Maximizing Cannabis Bud Quality: Mastering Environmental Factors for Optimal Growth

You wouldn't pay top dollar for poor-quality cannabis flowers if you visited a dispensary, right? Then why should you settle for low-quality buds when you are growing cannabis at home? 

Every grower is concerned quality of his cannabis buds, whether he's growing at home or on a commercial level — and, rightly so. Top-notch buds are usually known for their aroma, aesthetic appeal, strength, and flavor — who wouldn't want them?! They are typically thick, hard, resinous, and loaded with terpenes, cannabinoids, and trichomes. 

Heck, we'd even argue that since you're putting so much blood (hopefully not), sweat, and tears into growing cannabis, you need to aim for the highest cannabis buds. And how do you do that? 

One way is by ensuring your buds are safe from environmental factors that can affect their quality. Learn about mastering these environmental factors in this article. 

Importance of Environmental Factors in Growing Cannabis 

The environment in which the plants grow is very important to produce good-quality buds. Changes in these factors can have an effect on the development of buds, impacting their size, density, and chemical makeup. Here's a quick overview of the environmental factors that can affect the buds:

1. Climate: The humidity, temperature, and exposure to light are three factors that influence how cannabis grows. Changes in any of these factors can dramatically stunt the plant and influence the quality of the buds. 
2. Soil and Nutrition: The quality and condition of the soil containing essential nutrients play a crucial role in promoting healthy plant growth. Factors such as soil pH levels, the balance of nutrients, and microbial activity all contribute to the quality of the buds.
3. Watering and Irrigation: Proper hydration is vital for plant well-being. The type and amount of water you use along with the irrigation techniques can influence how buds develop. Incorrect watering practices may lead to subpar bud quality or plant illnesses.
4. Air Quality: The levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and the presence of air pollutants can impact photosynthesis and respiration processes that affect bud quality.
5. Pest Control and Disease Management: Pests and diseases pose such a big threat to plants that they can diminish bud quality. Therefore, you must manage them to safeguard your plants and ensure your yields are of high quality. 
6. Cultivation Methods: Growers use various approaches to optimize the yields, including pruning and training. Plus, there's a difference between growing indoors or outdoors. Each method comes with its advantages and challenges. All these factors can have an effect on the quality of the buds. 

Environmental Effects on Cannabis Bud Quality

Now that you have an inkling of the importance of the environment around cannabis plants, let's take a deeper look into how these factors can affect buds. 

1. Quality of Light 

Perhaps the biggest factor that influences the quality of your cannabis is the type of light you give it. In fact, even if you nail down temperature and humidity along with other factors mentioned below, poor lighting can still lead to low-quality buds. 

Let's take a look at how grow lights can affect the quality of your buds.

Spectrum of Light 

The light spectrum refers to the color of light, and this also has a massive impact on the quality of your cannabis buds. Ideally, a flowering cannabis plant grows best with red to far-red spectra of light. 

Why is this the case? Red light encourages cannabinoid and terpene production in the flowers. You can even improve this by supplementing your grow lights with UV lights, which further boost the production of trichomes. 

Light Intensity and Distance 

These two factors are interconnected. Placing your grow lights too far or not having intense light leads to the same results. For example, here are some of the problems your plant will face if your grow lights are placed too far:

• Poor bud development 
• Poor terpene and cannabinoid development, leading to subpar flavors and potency 
• Excessive stretching of the plant as it tries to get closer to the light source 

On the other hand, if you place your grow lights too close to the canopy, here are some of the things you can expect:

• Cannabinoids and terpenes may degrade due to excess light 
• Buds may turn into hermies 
• Bleaching on the buds due to excess light 
• Poor smell and flavor 

As you can see, it is crucial that you place your grow lights at the right distance, and, at the same time, ensure they are adequately bright for your cannabis plant. Ideally, your plant needs around 35,000 to 85,000 lux of light during bloom; 60,000 lux being the sweet spot. 

When it comes to the distance, there's no one-size-fits-all here. Instead, refer to the manufacturer's recommendations for the distance. Every grow light type has a specific distance where it works best. 

2. Temperature and Humidity

Then come the temperature and humidity, both of which are critical for healthy bud development during the flowering stage. The right conditions ensure optimal growth, flavor, and potency. Let's dive in. 

Cold Temperatures 

Generally, you want your cannabis plant to be in a cooler environment, especially during the last week of bloom. Doing so will enhance the flavor, aroma, and potency. So, the best temperature for your flowering cannabis plant is 73°F or 23°C.

While cool nights produce vibrant colors in buds, you should also ensure the temperature does not fall under 65°F or 17°C or it can backfire. Extreme cold can cause cold stress, stunted growth, and smaller buds. Therefore, it's best to start with slightly warmer temperatures at the beginning and lower them as the season progresses. 

Hot Temperatures 

On the other hand, high temperatures can negatively affect the quality of your cannabis. Temperatures above 82°F or 28°C can cause heat stress, degrading trichomes and terpenes. Say goodbye to aroma and potency then. 

Additionally, excessive heat can also cause buds to foxtail, increase the risk of mold, and attract pests. This is why you must maintain temperatures around 73°F during bloom to prevent such issues. 

Humidity 

Humidity also plays a significant role during the flowering stage. Ideally, your plant should have a RH of 40% to 50%. Anything higher than this range can lead to mold, bud rot, and airy buds. On the other hand, low humidity can cause stress and impact trichome production. 

To maintain humidity, you can use oscillating fans, vents, air conditions, and if necessary, humidifiers or dehumidifiers.

3. Ventilation 

If you're growing cannabis in an indoor grow room, you need to pay special attention to air circulation and ventilation. This only adds to the previous points of maintaining the right temperatures and humidity levels for your cannabis plant. 

When it comes to air circulation, it is important as it prevents stagnant air from building up in the grow room. Stagnant air can increase humidity, prevent gas exchange, and attract pests, so it's never good. 

On the other hand, ventilation keeps the air fresh by removing excess heat, humidity, and stale air. It also provides a fresh supply of CO2 for your cannabis plant, which is vital for photosynthesis. 

You can ensure you have good ventilation and air circulation in your grow room with the help of oscillating fans, vents, ducts, carbon scrubbers, inlet and exhaust fans, etc. 

4. Nutrients and Soil Composition 

Maintaining the right nutrients and soil composition is key to growing high-quality cannabis. Both factors play a vital role in ensuring healthy plants and maximizing their potential. Let's dive into how nutrient availability and soil composition affect cannabis growth.

Nutrient Availability 

When growing cannabis, the right balance of nutrients is essential for high-quality buds. You must provide proper nutrients in the correct proportions throughout your plant's lifecycle to ensure healthy growth and excellent terpene profiles. 

If you don't pay attention to nutrition, your cannabis plant can suffer from various nutrient-related problems like deficiencies, toxicity, root rot, and much more. 

Soil pH 

Similarly, the pH level of the soil plays a critical role in cannabis cultivation as it directly impacts nutrient availability and uptake by the roots. When the pH strays from the optimal range, nutrient absorption can be hindered, leading to deficiencies or toxicities despite the nutrients being present in the soil.

Ideally, for optimal growth and nutrient uptake, cannabis plants thrive in slightly acidic soil with a pH range between 5.5 to 6.5 in hydroponic systems and 6.0 to 7.0 when growing in soil. Within this range, essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are readily available for absorption by the roots.

So, what do you do when it strays away from the ideal range? First, get a pH meter to keep an eye on the pH. Then, you can use pH up/down solutions to fix the pH whenever it strays out of the range.

Sometimes, fluctuations occur for random reasons. But if you notice the fluctuations regularly, you need to flush your plant and rebalance your nutrient solution. 

Soil Composition 

The soil's composition also impacts nutrient absorption and root health, which can have a cascading effect on the quality of buds. So, you need well-draining, nutrient-rich soil with proper pH to create an ideal environment for your cannabis plant to thrive. 

5. Pests

One of the most overlooked environmental factors in cannabis cultivation is pest control. Imagine you do everything right but find out that aphids have taken over your plant. Or, what if the plants are in the flowering stage and you see a thin layer of webbing on them? Yep, spider mites — such a nightmare!

So, as you can imagine, pests can be detrimental to your cannabis plant. Essentially, they act as parasites, feeding on your plant and causing significant damage. 

You can categorize these pests into three main types: 

• Sucking Pests: These pests extract nutrients from your cannabis plants, impairing their growth and yield.
• Chewing Pests: These pests consume parts of your plants, such as buds, branches, and leaves.
• Infectious Pests: These pests carry pathogens that can infect your plants.

All these pests can impact the quality of your cannabis buds. Some common harmful pests you might encounter include spider mites, aphids, thrips, fungus gnats, slugs, and snails. 

To prevent these pests from invading your grow room, keep your space isolated with nets and ensure fresh air circulation. You can also use companion plants and sticky traps to deter them. 

If your cannabis plant does get infected, you can use something like neem oil to get rid of it. Just avoid spraying it on the buds as it can damage the flavor with its pungent odor. You can also try out other natural pesticides like diatomaceous earth or pyrethrin. 

6. Watering Practices

Proper watering and irrigation techniques are crucial for producing high-quality buds. Water helps plants with absorption, photosynthesis, and cellular development, so managing water quality, irrigation methods, watering frequency, and volume can greatly influence the health and quality of buds.

Quality of Water

The quality of water used for irrigation is key to plant health and bud quality. Several factors contribute to water quality:

1. pH Levels: The pH level of irrigation water affects the availability of nutrients in the soil. You already know the range (5.5 to 6.5 for hydro and 6.0 to 7.0 for soil) as mentioned earlier. If the plants are in the recommended range, they will be able to absorb nutrients. If not, you can feed all the nutrients, but the plants won't be able to take them in. 
2. Mineral Content: Water should contain a fair amount of minerals. However, excessive levels of minerals like sodium or chlorine can be detrimental to plant growth. That said, insufficient amounts of minerals like calcium and magnesium can make matters worse for the plant too. 
3. Contaminants: The irrigation water needs to be clean of heavy metals, pathogens, and pollutants. Water that's contaminated can inflict diseases, hinder growth, and diminish the quality of buds.
4. Water Hardness: The hardness of water which depends on the levels of calcium and magnesium ions present can impact how plants absorb nutrients and the structure of soil. Water that is moderately hard is typically beneficial but if it's extremely hard or soft, you will have to make some adjustments.

Methods of Irrigation

Selecting the right irrigation method is crucial for ensuring plants receive sufficient moisture. Some common methods include:

1. Drip Irrigation: This system delivers water straight to each plant's root zone through a network of tubes and emitters. It's a method that reduces water waste, lessens the risk of overwatering, and helps maintain soil moisture to promote healthy bud growth.
2. Sprinkler Systems: Sprinkler irrigation spreads water across a specific area to mimic rainfall. While effective for covering fields, there's a lot of water wastage due to evaporation and runoff. It could also raise the likelihood of diseases if foliage remains wet for long.
3. Flood Irrigation: Flood irrigation involves covering the cultivation area with water allowing it to seep into the ground. However, while it's simple and cost-effective, this approach may not distribute water evenly, leading to issues like waterlogging and nutrient loss.
4. Manual watering: For most home gardeners growing cannabis indoors, manual watering is the best way to provide plants with water. Simply wait for the top soil to dry a bit and water when the pots are light. 

Watering Frequency and Amount

Determining the watering frequency and volume is also important as you cannot water randomly and pray that it all goes well. You should stick to a proper schedule crucial for maintaining adequate soil moisture as both overwatering and underwatering can negatively impact bud quality. 

Frequency: The watering schedule depends on factors such as the strain, stage of its growth, weather conditions, and soil quality. For instance, you'll typically give more water to hungry strains. However, you must be careful as excessive watering can lead to root rot issues. 

Quantity: Each watering session should provide enough water to moisten the root zone without causing water accumulation. Rather than just moistening the root zone frequently, practice deep water occasionally as it promotes root growth, and improves plant stability and resilience.

Some growers use tools that are equipped with sensors to gauge the moisture in the soil. However, if you have a small number of plants, you can just touch the soil and water only when it's dry. There's no need to invest in any equipment. 

7. Air Quality

The quality of the air is also important to maintain bud quality. The levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen and the presence of air pollutants all have an impact on plant growth and the development of high-quality buds. Managing these aspects can result in superior plants and better bud production.

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is crucial for photosynthesis so plants can convert light into chemical energy to produce sugars that fuel growth. As a result, the amount of CO2 in the air directly affects photosynthesis, plant growth, and bud development consequently. 

The typical ambient level of CO2 in the atmosphere is around 400 parts per million (ppm). However, raising CO2 levels between 1,000 to 1,500 ppm can considerably enhance photosynthesis and plant growth.

In greenhouses and indoor grow rooms, adding CO2 can help improve the size, density, and quality of buds. Different methods such as using compressed CO2 tanks, CO2 generators, or dry ice can be employed for CO2 supplementation. But it's very important that you monitor CO2 levels so it doesn't exceed recommended levels as it can be deadly to both plants and humans. 

You can use CO2 especially when the plants are actively conducting photosynthesis, meaning you should do it when the lights are on. When the lights are off, or during the dark cycle, the plants don't require CO2 as they do not use it for growth. Also, the intensity of the lights must match the levels of CO2, which means that if you provide more CO2, the lights should also be intense. 

Oxygen 

Oxygen is also important as it helps the plants respire, which happens around the clock. In addition, maintaining proper oxygen levels in the root zone is essential for root function and overall plant vitality.

Oxygen in soil

To make sure there's enough oxygen, you should just provide aerated soil that allows roots to access the oxygen needed for respiration. Compacted soil or waterlogged conditions can lead to oxygen deficiency causing root rot and poor plant health. Proper soil structure and drainage are super important, so make sure you get good soil. 

Oxygen in hydroponic systems

Compared to soil, it's easier to provide oxygen to the roots in hydroponic systems as you can aerate the nutrient solution to achieve optimal levels. 

For this, you can use air pumps and air stones to oxygenate the solution so the roots are happy and are able to absorb nutrients efficiently, resulting in higher-quality buds.

8. Cultivation Methods

The techniques you use to cultivate cannabis can also affect the quality of buds. Everything including the growing conditions, training techniques, and specific gardening practices has an impact on the vitality and potency of the buds.

For example, there's a lot of difference between growing indoors and outdoors or in a greenhouse. There will also be differences between a plant that's trained and another that's untrained and left to grow naturally. 

Growing Indoors vs. Outdoors

The choice between outdoor and indoor cultivation significantly influences the quality of buds with each method offering its benefits and challenges.

Indoor Cultivation

Controlled Environment: Indoor growing provides control over conditions such as temperature, humidity, light, and CO2 levels. This control ensures ideal settings for bud growth.

Light Control: You can adjust cycles and intensity using sophisticated grow lights like LED or HPS to enhance photosynthesis and bud development, which is especially beneficial for photoperiod strains. 

Pest Management: Indoor setups are easier to protect against pests and diseases as they are not exposed to unexpected elements out there. If pests still attack your plants, you can take several measures to protect them and get rid of the pests. 

At the end of it, although indoor growing is expensive compared to growing outdoors due to electricity bills and whatnot, you'll be able to grow top-notch buds if you take care of everything the plants need. 

Outdoor Cultivation

Natural Elements: The plants get everything natural, including sunlight, fresh air, and beneficial soil microorganisms that promote plant growth. 

Seasonal and Environmental Risks: Growing outdoors is influenced by weather conditions and seasonal variations that can sometimes be erratic and affect the quality of the buds. Unpredictable elements like storms and pests present several challenges.

Sustainability: Outdoor cultivation is often seen as a friendly approach and has a smaller carbon footprint when compared to energy-intensive indoor growing.

Although you'll save quite a bit of money growing outdoors, you'll be able to control the conditions much better indoors. Still, this is not to say that growing outdoors produces subpar buds. In fact, most outdoor growers produce stunning buds, thanks to bright sunlight and good soil. 

If you don't have any problems with laws restricting cannabis cultivation, it's best to go ahead and grow cannabis outdoors, provided you have the right climate. Buds that grow outdoors will grow thicker, denser, and have more trichomes even if you can control all the environmental conditions indoors. 

9. Trimming and Training Methods

Although you can let your cannabis plants grow naturally without ever pruning or training them, it's best to do it to get more yields. Also, the bud quality will be better with training. 

Trimming

Trimming or pruning is nothing but removing specific branches and leaves that obstruct light penetration. If you've noticed how cannabis plants grow, you'll remember that the leaves and branches grow so thick and dense that the lower branches hardly get any light. You can trim the leaves to prevent this. 

When you prune the plants, they develop more leaves and grow robust as a defense mechanism. Think of it as a wild animal chewing away leaves in the wild. The plant does everything to protect itself and grows back stronger as a result. 

However, you should not overdo this. Remove only a few sections to give the plants some time to recover. Talking of recovery, make sure you trim and prune only during the vegetative stage as you'll be asking for trouble if you do so during the flowering stage. During this phase, the plants should not be disturbed and you should do everything you want to do during the vegetative stage itself. 

In addition, you'll improve the air circulation within the canopy when you prune or trim the plants. This practice can boost flower development by directing energy towards other parts of the plant that are more productive. 

Trimming also involves getting rid of damaged plant parts to prevent the spread of diseases. By doing so, you'll also encourage more growth. However, you should use proper techniques and also time it well to achieve desired results. 

Training Techniques 

Apart from trimming and pruning, you can even train the plants to grow in a specific way and produce more buds. Cannabis naturally grows like a Christmas tree with one cola per plant. Sometimes, you may have 2-3 colas but the main cola will always be dominant with a large share of the buds. 

However, you can employ some training techniques that force the plants to produce more colas. This way, all the colas will have buds and you'll also get more yields. Thus, instead of 1-2 colas, you can make the plant produce 6-8 colas. But don't exceed this number as it's simply pointless to do so. 

Almost every training technique is about stressing the plants in some way to produce more buds. A little stress is good for the plants as they grow and produce more buds naturally. But, then again, you should not stress the plants so much that they just up and die. 

Let's take a look at some of the most common training techniques you can use to improve the yields and the quality of the buds as well:

Low Stress Training (LST): LST involves bending and securing branches in such a way that it allows better light distribution for the entire plant. This method encourages more bud sites, potentially leading to increased yields.

High-Stress Training (HST): HST, including topping, super cropping (bending stems until they fold) and mainlining (establishing a structure) involves more intense manipulation of plant growth. While these techniques can promote growth and enhance bud production, you should be careful to prevent too much plant stress. 

Scrogging (Screen of Green); This technique utilizes a screen or netting to train plants to grow horizontally. This way, all parts of the plant get more light and the buds develop uniformly throughout the canopy. 

All the techniques mentioned above focus on one factor: light distribution. If you take care of this part by training the plants well, not only will you get more yields but the quality will also be immensely better. 

10. Harvesting and Post-Harvest Care

The harvesting process and post-harvest care significantly influence the final quality of buds. Timely harvests paired with drying, curing, and storage methods are essential for preserving the potency, flavor, and overall quality of the buds.

Yes, the timing of when you harvest will ensure the buds are of good quality. Harvesting either early or too late can impact the terpene profiles, affecting the potency and flavor of the buds. One key indicator of readiness for harvest is observing the trichomes — the shiny glands that develop on the buds and leaves. 

Observing the trichomes is a great way to determine when to harvest. For example, you should not harvest when the trichomes are still clear as they are immature. Within a few days, you'll notice that the trichomes turn milky or cloudy and this is when you need to harvest the plants as they are at their peak potency. 

If you wait too long, trichomes turn amber in color, which indicates that the THC is converting to CBN. Now, assuming that you're harvesting the buds mainly for THC that induces narcotic effects, CBN may be a turn-off as it makes the user more sleepy. 

Apart from the trichomes, you can also take a look at the pistils that change colors and you'll be able to harvest at the right time. When the pistils change their color from white to brown or orange ( 70-90% transition), it indicates that the harvesting time is near. Keeping an eye on the plant's growth stage — whether it's early-mid or late flowering — is crucial in deciding when to harvest based on plant health and maturity levels.

Drying and Curing Procedures

Most beginners think that their work is over after harvesting the buds, but the drying and curing procedures are two of the most important steps you could take to improve bud quality. Both these steps are crucial to maintain the potency, flavor, and longevity of the buds. These processes help reduce moisture levels, prevent mold and bacteria growth, and enhance the quality of the product.

Drying

You should always dry the buds in a ventilated area with temperatures between 60-70°F (15-21°C) and humidity levels around 45-55%. These conditions are ideal for preventing mold formation and preserving terpenes.

Whether you hang the buds along with their branches on a clothesline or cut the stalks and dry them on a screen, you should ensure there's proper airflow around the buds. Typically, it takes 7-14 days for the buds to dry completely based on the environment and the density of the buds. 

Once the smaller stems snap easily rather than bending and are almost dry but not fragile, the drying process is finished. 

Curing

After the buds are sufficiently dry, you can store them in glass jars to cure them. The jars should be airtight and loosely filled to allow some air circulation. During weeks 1 and 2, you should open (burp) the jars daily for at least 10-15 minutes to release excess moisture and introduce fresh air into them. 

This aids in balancing the moisture levels across the buds. If you plan to store the buds for a long time, you can vacuum seal them to safeguard them against oxidation and moisture. It's important to check on the storage conditions and the state of the buds to catch any issues early like mold growth or excessive dryness.

Summary: Maximizing Cannabis Bud Quality: Mastering Environmental Factors for Optimal Growth 

Mastering the environmental factors in your cannabis grow room can significantly boost the quality of your buds from good to exceptional. For this, you need to understand the basics of light quality, temperature and humidity, soil composition, nutrients, and pest control. 

Remember, each detail matters, so be mindful of everything. Even if one of these factors is not ideal, it can significantly affect your cannabis plant's yields. You don't want that, do you? 

Once you figure these things out, you set the stage for other techniques like training methods, CO2 supplementation, and advanced growing methods to further boost the quality of our buds. 

Growing cannabis is always a learning process, and you may feel like you'll never fully master it. But this is just the beginning. Start here and soon enough you'll be a master of cultivating cannabis. For more tips like these, stay tuned to our blog.