycle, the right temperature can make or break your crop. While a temperature that is too cold can kill the plant, one that is too hot can be detrimental to the buds. A good rule of thumb is to keep temperatures under 80degF during the growing process, but advanced cultivators can further reduce temperatures in the second half of the bloom phase.
The best way to get a handle on the temperature is to monitor and adjust the conditions of your grow room. Temperature can affect your plants’ ability to respire and absorb water. Also, when the air is too cold, water vapor decreases, which will make your plants more susceptible to damage. Likewise, if the air is too hot, your plants will wilt and become stressed.
In addition to regulating the temperature, you can also control the humidity in your cannabis garden. You can increase the humidity by using a silica supplement or by increasing the flow of air.
The temperature has a number of important functions, such as helping to encourage photosynthesis, promoting the growth of the plant, and curing the bud. As well, the temperature is the medium of communication between the plants and the outside world.
One of the best ways to control the temperature is to ensure that you are not overwatering the plants. Water should be added in small amounts, slowly, and it should be at the recommended 20°C.
Similarly, it is crucial to monitor the amount of sunlight that your plants are exposed to. If you are not getting the right amount of light, your plants may not survive the heat.
Humidity
Keeping your cannabis plants in optimal humidity levels is essential to their health. Too much humidity can promote mold and mildew, while too little can inhibit growth.
There are many factors to consider when monitoring your cannabis’s humidity, including temperature, water activity and relative humidity. If you fail to monitor these factors, you may end up with a plant that is unable to grow. The resulting crop can suffer severe damage.
Plants are stressed when they are exposed to too much or too little moisture. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies, slow growth, and higher susceptibility to pests and pathogens.
Humidity and temperature work together to produce a perfect balance. Cooler days will yield higher humidity, while warmer days will retain more water. It is important to keep a close eye on these factors, as a weak harvest can hurt your bottom line.
Relative humidity measures the maximum amount of water vapor that can be added to the air. A hygrometer is a device that is used to measure the relative humidity of the air. You can also use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the air.
In most climates, you will need to be cautious when monitoring your relative humidity. For instance, you should not have morning dew in your grow room. Even if you have a fan or extractor, this can create too much moisture in the air and cause mold.
Optimal humidity levels will help your plants maximize their health, while maintaining their appearance. Maintaining these conditions can help minimize disease and improve your yield.
As a rule of thumb, young plants require more moisture than older ones. During the late flowering stage, humidity levels should range between 30 and 40 percent.
UV light
If you are a grower of cannabis, you may be interested in growing your plants in a room that is protected from UV light. While there are many benefits to doing this, there are also some negative effects.
When it comes to storing your flower, it is important to keep the temperature cool and dark. This will help to prevent the flower from becoming wilted and inedible. It will also help to keep your trichomes from breaking down and getting infected with insects.
However, if you store your cannabis flower for an extended period of time, you will have to worry about losing its potency. You can freeze it, but you will need to keep it in a sealed container. Putting it in an airtight container will also block moisture and oxygen from entering the flower.
The cannabis plant uses a system called photomorphogenesis to protect itself against harmful UV light. During this process, plants produce resin and terpenes to shield themselves from UV radiation. These compounds serve as natural sunscreens.
There is also some evidence that overexposure to UV light can cause skin cancer. Moreover, UV radiation can alter hundreds of genes.
To avoid this, you should reduce the amount of UVB radiation that your flowering plants are exposed to during the last two weeks of bloom. For example, you should cut the amount of light that your flowers receive by 12 hours a day. Alternatively, you can modify the wavelength of the light to 620-780nm.
You can also choose to use UVB reptile lights. Some growers also add small doses of UVB throughout the growing process.
UVB is not as damaging to your cannabis as UVA. But it can help increase the THC content of your marijuana plant.
