Testing for Truth Results: Confirmed The top of the plant did indeed have more potent buds. The average potency was about 15% higher than the middle or bottom. Note that while the weight percent results look low here, keep in mind these are untrimmed flowers.
Their findings confirm what many cannabis connoisseurs have long suspected: that the largest, mushroom-shaped stalked glandular trichomes are the richest source of THC- and CBD-forming metabolites and fragrance-giving terpenes.
Does topping really increase yield. Some people claim topping does not actually increase yield, because the colas get smaller every time you top. But, it has been shown that the cumulative yield is much heavier when you top your plants. So yes, topping really increases yield.
Stunted growth – Topping can also stunt the growth of a cannabis plant, as it can reduce the amount of energy the plant has available to put into new growth. When topping is done properly, the result is generally a larger number of smaller buds whose combined yield is greater than it would have been prior to topping.
Are Small Buds more Potent? Small buds are generally the same potency as large nugs of the same strain. Small nugs come from the same plants as large nugs, they're simply pieces of flower that tended to get less light and thus didn't grow as large.
Small buds, about the size of a marble or smaller, are appropriately called “Smalls” and are considered lower quality than larger nugs. Large and smalls can both come from the same harvest and the same plants but will get filtered out in the packaging process.
Pros and Cons of Popcorn Buds
Because of this, they might not yield the same levels of terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids as full nugs. Also, they are often considered less potent, pure, or flavorful. Nonetheless, some unique benefits of popcorn buds might make them more appealing to some users.
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.
In order to get more potency in the flowering stage, you want to inspire your plant to produce more resin-producing trichomes. You do this by cranking up blue, white, and UVB lights to 100% and backing red down to around 50%. Why does that work? Plants produce trichomes protectively.
Lollipopping involves removing growth up to a certain point on each branch of your cannabis plant to maximise efforts towards the topmost bud sites. By lollipopping, you not only help direct light to the right nodes, but optimise the limited energy stores of your plants.
Fan leaves that are growing inward toward the plant should be removed. Bud sites that are lower down on the plant may be removed so that the plant can focus on the bud sites closer to the top. Dead or dying leaves should be pruned.
Healthy plants usually take 2-3 days to recover from topping. After topping, do not remove the leaves from that node as these are needed to power growth of the branches from that node. Never top during flowering as it causes too much stress – which slows growth and inhibits yield.
First Phase is the toughest.
The answer is yes. The potency of marijuana, indeed, has increased over time.
The last three weeks is when your buds can actually gain the most weight – that is if you feed them Overdrive®. After your peak bloom phase, your plants enter their late bloom phase (the precise timing and length of which depends on the strain of cannabis you're growing).
If the aroma of cannabis is weak or nonexistent when you open the jar, bag, or break open a nug, then it means the terpenes have evaporated or been destroyed in some way. That means lower quality and fewer compounds that influence the overall effects a strain will have.
After a sugar application, the resulting sugar-like crystals are the flower's trichomes, which are believed to double in production after the plant is treated with sugar.
Weeks 4-6: Buds Fatten Up
At this stage of cannabis flowering, your buds are getting bigger. They'll still have all the white pistils sticking out, but you'll be able to see the buds getting bigger every day.
Week 7: The calyxes in the seven-week varieties swell to near bursting as THC is produced in the glands. At the end of the week they will be ready. The trichomes stand more erect and the caps swell with newly produced resin. At the end of the week the flowers reach the peak zone.
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.
General Hydroponic KoolBloom
Available as Liquid KoolBloom or Dry KoolBloom, this additive is widely regarded as the best bud hardener out there.
Instead of a firm feel when squeezed, an airy bud will have a weaker, more compressible structure and can be squashed more than a firm dense bud. Such aerated buds often have a low-quality feel to them and may also suffer from diminished cannabinoid content and terpene profile.
Trim popcorn buds like you would any regular bud. If you're lucky enough to have had a large harvest and a lot of trimming to get through, you can opt to be less “detailed” when trimming your popcorn buds, especially if you're planning on using them in edibles or concentrates.
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.