8 Ways To Grow The Best Tasting Cannabis Buds

Soil and compost
As a beginner grower, starting off your career as an indoor grower typically begins with a soil and compost mix. Organic substrates will have a buffering zone of 72 hours, meaning the way nutrients are absorbed by the plants is a slow and safe process. Using soil will always produce the best flavors possible in many professionals’ opinion, which is why organic grown outdoor buds are still considered the best. 

• The soil is thriving with beneficial microorganisms and a soil food web.
• Compost is a slow release nutrient which is high in Magnesium.
• Soil can be reused over and again without needing to replenish. 

Use organic nutrients
In combination with a soil growing medium, feeding the microbial life and allowing the soil food web to thrive using organic nutrients, is also an excellent way to ensure smooth, lip - licking flavor. Oftentimes nutrient brands will provide the liquid nutrients to accompany the soil growing medium, with a feeding chart as a guide. This is always the best way for a beginner grower to learn about growing Cannabis indoors or outdoors.

• Organic liquid nutrients supply the soil food web with a carbon food source.
• The soil will buffer the liquid nutrients, making them easy for plants to absorb.
• Most liquid nutrients will be heavy, dense and contain molasses.

Flush the plants properly
This means providing only plain water during the last 14 days of the flowering period. The goal behind flushing Cannabis plants is to allow any nutrients in the soil to be used, as well as for the plants to use up their internal reserves. This is why plants will begin to shift in color pigment and display rainbow-colored foliage with purple tinted buds. Flushing the plants correctly will also determine how smooth the flower will be to smoke, the aftertaste, and if the joint needs relighting every 30 seconds. 

• Flushing should never be ignored and will only increase the quality of the final product.
• Keep feeding the same volume of water as previously, however, without nutrients. 
• Flushing will make sure the ash burns softly with a light gray / white color.

Aerated compost teas
Basically a brewing kit that uses an air pump, air stone, water source and organic extract. Aerated compost teas should be left to brew and aerate the water source for a minimum of 24 hours for the aerobic bacteria and fungi, and is an excellent way of supercharging the growing medium. For plants that are in the flowering stage, making organic compost teas with bat guano and worm castings will significantly enhance the flavors and terpenes of the buds. 

• A brewing kit is cheap to set up and can be made from locally bought stores.
• 24 hours of time is needed to activate the bacteria and fungi to multiply in population.
• You can customize your compost teas depending on the vegetative or flowering stage.

Cold water extracts
If you like the idea of aerated compost teas, but cannot afford to buy the parts for a brewing kit, then you can always choose cold water extracts. Basically, an old school method, which has been used for thousands of years by farmers across the world, involves allowing an organic substrate to sit and soak in water. This can be done using a net bag or cloth wrap and letting it hang over a stick above, like a tea bag in a cup.

• Worm castings are an excellent way to supply a wide range of primary nutrients.
• Cold water extracts are cheap and practical for all styles of grower.
• It is best to let the extract sit for at least 12 hours before using.

Adding enzymes
Enzymes are produced naturally by the body to help us break down food, and the same applies in the plant kingdom. Using enzymes in combination with liquid nutrients will allow the nutrients to be more available to the roots, and work to break down organic substrate into small bite - sized pieces. Using enzymes during the flush can make a huge difference to the cleanliness of a bud and for coco growers, enzymes allow all the salts to be broken down. This means the coco can be recycled and used again.

• Enzymes can be added with your nutrients and will help plants uptake faster. 
• Some growers like to use different enzymes together during the flushing period.
• Using enzymes to wash through a coco substrate allows a grower to reuse.

The drying room
One of the biggest factors that will make or break a grower, is the way the buds are harvested and dried. The drying room needs to be a place where, for 14 days, the plants can sit in darkness and for the chlorophyll to die off until the plants no longer have a fresh smell. The temperature of the drying room should be consistently as close to 15 degrees Celsius as possible, with a relative humidity of 50-60%. There should not be fans blowing directly at the buds, and the air flow in the room needs to be fresh and recycled. 

• It is best to leave the buds for a full 2 weeks to obtain the best flavor and aroma.
• High temperatures will only speed dry the flower, causing it to lose essence.
• The colder the drying room the better, good air flow and consistency is key.

Check the trichomes
The essential oils and terpenes of the Cannabis plant can be found within the trichomes. One of the best ways to identify if the plants are full of terpenes is to look at the resin under a microscope. Trichomes will go through different stages of maturity ranging from clear white, to silver and cloudy and finally to an amber and red stage. Cup winning extract artists will often testify that the pinnacle moment to harvest Cannabis plants for flavor is when the trichomes are cloudy.

• Check the buds from the top, bottom and lower parts of the plants for a true assessment.
• Amber and red colored trichomes will mean the effect can be more narcotic. 
• If you see the trichomes are clear, then just check them daily until they shift to milky.

Conclusion
Once you know how to grow top shelf flowers that are heavily complemented by other smokers, there is no better feeling. One good rule of thumb is to start with top quality seeds, and then from there apply any of the 8 points covered in this article. Good luck growing the best tasting Cannabis buds and surprising your fellow smokers with cup winning buds and hash.

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