It is important to keep these growing baby plants warm , moist , and well-fed ; they will take off quickly ! The lights can stay on for as little as 16 hours but up to 24 continuous hours . The vegetative stage lasts about three to eight weeks .
The flowering stage is the home stretch for all marijuana plants . Less light encourages the plant to produce its buds as it moves towards the end of its life cycle . The flowering stage lasts between six to nine weeks and is broken up into three parts :
1 . Pre-flower : Pistils are evidence of pre-flowers , and these white hairs indicate where buds will grow ( typically weeks one to three ).
2 . Mid-flower : The plant has stopped growing and is directing all its energy into forming flowers . The pistils will turn from white to amber ( depending on the strain and the environment ) as the buds get fatter ( typically weeks four to five ).
3 . Late flower : The buds are getting sticky as the trichomes ripen , filling the air with the sweet smell of fresh cannabis ( weeks six to harvest ).
Many agree that less than 12 hours of light per day is optimal for plants in the flowering stage . As plants are ripening , be sure to flush the soil with water to remove any salts and nutrients remaining in the plant . You ’ ll know it ’ s time to harvest when the trichomes turn to a light brown , almost like brown sugar or caramel .
It ’ s finally time to cut down the plants as soon as they have reached full maturity . This is done by cutting the plant apart branch by branch and hanging them to dry . Don ’ t wait too long to harvest , or the THC content will degrade . It ’ s important that you take extra care when cutting down and transporting branches to avoid damaging the fragile trichomes because that ’ s where all the good stuff is ! Make sure you have a “ dry room ” for hanging the plant branches to dry . The room should maintain humidity levels between 40-50 %, and branches will need to hang for approximately 10-14 days . Too much humidity can lead to mold , and not enough can dry out the buds too quickly , and no one wants to end up with crumbly ( or moldy !) weed after all that hard work !
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After the cannabis has dried , it ’ s time to prune the buds . It is a tedious process , as you must first remove the buds from the stalk and pluck off all the fan leaves . Then using a sharp pair of scissors , trim off the sugar leaves on all sides of the bud . The goal is to remove just enough and never too much . Every grower seems to have a different preference for how they like their weed trimmed , but the most important thing is to maintain the shape and form of the bud .
Once the buds are pruned to perfection , it ’ s time to cure them , which can take a couple of months and involves sealing the buds in an airtight container . During the first few weeks , “ burp ” the jar by opening and closing it to let in oxygen , and then seal back up and store it in a dark place . The curing process creates better-tasting cannabis and a smoother smoking experience . I covered curing and storage in a previous column , and there are many products on the market to help with this part , or you can just stick with large glass Mason jars and keep it simple .
Once the buds are cured , they are ready for consumption in your preferred method !
Have a cannabis education related question for Leah ? She ’ s a St . Louis native and a cannabis activist since 2010 ! Leah is excited to help answer all your medical marijuana questions . Please send questions to
leah @ theweedblog . com . Your question may be featured in a future issue of The EVOLUTION Magazine .