No I dont expect the buds to swell, as I stated "you dont want the the buds to grow" . . . you want the resin on the buds to build. And yest the dark period will cause the plant leaves to wilt and shrivel, but the plant will remain alive. Plants concetrate on resperation in the dark, they just wont produce glucose as food. Instead the plant will use the stored N in its leaves to concentrate its full efforts on protecting the most sensitive part of the plant, the bud. Let me ask you question? Do you think all grapes are harvested the same? Have you ever heard of "divine rot"? There is a desert wine in Canada that is known for high sugar grapes. This grape is left on the vine past fall and into winter where they let it rot on the vine. A fungus will often grow on the grapes. They harvest the grape in the winter after it has gone into a almost natural fermintation. These desert wines are some the most sought after of the their kind in the world. Now I wouldnt recommend it for you Chardonney or Chab, but I hope you see my point. This is white widows "divine rot", its part of the curing process, it just happens on the stem for a period. I have emailed Nirvana. Where do you think I'm getting this information. One last thing, what makes you think that you know more than a world renown breeder on their own strain? Just curious where that kind erogance comes from. I plan on growing this strain in the winter. I will use the 2 week dark period. I will have a jornal. Wish me luck. lol