15 days after beginning forcing.- Massive growth of flowers at the
budding sites. Continuing after the first
appearance of flowers for 30 to 40
days. During this time the buds develop
and take shape. Starting with a few
flowers, layer after layer of flowers is
grown until the bud sites are merged
together into one large cola. - Maturation. Eventually the pistils start
to turn color from pale white to red or
brown At the same time the flowers
close up, forming false seed pods. The
small glands on the flowers now start to
grow. These are called stalked capitate
glands and are composed of a tiny
stalk supporting a thin clear membrane.
As THC is produced near the site, the
membrane swells with the potent liquid.
The membrane stretches and the gland
takes on the appearance of a
mushroom. When the glands have
swelled and the pistil has receded into
the false pod, the bud is ready to pick.
At the point of maturity, the cola almost
glows. This is caused by light hitting the tiny
glands filled with THC. The bud looks like a
flower which has jewels scattered all over.
The number of days from onset of
flowering to maturity varies depending on
variety and the length of the dark period.
The shorter the dark period, the faster the