why wont my buds mature?????

[Gatorbackbob]

Get a timer and you should be good bro! Personally I like 18/6 but some prefer 20/4.
If you choose to continue the buckets, just make sure the water drains out really well. And if you can this next time, post a journal, that way you can get help before its too late.
And with the buckets you don't want more than a half inch lip from the top of the bucket to the top of the soil.

 

[Waira]

--- I need info specifics mate, on the soil and nute brands, your feed schedule and dosage, just for starters.... pH is likely an issue stemming from this, since the plants are failing worse as they age... Ditto for the pots, and drainage! --this could also be a cause,... All these are fundamentals, and if you 0/3 on the grows, something is going tits up right from the start... we need info to pin it down, or it's a pointless guessing game,...

 

[Nabzter]

I think this is potentially due to a lockout. As waira said possibly down to pH issues. It sounds as though the plant is being starved of the required nutrients needed to bulk up, particularly P and k.