Cannabis is one of the wildest plants that can thrive in any condition. However, this does not guarantee large, dense, and high-quality buds. Many growers have expected huge buds several times but ended up disappointed. However, there are tested ways to ensure that you get dense buds and put the disappointment behind you.
As long as the conditions are perfect for optimum growth, you will have dense buds. With this, all growers should strive to make the conditions ideal for their cannabis plant.
The yield will be disappointing when poor nutrition, bad lighting, excessive temperature, and too much water characterize the growing condition. One needs to be highly meticulous with these factors because getting any single one of them wrong can screw up the entire yield, especially as the plant moves towards the end of its life cycle.
Consider the Right Genetics
Genetics form the foundation of your cannabis plant, making it essential to pick the right genetics. Strains that have Indica dominant in them generally yield resilient and denser buds compared to Sativa-dominant songs. This can be traced to the origin of the Sativa strain, as they were developed from warm and tropical climates. As a result, they already developed a loose, airy bud configuration, which keeps the plant against mold-related infection and bud root.
On the other hand, Indica-dominant variants come from dry, cool, and mountainous regions with abundant cold climates and short summer periods. Due to this, the strains developed a shorter configuration, flowers quickly, and a tight bud structure.
With this, do not restrict yourself to pure Indica Strains when shopping for the best strains. Thanks to innovations, there are a series of poly-hybrid strains that have been bred together. A seed with high Indica domination will likely give denser buds.
Be Smart with Lightning
Plants, especially at the flowering stage, need a lot of light. The lower the light they get, the lesser the buds. As expected, with more lights come bigger and denser buds. However, this is not a license to subject your cannabis plant to too much light as it can have the exact opposite effect. You will get airy and poorly developed buds. As a result, you need to control the grow lights to optimize yield.
The two most common approaches to lighting, especially for indoor cultivation, are LED and HPS grow lights.
LED lights will give you a denser bud. However, make sure not to fix them too close to the plants, depending on the model. It might cause the leaves and bud to burn. HPS lights come with the perfect spectrum that will help your plant develop quality flowering and impressive budding. When used in the right way, both lightning types can give denser buds.
For your indoor growth, the wall is also essential when considering the light. A highly reflective wall will ensure the even distribution of light if youalways try to have big buds.
Optimize Humidity and Temperature
You need the right balance of temperature and humidity for your plant to have a healthy and dense bud. Getting it wrong could spell doom for your plant.
Temperature for Cannabis
Make sure to have the temperature within the acceptable range for your cannabis plant. During the day, the temperature should never go down too much, while daytime temperature should not be above 300C. If possible, strive to maintain a temperature between 18 and 260C. As expected, an extremely hot temperature will affect the flowers, leading to low-quality buds.
The temperature is entirely out of your control for outdoor growers, making excessively high temperatures an issue. You can consider spraying the plant with water to curtail the effect of heat for people in the Northern Hemisphere. However, make sure not to spray water directly on the leaves to avoid sunburns, especially when the sun is hottest.
Ideal Relative Humidity for Cannabis
The relative humidity is also related to temperature, and you should try to get that within the acceptable range. You want to keep the relative humidity within 60% of the flowering phase and progressively bring it down to 45% towards the final 2 to 3 weeks before harvesting.
With this, the plant will go into overdrive as it tries to protect the flowers. It responds by forming denser buds with abundant resins. You can also avoid molds with lower humidity.
A grower should strive to achieve the perfect balance between relative humidity and temperature. It will boost the plant's rate of absorption of water, light, and nutrients. This will lead to faster growth and development of significant and dense buds.
Be Smart with Feeding
Your cannabis plant also needs the right food for growth and survival. The proper nutrient is primal to the production of denser buds.
Like many plants, you need to be smart with introducing Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to your plant. While flowering, your plant will benefit from less Nitrogen and abundant potassium and phosphorus. Giving your plant nitrogen in excess will make the plant small with loose buds. With this, strive for the proper ratio to avoid nutrient burns.
Deficiency in any essential nutrients can result in stunted growth, which will negatively affect your yield. Also, strive to maintain the perfect soil pH. It will ensure that the roots absorb all essential nutrients. With the ideal pH, your cannabis plant can access enough nutrients.
Get It Right with Harvesting
It is normal to be excited as harvest time approaches. You have waited day in day out and carefully tended your plant as it developed from weak seedlings to amazing beauties. Make sure, however, not to pull your buds off the slightest chance you get. Getting it right with harvesting also determines the bud density.
While flowering, buds develop rapidly, so waiting for a day or two more can positively affect the size. In deciding the perfect harvesting time, there are some factors to consider. You will need a magnifying glass for this. Watch out for the following two factors to get the perfect flowering time.
- Consider the trichome color – the crystalline structure on the flower's surface. At the early flowering stage, your plant will have a translucent appearance. With time, they will appear cloudy. It is time to harvest when you have lots of cloudy trichomes.
- Keep an eye on the pistils as well – these are the hair-like structures that cover the flower. When young, the pistils are white, while mature cannabis has brown pistils.
Conclusion
Why leave your cannabis yield to luck when you can set the perfect condition to have the ideal bud density. Here are proven tips and steps to ensure your cannabis yields optimally.
