Flowering & Reproductive Development

Senescence & Maturity Assessment

Late-flower senescence includes aging and resource redistribution, but stress, root problems, disease, and environmental injury can create similar visual changes.

Key concepts

  • Some leaf aging is developmentally normal
  • Rapid or patchy decline may indicate stress or disease
  • Flower maturity and whole-plant senescence are related but not identical
  • Harvest decisions should combine several observations

What to measure or observe

  • Track which leaves change first
  • Inspect roots and flowers when decline is unusual
  • Standardize trichome sampling
  • Record rate of progression

Common mistakes

  • Calling every yellowing leaf normal fade
  • Treating amber trichomes as a universal single-variable endpoint
  • Ignoring mold inspection late in flower

Visuals this lesson still needs

  • Normal versus abnormal senescence panel
  • Whole-plant progression map
  • Maturity multi-signal checklist
  • Late-flower disease differential