We can hear the collective, “Oh Yes”, being muttered by the local cannabis growing community. Yep, we’re rolling into the outdoor cannabis flowering season in South Africa!
After all, it takes a lot of effort to get your beauty to this stage. But, the journey isn’t over yet! Here are some things you might want to know going into the flowering stage.
You Could Have A Hermaphrodite
Most growers have a keen eye for spotting a male in their crop. But, sometimes, you can get a hermaphrodite, which means they’ve developed little pollen sacs.
This change of sex is due to flowering stresses on the plant. Just an FYI, this change can happen due to long-term stress such as temperature extremes, major plant problems, and poor genetics. We actually offer solutions to all these issues.
At the end of the day, this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re keeping a close eye on your crop.
They Are pH-Sensitive
Oh yeah, just like you going through puberty, this is a sensitive time. This means you should make sure to monitor the pH. While most will assume that this only refers to hydroponic growers, it also affects the soil.
If your leaves are wrinkling and curling, there is a chance this may be a pH issue. BUT – wrinkling and curling leaves could be a result of too little water, light burn (if it is indoors), high temperatures, and general stress (repotting). Then again checking pH levels is a quick and easy problem to diagnose. Buy one of in-store pH testing kits, follow the instructions, and you’ll have an answer within seconds. If you are wondering why poor pH level causes discolouration of the leaf edges, it’s due to the fact your plant can’t absorb nutrients properly. Our GHE Flora Series kit has an easy-to-use tester also the set has some great nutrients, but these need to be administered with care, which we’ll discuss next.
Essentially, your plants will be stronger if you’re able to control the pH of the soil.
Don’t Overfeed
Just like you won’t sleep better if you take more sleeping tablets, the same can be said for your cannabis plant.
Something you might not know is that overfeeding can lead to smaller crop yields, smaller buds, and bad tasting cannabis. Our recommendation is to always check the pH before adding more nutrients.
A major sign that you’re being far too liberal with the plant food is the yellowing of new shoots. Note: yellowing of the oldest leaves is pretty standard at this stage of their lives, think of it as your cannabis’s hair turning grey. Just trim them off, after all, it’s nice to have a pretty plant.
Humidity Could Be Problem
If you are in Joburg or Durban, humidity could be a problem for your crop. In the Western Cape, our summers are usually dry (although, global warming has ruined this as a hard and fast rule!).
As you may or may not know, mould will form on your flower and plant if there is excess water being pulled through the leaves, this, in turn, creates the perfect conditions for more mould.
For those with an outdoor crop suffering from mould, you can pick up Copper Count-N Fungicide Solution from our shop. Yeah, the formula is blue and seems a little scary to handle, but it is organic and won’t kill bees. We like bees.
And just an FYI – NEVER SMOKE MOULDY WEED!
It’s not penicillin.
You Need To Wait!
We know the feeling of being impatient, hell we binge-watch series on Netflix
just like you! But the flowering stage is as long as a daffodil’s (six weeks on
average) flowering period, 6 – 10 weeks depending on the strain and growing
environment.
It’s important to time your harvest correctly, as too long on the plant and the
crop will be ruined, and too early – you get only half its potential
yield.
If you were going to go with the lesser of the two evils, harvest a bit earlier.
The timing of your harvest can also determine THC (Tetrahydrocannabivarin) and CBN (cannabinol) levels in your bud. THC is a psychoactive compound, while the CBN compound acts as a great sleeping aid. It is known that earlier and regular timed harvested buds contain higher levels of THC and lower levels of CBN than late-harvested bud. This is due to the THC compound naturally converting into CBN as the plant goes later and later into harvest.
So, there we go! The flowering season is about to start. Then it’s the curing season.
Til’ then! Happy growing! And if you need any more tips, pop into our Woodstock store in Unit 1, Mason’s Press, 7 Ravenscraig Road. Our in-house growing guru, David, is always willing to chat!
Words By: Andrew Macfarlane, budding horticulturist, and grower excited for the flowering season.
Zootly says: “I’m all about the fragrance of the flowering season in my yard.”