We strongly advise all cannabis enthusiasts to try growing marijuana at least once because it’s exciting and enjoyable. But it can also be a time of stress and anxiety. Many potential problems can keep you up at night, even though they don’t always happen. One of the top worries for new growers is their cannabis not flowering.

Stay with us if you’re concerned that your cannabis won’t flower or want to learn how to make a weed plant bud. Continue reading to discover the stages of marijuana growth and how to begin flowering cannabis.

You won’t need to be concerned that your cannabis won’t flower if you have a thorough understanding of the growth cycle of your plants. Below, you’ll learn how and why marijuana blooms and how to spot problems and avoid upcoming ones.

Let’s dive in and start learning because being informed is half the battle when growing cannabis crops.

Stages of vegetative vs. flowering

Your seeds must first germinate to start growing cannabis. Marijuana seeds undergo three distinct growth phases after germination: seedling, vegetative growth, and flowering. Let’s examine each stage of development.

Seedling

Two cotyledons, or tiny round leaves, are at the top of the delicate stem that the cannabis seed produces. This first pair of leaves absorb light to give the seedling the energy it needs to grow its first “true” leaves.

Within a week, your first set of distinctively shaped leaves appear. The cotyledons wilt and die once the plant is established and has 6-7 pairs of leaves. The seedling stage ends at this time, and actual vegetative growth begins.

Vegetative

Your plants’ size increases quickly during the vegetative stage. As the days and weeks go by, the rapidly thickening central stem produces an increasing number of fan leaves. The distance between the nodes on the central stem widens with each new set of leaves.

Cannabis plants naturally stay in the vegetative stage until the start of the fall. For plants, shorter days signal the beginning of winter, which begins their flowering season. Indoor cultivators regulate the crop’s photoperiod by keeping it in the vegetative stage as long as it receives enough light. Due to this control, indoor growers can decide when to start or stop flowering.

Several additional factors influence the duration of vegetative growth. Pure sativa strains or those that lean more towards sativa tend to finish slower than their indica counterparts. The duration of the vegetative phase is also influenced by temperature, humidity, and photoperiod length. It’s normal for cannabis not to bloom fully at this time.

The vegetative phase of commercially grown marijuana typically lasts 60 days. You must consider the available space for indoor growers. New gardeners frequently believe that once flowering starts, plants stop growing, which is a common misconception. A crowded grow space or tent and other potential issues, such as a light burn or foxtailing buds, result from making the switch too late.

Most cannabis strains undergo a significant “stretch in the first few weeks of flowering.” Planning is essential because plants tend to double or triple in size. Measure the distance from the light’s highest point to the base of the plants to get a sense of when to change from veg to flower. When expanding in a space with limited vertical space, consider this.

Flowering

The magic, as they say, happens during flowering. This growth stage can be further divided into smaller steps. Knowing these stages makes it easier to gauge the progress of your plants and reduces your concerns about cannabis, not flowering.

The marijuana plants exhibit sex during the first few weeks of flowering. During this pre-flowering stage, continued plant growth and the development of male or female pollen sacs can be seen. This is the time to quickly identify and remove male plants from your crop if you’re growing cannabis from regular seeds.

Female crops continue through their early flowering stage after being sexed. At the plant’s nodes, tiny buds emerge. Over the following two to three weeks, growth starts to slow as they approach peak flowering. For more information, see our report on the start of the flowering stage.

The plants’ attention will completely shift to bud production once they reach peak flowering. The large, dense nugs and colas you’ve been waiting for start to grow bigger and heavier.

When all the buds have fully developed, and the maturation process has started, the flowering process has reached its end. The white pistils curl up, become less spiny, and turn yellow or orange as harvest time draws near. It’s time to reap the benefits when approximately half of the pistils are a deep orange.

When do marijuana plants begin to flower?

So how do you get marijuana plants to flower? Cannabis plants typically begin to flower when exposed to a daily, uninterrupted 12-hour total darkness. However, autoflower seeds must be mentioned as an exception.

Autoflowering cannabis seeds do not require a photoperiod to start flowering. Once autoflowering varieties have sufficiently established themselves with a few weeks of vegetative growth, they bloom regardless of the light schedule.

There is no need to be concerned about how to begin cannabis flowering if you use autoflowering seeds. These plants will take care of the rest, flowering when ready, as long as you give them enough food and keep them well-lit.

The right amount of darkness is the only factor determining whether marijuana plants in regular, non-auto strains bud. Remember that flowering won’t occur overnight, so have patience and don’t get alarmed if your cannabis plants don’t start to bloom right away.

Five causes and recommendations for how to make your cannabis flower

There are a few potential causes for why your cannabis plants may not be flowering.

Let’s look at it.

Plants need time.

If your plants aren’t flowering yet, they may need more time. It may take several weeks during the pre-flowering stage before buds start to show. Keep a regular eating and sleeping schedule, and keep your cool. If a weed plant isn’t flowering after you’ve switched to a 12/12 program, resist the urge to adjust the photoperiod.

Light leaks

Indoor growers must ensure that during the plants’ “nighttime,” no light enters their grow room or tent. Cannabis plants can become confused by even a tiny amount of light, preventing them from flowering.

Ideally, you should have inspected your grow space during the ‘nighttime’ to look for light leaks before beginning. Fill in any gaps or cracks to ensure complete darkness when the lights are off.

Incorrect photoperiod

When marijuana plants are in flower, consistency is essential. Even if it seems completely irrelevant, the plants are affected if you miss the window for turning on or off the grow lights by a half-hour. Cannabis might not flower as a result of this.

Hermaphroditism, which should be avoided at all costs, can also be brought on by a persistent lack of consistency in lighting. Purchase a top-notch timer system to regulate your photoperiods. Don’t disturb the plants at night. Use only a green light if you have to act during the plant’s dark period.

Inadequate lighting

Cheap, poor-quality mechanical timers frequently malfunction, run slowly, or completely break, which is bad for your plants. Plants with malfunctioning timers may return to vegetative growth or exhibit hermaphroditic traits.

Incorrect seedlings

This last one is doubtful and refers to autoflower vs. photoperiod cannabis seeds. Let’s say a friend accidentally gave you photoperiod seeds that they believed to be auto seeds. Since you weren’t growing the cannabis according to a photoperiod, it might not flower.

Relax and grow marijuana

Hopefully, the information above has alleviated your concerns regarding cannabis, not flowering and any remaining queries regarding how to make marijuana plants bud.

Autoflower cultivars are always an option if you’re unsure that you can provide the consistency required for photoperiod strains. Compared to their photoperiod counterparts, auto crops grow slower and yield less, but they do not need light control, and there are no worries about cannabis not flowering. Check out the autoflower seeds available at Mediseed Man, buy a pack, and start growing!