Many factors contribute including the mood of the plant. Sure plants have moods.
http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/psb/article/10574/
Once we accept that we are dealing with a living plant that can react to what we do and to each other then we have a place to start.
Plants can be stubborn when we expect growth especially after a cut down but if the light is quality and their roots are in a stable environment ( I promote organic soil ) then given some alone time they will move on and switch back into the primary mission.. To reproduce. Thus make a new effort to grow.
A cannabis plant has to decide it's plan as it grows. It makes certain decision in growth factors based on it's environment.
For example I run three cool tubes in a 4x4 soil box, a planter box (See Growkind.com DIY and Randy High posts for the complete refit )
Under 1500 watts of blended spectrum I see that plants react by growing squat or even become defensive by laying over away but what it does is signal to the plant the sun's strength and so the plant can make decisions based on that.
In the case of extreme light a strain may know how to grow squat or will do it's best to develop branching and leaf patterns to best utilize that light.
The key here is to stay true to an environment the plant can relate to in order to avoid delays in the plant adapting to changing conditions.
So be sure you are regular with the care and when you cut down expect them to react for a while then press on.
