By Max Sargent

How do you know if cannabis buds are ripe? Is there such a thing as overripe buds? What about under-ripe? We’ll explain everything you need to know about the ripening of cannabis flowers as we go along, so you can always harvest at the optimal time. But first, a little background.

Buds on cannabis plants go by several names, including flowers, inflorescences, and bracts. In fact, the latter three are all different parts of what is colloquially known as a “bud”, with the true flower actually being the pistils. Buds grow in many places on cannabis plants, with the main one—the main cola—growing at the apex of the plant (in untrained cannabis plants).

But for the purposes of this article, we’ll keep things simpler. The whole flower will be referred to as the bud, and we’ll also discuss pistils and trichomes specifically.


Cannabis Buds 101: Pistils and Trichomes

Pistils are the small hair-like structures that first appear at the plant’s nodes (the points where branches meet the main stem) when it enters the flowering stage, and later come to cover the buds. At the very least, you’ll know pistils as the orange-red hairs that engulf cannabis buds. In anatomical terms, they are the part of a female cannabis plant that catches pollen as it drifts through the air. They can also be used to tell when a plant’s buds are ripe (though this method is not 100% reliable).

Instead, trichomes are the best way to tell when buds are ready for harvest. These are resinous glands that grow in abundance on the outside of buds and so-called “sugar leaves”. It is inside these glands that cannabinoids, including THC, CBD, CBN, THCA, and terpenes are produced.

Trichomes change colour as they mature, and by keeping an eye on this change, you can safely estimate when the plant is at the optimal stage to be harvested. We’ll cover all of this further below.

Trichomes and pistils

When Do Buds Stop Growing?

Regarding bud size, a simple answer is that they stop growing around 75% of the way through their flowering period.

That said, buds never really stop changing. Even after you’ve harvested them, they can go through significant molecular changes, especially if exposed to heat and light. If left on the plant, they will continue to change, up to and beyond the point of being considered “ripe”—which is when they have the peak concentration of THC.

In cultivation terms, buds should reach their maximum size by around week 6 of flowering. This is an average estimate, for a plant with an 8-week flowering period. The final portion of a bud’s life will be spent developing cannabinoids, terpenes, and other cannabis phytochemicals. Therefore, pistils and trichomes will continue to develop, but the size and shape of the bud shouldn’t change beyond this point.

How to Know When Buds Won’t Grow Anymore

But how can you actually be certain when your buds will stop growing?

First, familiarise yourself with the traits of the particular cultivar you’re growing. If you know what strain it is, then you’ll be able to find out what its average flowering period is, and from this you can estimate when the buds will likely stop growing. For some strains, you may even be able to find reputable grow reports that actually tell you when the buds will stop growing—though you can’t count on this for most cultivars.

Second, and perhaps more accurate, you can take signs from the buds themselves. If they’re a vibrant green, with white pistils and totally clear, underdeveloped trichomes, then they certainly still have a little growing left in them.

If, however, pistils are beginning to turn orange-red and trichomes are becoming milky white (with a minority turning an amber hue), then they’re approaching being mature, and it’s likely that the buds will no longer grow in size.

What if Buds Keep Growing Pistils?

Although pistils can indicate the relative maturity of cannabis buds, it is not the most reliable method to determine the overall maturity of the plant.

Sometimes, buds can mature at different rates. In fact, many growers will harvest the topmost buds first, and then harvest the lower buds slightly later on. Light exposure plays a crucial role in bud development, so those closer to the lights will finish faster. That being said, there shouldn’t be too much of a discrepancy between the upper and lower buds.

More problematic is when mature buds continue to develop new pistils, or perhaps even continue to produce new growth. Usually, this is a sign of light or heat stress. Most likely, the light intensity is too strong. You can tell this is the case if only the buds closest to the lights are affected. Usually, the flowers will become "bleached" and display an unusual white hue.

In these instances, making estimates based on bud and pistil growth will be inaccurate, and you must look to trichomes in order to determine when your plant is ready for harvest. If you do identify this problem, though—move the lights further away!


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Overripe Buds: Visual Signs

Harvesting at the right time is crucial to maximising the amount of THC within your buds. If you overshoot, then the THC will begin to break down into CBN. CBN is thought to have more lethargic properties compared to THC, leading to highs that are “heavier” and less energising.

This might sound tempting, in which case you can allow your buds to mature a little longer. But either way, it’s necessary to know at what point the buds have stopped producing THC.

What Do Pistils Look Like on Overripe Buds?

On a ripe bud, around 90% of the pistils will be red-orange.

So, if all of the pistils on your plant are this colour, then you know that your buds are probably slightly to severely overripe. At this point, pistils cease to give you much information. Once 100% have turned, there’s no way of telling whether they’re barely overripe or weeks past their prime. Given that, you must regularly check their progress so that you don’t miss the best moment to harvest.

But don’t worry—this change shouldn’t happen overnight.

Over-ripe pistils

What Do Trichomes Look Like on Overripe Buds?

As mentioned, trichomes are a better way to tell if buds are ripe or not.

If you’re after maximum THC, you want the following ratio:

  • 70% milky-white trichomes
  • 15% clear trichomes
  • 15% amber trichomes

Clear trichomes indicate underdeveloped buds, whereas amber trichomes indicate overdeveloped flowers rich in CBN. Milky-white trichomes are the sweet spot, signalling buds full of THC. So if more than 15% of trichomes are amber, then your buds are becoming overripe.

Over-ripe Trichomes

Can You Smoke Overripe Buds?

Overripe buds are usually good to smoke, and may even be desirable for those who like the properties of CBN.

One thing to be aware of is that overripe buds have a greater chance of suffering from bud rot, in which case you don’t want to smoke them! To check, break them open and look inside. If they smell bad, or seem wet and look black/brown, then they might be bad. If so, discard them. If they seem healthy, they’re good to be smoked.

Under-Ripe Buds: Visual Signs

It’s also important not to harvest too early, as your impatience will sacrifice precious cannabinoids.

Here’s how to identify under-ripe buds.

What Do Pistils Look Like on Under-Ripe Buds?

Under-ripe buds will be covered in white, immature pistils. The exact amount can range from around 11% all the way to 100%. Remember, around 90% of pistils will be red-orange on perfectly ripe buds (usually).

There’s no way to be exact when estimating bud maturity off of pistils alone. But if most of them are still white, and you’ve ruled out heat/light stress, your buds are probably not yet mature, so hold on!

Pistils on under-ripe buds

What Do Trichomes Look Like on Under-Ripe Buds?

As mentioned above, underdeveloped trichomes are clear in appearance. If more than 15% of the trichomes on your buds are clear, then they are under-ripe, and you’ll have to hold off on harvesting for a little while.

Under-ripe trichomes

Can You Smoke Under-Ripe Buds?

You can, and—depending on how under-ripe they are—still experience some notable effects. However, these buds won’t be as potent, or flavourful, as they could be.

The further away from being ripe a bud is, the weaker the effects and the less impressive its flavour. So you will be rewarded for patiently awaiting the right moment to harvest.

Why Are My Buds Not Filling Out?

You might be waiting out the allotted flowering time and noticing that your buds are not fattening up, which leads you to despair: “Why are my buds so small?”.

There are many reasons that flowers might stay small or become “popcorn” buds, as they are known. Put simply, if buds aren’t developing properly, there is almost definitely something wrong with their environment or genetics. But fear not; below we outline what those issues could be.

🗓️ It’s Too Early

The best-case scenario is that you’re expecting too much too soon. Buds will appear near the beginning of the flowering period, but they’ll stay pretty small until at least week 4, and perhaps even later depending on the strain. So if they’re fairly young buds, give them some time to develop before you start worrying that your harvest is underwhelming.

💡 Low Light Levels

This is perhaps the most likely reason for small buds. To get the monstrous nugs everyone wants, plants need a lot of light.

Weak or poorly positioned lights will not give your plants enough light intensity to develop optimally. In many cases, this might be due to using low-quality lights. This is especially likely if you’re using cheap LED “grow lights”.

While LEDs can be brilliant for growing, they need to be of a certain quality. There are many lights categorised as grow lights that are actually insufficient for growing cannabis.

Likewise, small buds can be caused by an insufficient amount of light. For photoperiod plants, you want to give them 12 hours of light a day. For autoflowering plants, it can be anywhere between 18 and 24 hours per day.

🌿 Re-Vegging

If you mess up the light cycle during the flowering stage, plants will experience significant stress, and can even revert back to the vegetative stage as a result. In this case, bud development will cease, and new, rounded leaves will appear.

This is a strange, and admittedly quite magnificent, phenomenon, but it’s no good for bud development!

Unless you’re growing a clone, monster cropping, or you’ve changed lighting setups, the most likely explanation for reversion is that light is slipping in during the dark cycle. Even ambient light from street lights and phones can cause issues.

🧬 Bad Genetics

Sometimes, a plant might just be doomed to be underproductive. Even the best breeders produce dud seeds once in a while, and unreliable breeders produce them quite often!

If everything else appears good, and your buds still won’t grow, it may just be that you landed a poor-quality seed.

⚠️ Stress

As alluded to, stress can significantly affect bud development on a cannabis plant. This is especially true if the stress is severe, or comes at a crucial time during the plant’s development.

If a photoperiod plant becomes stressed in the veg phase, then consider giving it a week or two longer to recover before switching it over to bloom. With autoflowering plants, it's best to limit stress altogether.

Sources of stress include:

    • High-stress training techniques
    • Underwatering
    • Overwatering
    • Underfeeding
    • Overfeeding
    • Pests and disease

All of these stressors mean that the plant needs to dedicate a lot of energy to recovery, which means it can’t dedicate energy to growing buds.

Can You Make Buds Mature Faster?

Buds Mature Faster

Technically you can, but it’s not usually worth it. Techniques that make buds mature faster will also reduce the final yield significantly.

First, you could reduce daily hours of light. This mimics the coming of winter and causes plants to accelerate maturation, but also limits the energy they have available to grow in size. So unless you have some pressing need to harvest soon, this option is probably not worth it.

Second, you could pollinate your female plants, which will also cause them to mature faster. However, as they’re pollinated, they will no longer focus energy on bud growth. So, once again, you will get smaller buds.

If you really want your buds to mature quickly, your best bet is to choose a strain with a short flowering time; perhaps an indica auto, rather than a sativa photoperiod, for instance.

Cannabis Buds FAQ

When do cannabis buds grow the most?
Cannabis buds tend to grow most during weeks 4–6 of flowering.
Will my cannabis buds get bigger in the last 2 weeks?
Not really—instead, buds focus energy on maturing the pistils and trichomes.
Can you trim cannabis fan leaves during flowering?
Yes, you can defoliate during the flowering stage. Don’t overdo it, though, and leave a couple of weeks between each pruning session to avoid stressing your plants.
Do buds get bigger in the dark?
Yes. In fact, plants do most of their growing during the night. During the day, plants produce sugars, which they then use for cell growth during the night.

Timing Is Everything

After months of growing, it’s important not to be hasty. Once your buds are nearing maturity, keep a close eye on them daily so you can harvest at the best possible time.

Moreover, try out methods to grow super-dense buds to get even more out of your grow.

Growing cannabis is all about patience and care, and these are skills that will do you well in all areas of life. With the information above, you should find it much easier to grow large, healthy, and perfectly ripe cannabis buds.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: