When growing marijuana, cultivators strive for the plumpest, juiciest, and most potent buds. Most people would be left scratching their heads if asked to detail the necessary processes in order to achieve that supreme yield. Here we will go over tips and tricks and learn the most pertinent information regarding how to get that girth on. Cannabis cultivators all over the world who have committed their lifestyle and professions to growing the dankest weed have given us a wealth of information that we’ve compiled in this article. We will lead with the most crucial take-away— be patient.
Growing marijuana, unlike smoking it, is an extremely long process. It can take anywhere from 3-5 months before you have access to that luxurious fruit. But, as long as you’ve got the time, the proper materials, and adequate space, we couldn’t recommend anything else but to give it a whirl. There is no joy quite like watching the complete cycle of the marijuana plant as you nurse, cultivate, dry, and trim all culminating to the first smoke of your personally grown chronic. It is an experience you are bound to cherish, especially if you’re a marijuana enthusiast, like us!
Best Way to Get Big Buds
If you’re relatively new to marijuana cultivation, it will probably be helpful to know what buds even refer to in the first place. Buds are the fruit of the marijuana plant and contain the highest levels of THC in the plant. THC is the chemical that creates the elated or relaxed “high” you get when you consume, ingest, or inhale pot. The entire marijuana plant itself holds varying levels of THC, but as stated previously, the bud has the most concentrated dosage of it, and this is why we aim to cultivate the fattest ones possible.
How Do I Grow Bigger Buds Indoors
Indoor growing is the best way to get those gigantic buds you’re shooting for. Indoor growing has some inherent advantages as you are able to control a number of variables that will further increase the size of your buds, if proper methodologies are implemented. The first thing to note as a precaution is to not allow the males and females to intermingle.
The best way to identify a male is by looking at the preflowers, the calyx, during the early stages of growth. If the calyx is raised on a small stalk or stem then it is generally a male. lf the calyx is not raised then it is generally a female. Watch these areas closely as they develop to learn the difference. When gearing up to grow large cannabis buds, be advised that male marijuana plants halt the growing process of the female plant’s bud. This is detrimental to growing huge buds of cannabis, so you’ll want to keep the males and females separate.
Important Components of a Successful Indoor Grow
The following components (in this particular order) should be given due consideration when trying to grow gigantic marijuana buds in an indoor grow as they will be a major indicator of just how large your buds will grow to be:
- marijuana fertilizer
- PH level
- EC level
- carbon dioxide level
- lighting
- Temperature and humidity
After these variables are in optimal condition for the plant, you can move on to tricks about pruning, scrogging, low stress training (LST), and harvesting. Ensure that you regularly monitor all these components, because shifts in the status of these can slow or disrupt the growing process.
What Indoor Strain Has the Biggest Buds and Highest Yield
Get the most bang for your buck with these big boy strains as all of these seeds can be purchased readily online!
- Big Bud
- Critical Mass
- Industrial Plant
- Black Sugar
- Power Plant
When it comes to growing cannabis, the strain variety is probably the most important tell of how plump your buds will eventually grow to be. The genetics of the seeds are what make it special, and if you skimp out on good, albeit pricier, seeds, you’re missing out on the maximum yield possible for your cultivation operation. The above are some great strains that tend to create the best and biggest harvest, with tantalizingly engorged buds!
How to Grow Bigger Buds Outdoors
Growing boulder-sized buds is also possible to do in an outdoor grow, though this does come with fewer variables within your direct control. The lack of climate control and consistency of light and moisture can definitely lead to smaller buds, which in turn can lead to a smaller yield. Ultimately, most cannabis cultivators will choose to opt for indoor growing, however, here are a couple ways to exponentially increase the girth of your weed buds in your outdoor grow operation:
- Find an area that gets good sunlight. If your plant is on a hill, this generally guarantees for the maximum amount of sun beams hitting your plant.
- Make sure the soil isn’t too harsh for your plants. You can purchase a ph test level kit at almost any gardening store to see if your plants will be able to grow comfortably.
- Allow your plants to have a constant supply of water if you live somewhere that doesn’t get alot of rain. On the flip side of this, make sure to not plant in any trench that will flood your plant.
How Much Light is Ideal for Thicker Buds?
If growing your marijuana plants indoors, there is a lot you can do with the lighting to maximize bud growth. The intensity of the light is the most important part here – the more intense the light, the bushier the plants will be, and the more delighted you will ultimately be.
The way to increase light intensity is not complicated either. You simply need to find the ideal distance from light to plant and regularly adjust as needed with height increase. The light should be directly hitting the buds themselves to get that maximum growth possible, but the lights shouldn’t be close enough to burn the plant. If you can feel the plant and it’s warm, it is best to move the light back a bit.
Optimal Levels of Carbon Dioxide Can Make Your Buds Huge!
Carbon dioxide helps marijuana plants grow efficiently by essentially providing your plants with a camel hump they can use to start filling up with extra light! This creates more ATP and energy for the buds to grow dense and delicious. If you combine an increased intensity of light with an increase in carbon dioxide output, you will almost certainly achieve the ideal results you’re seeking.
Most growers say this balance is a major contributor to big buds, so spend some time considering your options for striking this sweet spot. You may be best served to allow outside air into your sealed grow room so as to supplement for the carbon dioxide quickly used up by the hungry youngsters inside. A running fan can also help ensure the CO2 is adequately and evenly distributed.
Temperature and Humidity
The key to temperature and humidity control is to frequently monitor your plants and make sure the room temperature and humidity levels are consistent and within the healthy range for your strain of marijuana. This is important not only during the flowering phase but also during the phases leading up to the flowering phase. Make sure that the temperature and humidity are adjusted accordingly for each stage of growth. These are the best humidity levels to grow huge buds for each of the stages of growth:
Veg week 1 = 70%
Veg week 2= 70%
Flowering week 1= 65%
Flowering week 2= 60%
Flowering week 3= 55%
Flowering week 4= 50%
Flowering week 5= 50%
Flowering week 6= 45%
Flowering week 7= 45%
Flowering week 8= 40%
Flowering week 9= 40%
Cannabis Nutrients
Marijuana fertilizer is critical for your plants to reach peak performance! Like carbon dioxide, the nutrients in the soil allow the plant to grow much bigger, thicker, and faster than if simply left to their own devices. Read this article called the “Best and Most Popular marijuana fertilizers” to learn all you need to know about nutrients. Marijuana plants require more phosphorus during their flowering phase than in their vegetative phase, so when the flowering phase begins, you should start a new nutrient regimen as we.
We recommend a mixture that includes 30% phosphorus as well as 10% nitrogen and 10% potassium. This can be read as “NPK 10-30-10.”Though it can sometimes be rather challenging to find mixtures with this ratio of phosphorus, wood, ash and water should provide an ample amount of phosphorus for your flowering plants. Of course, dedicated nutrition practices will further help your marijuana plants unfurl the most crushing of buds.
Learn how to increase your yields with EM-1 nutrients.
Why Aren’t My Buds Getting Any Bigger?
There’s still a bit more to gardening than proper food, nutrients, water, light and space. Oftentimes, your plants will require some specialized TLC at various stages of their grow cycle. Some of these adjustments include physically altering the plant or where the plant is growing:
Pruning
A huge part of stunted bud growth comes from how much time you’re spending pruning your plant. The ideal is to prune daily, meaning to rid the plant of any dead or non-essential leaves. Though this may sound counterintuitive, the slowly dying leaves will continue to take energy from the plant that could be going to the massive buds upi seek! Pruning is critical for the 3G’s: getting giant ganja! Don’t simply pitch the dead leaves after pruning, though! You can dry and cure these leaves, because they can actually contain enough THC to tide you over between growing seasons! You can thank us later.
Topping
Another form of pruning, called topping is a great way to speed up the growth of your marijuana buds. To commence, chop off some of the buds at the very top of your plants. This bud won’t be wasted, since you can both cure it and smoke it, and it will also allow the other buds to grow bigger and faster. Sacrificing one plant bud for the others to grow greater sounds like a plan to me.
Training
Other types of pruning (or, more accurately, “training”) include LST or low-stress training. This means not managing the yellow leaves, or the top bud such that there is no cutting or removal of plant matter whatsoever. This involves physically moving the plants and manipulating their growth patterns so they can grow to be bushy and wide, rather than tall and skinny. Bending of the plants is often employed in this process, however the stems of the plant are never broken.
The key to doing LST successfully is to start when your plants are still young. Screen of Green is another LST option that utilizes a net to maintain the shape and growth patterns of your plants. This will allow them to take in the most sunlight as possible, making their growing faster and more efficient in all phases of their life.
The Limiting Factor
Growing marijuana is like operating a giant supply chain. Your process is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, it is imperative for you to know the optimal values of all your grow components. If you are only providing the best light, or only providing the best temperature but aren’t changing the CO2 levels as needed, it may all end up being for naught. Below we list the general, “Perfect Values” for your plants.
- Water: as required*
- Light: 600 watt for every 12 square feet
- CO2: 350 ppm
- EC: between 1.0 and 2.0
- pH: 6
- Temperature: 77 degrees F
- Humidity: 50-60%
Note that these values depend on the stage of growing that the cannabis plants are in. Seedlings aren’t able to take as much nutrients as the older plants; they evaporate more and more water as they grow, so you’ll have to water them more frequently during later stages.
What Week Of Flowering Do Buds Grow The Most and When Should I Harvest?
No matter how fast or slow your buds are growing, the timing for harvest is critical in terms of maximizing the yield you will end up with. This is because, in the last couple weeks of growing, your plant can add a whopping 25% to the size and potency of your buds. For that reason, it is crucial growers wait until the buds have grown for as long as possible before they harvest.
Of course, waiting too long to harvest could mean your buds will pass their peak before you can show the world how great they are. So it is important to not harvest neither too early nor too late. The timing can also be determined by the growers personal preference, as the type of high will change according to how early or late you harvest and, perhaps, the ideal strain for one grower contains 25% THC while others prefer a solid 18% THC. Make sure to get a general understanding of when you harvest by researching your strain.
Time of harvest affects the taste, smell and weight of your buds. One of the surefire ways of knowing when to harvest is by looking at the trichomes. Once they are amber-like and not strictly clear anymore, you have arrived at your optimal harvest time.
How Big Can A Pot Plant Get?
When growing marjiuana, it is important to know that the sky’s truly the limit! Well, okay—most marijauna plants grow to be about five feet tall with an indoor grow. While this may vary, you can expect an average harvest per plan to generate about a pound of bud. As long as you plant indoors, you can theoretically achieve whatever size and shape you find the most attractive. However, some outdoor marijuana plants can shoot up to be as tall as 15 feet.
What is the World’s Biggest Pot Plant Harvest Ever Recorded?
The biggest indoor plant harvest we know of was able to produce 2.48 lbs of bud! Compared to the average pound you would typically get from a regular plant, that’s 2.5 times larger than a normal yield. Where was that plant from, Texas?
The cultivator himself released some of the finer details of how he amounted to such canna-greatness. In a spare room, he cultivated his plant with a single 600-watt HPS Apollo setup with something called a UFO hood. Then he took it to an 800-watt Black Diamond full spectrum LED to “dense them up” before picking the bud. He also kept the temperature at 78 degrees and had used a closed CO2 system. This is how he got those competitively sized nuggets and bushy bush, so if you won’t take our advice, at least take this guy’s!
When Should I Start Growing Gigantic Buds?
As soon as you are able! Whether you are growing to make some extra money, or to satisfy that inner pot farmer, this article will always be here for your reference. It also must be stated we aren’t suggesting to break the law by growing cannabis illegally. Make sure to check out your state’s stance on cannabis before buying anything!
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