We are now in Week 8 of the flowering stage. Here are the new developments we will dive into:
- Maximal Color Expression
- Increased weight of the buds
- Continue tapering down temperature and humidity
In this episode of A Week-by-Week Guide to Flowering Cannabis Indoors, we are on Day 52 of the flowering period. Both plants, our Apple Tartz #7 pheno, and our Platinum Silk, are finishing up their bloom cycle and are looking smoking hot good!
Changes from Week 6 to Week 7 to Week 8
As you look back on Week 6 and Week 7, you will remember that everything was still pretty green in the sixth week, but then seemed to explode with color in the seventh week. Well, if maximal color expression is what you’ve been waiting for, then look no further than Week 8. This is where you get to see these plants in championship form, in all their glory, showing off their good looks.
In addition to all the colors, you will also notice that the plants have gotten bigger. Marijuana plants in general put on most of their weight in the final weeks of flower. These plants are in their eighth week, and as you can see in this video, shot on Day 52, these plants are much bigger than they were even a week ago.
Maximal Color expression from Apple Tartz
Apple Tartz is a model example of a plant that just exudes an exotic visual look. By this time, her leaves are jet black, which add a sinister element to her appearance. Her buds resonate with deep purple hues. The pistils have lightened in color, and now are a yellow-ish orange, and add a nice contrast to the darker colors.
Platinum Silk has put on even more weight!
The Platinum Silk has put on some weight and is now looking like a mass monster! This plant just continues to get bigger and bigger. You can see how the top colas are just chunky looking in the video around 4:39 minutes in.
The longer the flower cycle goes on, the bigger the plants get and this is true for most varieties of cannabis. So if your plant is not looking as big as you’d like, just wait until you get to Week 8 to really judge her size.
Optimizing your Grow Room conditions in Week 8
As we discussed in Week 7, reducing temperature can assist in development of color expression. Additionally, reducing humidity can reduce risk of mold or other adverse conditions that can rear their head in the final countdown.
You will want to continue to taper down your temperature and humidity in Week 8. If you made some minor adjustments in Week 7, you can either continue with those settings, or initiate a slight reduction.
Other observations in Week 8 of bloom phase
During the eighth week of bloom, noticeably absent are any growth of the other areas of the plant.
Zero foliage growth
In addition to the size of the plants and the vivid colors, you will notice that the fan leaves have not grown at all. The plant has not produce any type of foliage growth. Instead, she is is only focused on maturity growth and further blossoming of her flowers.
Getting closer to harvest time
These plants are inching closer to the finish line. At this point, you could actually harvest Apple Tartz, and not have a bad outcome. We prefer to give her 60 days, but there have been times when we’ve had to harvest early and the outcome wasn’t bad.
With Platinum Silk, she needs more maturity development, and she will also continue to put on size. Therefore, we let her go the full 60 days.
Week 8 is almost over…
We have one more week to go, but now is the time to start preparing for the next cycle. If you have not already, check out our long-form guide, Harvesting Your Cannabis from Start to Finish. We cover all of the technical aspects of chopping down your plants and how to properly dry, cure, and trim your buds.
Well that concludes our look at Week 8. Next, we will get to see these plants inch closer to the finish line, and we will see the final development of their trichomes in Week 9.