Lack of light is perhaps the most common reason that cannabis produces fluffy, light buds. You may have noticed the lower, puny 'popcorn' bud sites that form below the main canopy. Often these buds are discarded by growers allowing the plant to focus biochemical energy on the main blooms.
Airflow & Bud Spacing – Poor airflow around buds and lack of strong, direct light will prevent those buds from developing as densely as they could. Buds need a little space to themselves in order to get big and dense, and won't fatten up if they're not directly exposed to fresh air and strong light.
In contrast, fluffy buds yield disappointment and less plant matter. These airy flowers are often the result of suboptimal growing conditions, a lack of light, or nutrient deficiency.
Dense/Fluffy
These flowers simply hold more mass, look much healthier, and smoke smoother. Grinding up dense cannabis flowers seems to almost double their size. Even a small chunk of a compact flower can grind down to fill a good-sized joint. In contrast, fluffy buds yield disappointment and less plant matter.
Light intensity
To some degree, more light translates to fatter buds and higher yields (you'll need to pay attention to the distance between your grow light and plants or your plant may suffer from light burn). Increasing light intensity is the most effective way to fatten up buds.
Speaking of key nutrients, the one that should be at the top of your list for fattening buds is bone meal. Right before your plants start to bud, simply add the recommended dose weekly, continue to water, and the calcium and phosphorus will start to do their magic.
Both large and small buds can have the same amount of THC and CBD content if they're the same strain. Therefore the potency of either size of nugs should be the exact same! There's some speculation that smalls have less THC content, but this usually isn't the case.
Weeks 4-6: Buds Fatten Up
They'll still have all the white pistils sticking out, but you'll be able to see the buds getting bigger every day. At this point the “stretch” is about over and you can reduce the amount of training you're doing with your plants.
When the plant approaches maturity, the pistils change color and take on a brown or orange hue. This is a sign that the biological functions of the plant have slowed and it is no longer seeking pollen for seed production. Guideline #2: Harvest marijuana when 70% of the pistils have turned brown or orange.
Buds get less dense when it's too hot. Look at the loose structure of this bud grown in extreme heat. Another thing about temperature: cannabis plants in the flowering stage like it to be a little warm in the day, but cool at night. Warm nights are also associated with airy buds.
Overwatering can also cause buds to become loose and fluffy. When the soil or grow medium has too much water, oxygen cannot reach the roots. This will be detrimental to the entire plant overall. This can also often wash out key nutrients the buds need to grow big and dense.
Examine its appearance
Vibrant colors and dense buds coated with white trichomes are evidence of great care that went into cultivation and preparing your cannabis for consumption. High quality cannabis showcases bright colors, ranging from reds and oranges to purples and blues.
So yes, trimming makes your buds more visually appealing and, like it or not, it's now the new standard. 2. Smoother product: When your final product is ingested, excess leaves on the buds can make for a harsher experience when smoked.
Popcorn buds are useful, but still often unwanted by growers. That is why smaller flowers are often trimmed off the plant and sold to dispensaries at a more affordable price.
Magnesium is important for healthy cannabis plants because it helps with light absorption to produce more flowers or buds. Iron and manganese are also useful in helping cannabis plants produce chlorophyll so they'll have more energy to grow bigger buds.
By weeks 5 and 6, your plants will be well into flowering. Their buds should be big, thick, and loaded with white pistils. They will also be developing a thick coat of trichomes, which should be giving off a nice, pungent aroma.
In the last two weeks, the buds will mostly be ripening and not really growing much more in size. At this point, the previously white pistils on the buds will now slowly turn amber-brown.
The flowering period for Indica strains is typically around 8 weeks, but it may take up to 10 weeks. Sativa strains may take up to 10-12 weeks. Typically, hybrid strains will take up to 6-10 weeks to fully develop.
Typically small nugs are around the size of a marble or a dime. But despite their tiny stature, they hold all the same potency, smell, flavor, and THC content as larger buds. Whatever you're getting from the rest of the plant is exactly what you're getting in your small nugs.
Godfather OG is quite possibly the highest THC strain. Labs put the strain's THC levels at a tremendous 30-35%. In fact, Godfather OG is touted as the world's strongest marijuana strain. This potent strain is an Indica-dominant hybrid and hits within minutes of taking the first smoke.
Cannabis plants need water and nutrients to grow and develop big, healthy flowers. Drought, overwatering, and over/underfeeding can all affect your plant's ability to develop big, dense, and heavy flowers.
Feed Your Plants
If you want your plants to produce big, bountiful buds, they are will need excellent nutrients to keep them healthy. Things like nitrogen and phosphorous can play huge roles in creating massive buds if you use the right amounts at the right time in the process.
Molasses adds sugars to the plant and will help it to bud. Like us, plants need salts, nutrients, and sugars daily. Feeding your plants molasses, what could be considered the equivalent to our eating junk food sugars, will pack on the weight to your marijuana buds.
Beware of overripe cannabis buds
Plants given a little too much bloom time may have a general appearance of overripeness. Trichomes may be all amber, the terpene profile may be past it's best (possibly with a light aroma of fermentation) and the buds/leaves may take on a browner, less inviting, appearance.