HOW DO YOU GET CANNABIS PLANTS TO BLOOM? THE FLOWERING STAGES
The plant is fully grown and the end is nearly in sight. Now we are approaching the flowering phase, after which you can start harvesting. The first three weeks of the flowering phase are in fact more a growth phase. After the flowering phase of the plants has been initiated by setting the lighting to a schedule of 12 hours light and 12 hours darkness, they will start flowering (growing) explosively. They can easily double or even triple in size. I remember the first time I ever grew a plant as if it was yesterday. I was amazed to see that the little plant quickly transformed into a giant. The buds keep swelling, the trichomes start being formed and the specific odor of the plant continues to develop, which makes it hard to wait until the buds can be harvested and you can enjoy the first joint of your own harvest. The cannabis plant develops stems and leaves during the first 1-3 weeks of the flowering stage. However, the growth suddenly changes to the formation of buds during the end of that month. All the necessary parts of the harvest grow during the first few weeks of the flowering stage. Any slight problem in the initial weeks of the stage will harm the overall yield of the plants. If you plant your cannabis in the outdoors, your plants rely on the season and location of growth for the flowering stage to begin. The flowering of the plant may also depend on the strain of cannabis. Some plants can begin the process right away while others are hesitant since their threshold for darkness is longer. It makes them remain in the vegetative stage for a longer time. It is, however, very different if you are growing your cannabis indoors. Since you have control over the light, you can quickly help the plants trigger and start flowering by controlling the amount of light in your indoor grow tent.
Flowering indoor cannabis plants
If growing cannabis indoors, flowering can usually be controlled very precisely by simply changing the lighting regime. Indoor cannabis growers typically give their plants 18-24 hours of light per day during the vegetative growth period, and drop down to 12 hours to trigger flowering. Some growers will gradually increase hours of darkness over a period of 2-3 weeks to more closely mimic the outdoor cycle. Some growers will even give plants a full, uninterrupted 24-48 hours of darkness in order to trigger flowering, prior to commencing the 12/12 cycle. This is thought to assist in achieving a rapid transition to flowering, as the build-up of florigen (“the flower hormone�) is thought to occur mostly at night. As is the case with so many widely-accepted growers’ folk tales, this appears to have little scientific basis. However, studies on inductive dark periods of up to 16 hours for short-day plants have been conducted, and have found no adverse effects.
Flowering outdoor cannabis plants Cannabis plants that grow in the outdoors begin the process of flowering naturally. Even then, you still can trigger flowering. But why would you want to speed up the flowering process? If you want to finish the growing process of the plants sooner, you can induce the start of flowering as it will then lead to earlier harvesting. But how do you do so? All you need is to create a simulation for darkness for 12 hours a day. The plants will then presume that it is time to start flowering. You can do this by covering your grow house with a black sheet to create the illusion of darkness.
Temperature and humidity during flowering
When cannabis plants are in the vegetative stage of growth, they can generally tolerate higher temperatures than in the flowering stage. While in vegetative growth, maintaining a daytime temperature range
of 24-32°C (75.2-89.6°F) is considered optimal; in flower, plants should ideally not be subjected to temperatures above 28°C (82.4°F)—although some strains may be able to tolerate higher temperatures, such as those whose lineage originates in the tropics. The difference between daytime and night-time temperatures also comes into play during flowering. It is thought that a larger difference is beneficial for induction of flowering, as it mimics the still-warm days but significantly-colder nights that generally characterise the onset of autumn. The optimum difference is thought to be 8-10°C (14.4-18°F); thus, if maintaining plants at 28°C (82.4°F) during the daytime, the temperature should be 18-20°C (64.4-68°F) at night. Humidity should be slightly reduced during flowering, especially during the latter stages; as flowers become denser, they become more susceptible to mould growth. In the vegetative period, humidity should be maintained at around 60-70%, and in flower it should be reduced to 40-50%. Again, tropical strains that have light, airy flower structures can often handle much higher humidity during flowering, of up to 70%. Watering little and often during flowering is generally advisable. If the plant is given more water than its root system can immediately utilise, the growing medium will stay damp and increase the rate of evaporation. Therefore, controlling water intake helps to control humidity, as well as avoiding other issues such as pythium (root rot) and botrytis (grey mould). However, this depends on the medium used, as some media are better at retaining moisture than others, and can be watered less frequently with larger quantities of water.
Grow and bloom fertiliser
During the flowering phase, you have to switch to bloom fertilizer. Some growers keep giving their plants grow fertilizer in the first and sometimes in the second week of the flowering phase because it is a kind of transition period and the plants still need building blocks to grow quickly. This will make the plants grow a bit taller. It all depends on what you want. By managing your use of fertilizer, you can control the size of your plant. If your plants already have the right size and you want to keep them smaller (because for instance space is limited), immediately start giving them bloom fertilizer. If your plants are still a bit small and space is not used optimally, you can continue administering grow fertilizer. They will grow a bit taller. The
differences are not extreme, but a couple of centimeters can make quite a difference.
Ventilation
For a good flowering period, the plants need sufficient CO2 (carbon dioxide). They need this to grow powerfully during the hours that there is light. The more CO2 is present in the air, the faster the plants will be able to develop and the better they will be able to withstand high temperatures. You can use inline fans, but in good growing spaces, holes are made in the ground at one side to let air in, while at the other side an extraction system is installed as high as possible. This ensures an optimal circulation of air, from which the plants benefit by using the CO2-rich air that is continually circulating. Fresh air is continually sucked in through the holes in the ground. A fan is also very important. These do not only ensure good air circulation but also give the plants a pleasant breeze which will cause them to grow even better. your plants now might develop the known marijuana smell. Make sure to use a carbon filter airflow system. Your airflow system is important at this point and fresh air needs to be constantly flowing into your grow room. In this phase, your plants will need a lot of CO2 (carbon dioxide) for growth and health. In weeks 4 to 6 of your cannabis flowering, the buds will get bigger and fatter. Once the flowers are showing as small white pistils (white wispy hairs), your plants will need more phosphor and potassium. Both are important for a good bud formation. The nutrients support flowering and fruiting.