To keep your cannabis extra strong and powerful, it’s important to learn when and how to harvest it. Look at the tiny trichomes and pistils to decide when it’s time to harvest.
Deciding whether to trim by hand, use a machine, trim when dry, or trim when wet will affect how many trichomes you keep while harvesting.
Keeping the little sticky parts (trichomes) safe is a big deal when you gather cannabis. These parts hold the good stuff like THC crystals and CBD, which make the cannabis strong and good.
We have a full guide on how to keep these trichomes safe when you collect cannabis. We’ll talk about why they’re super important, whether it’s better to trim the cannabis when it’s wet or dry to keep the trichomes safe, and the right time to harvest the plants for the best trichome keeping.
UNDERSTANDING WHY SAVING TRICHOMES ON CANNABIS MATTERS
When you examine cannabis flowers, you can see tiny THC crystals on them. These THC crystals are called trichomes, and they start growing when a female cannabis plant begins to bloom.
The name “trichome” comes from a Greek word meaning “hair growth.” Trichomes look like sticky, resin-covered hairs that coat the buds and small leaves of cannabis flowers.
Trichomes are like really important pieces of the cannabis plant. They are like small bags where cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids are made.
Inside a cannabis flower, there are three kinds of special trichomes, which are like tiny factories.
Tiny Bulbous Trichomes:
These are the tiniest trichomes on cannabis, so small that you need a special tool to see them. They mostly hang out on the stems and leaves, and a few are on the flowers.
When they change color to amber, it’s usually time to pick the cannabis.
These trichomes don’t have cannabinoids, but some think they might help make something called CBGa, which is like the starting point for other cannabinoids.
Round Topped Trichomes:
These are the most common trichomes on the cannabis plant. They are medium-sized, but you need a tool to see them up close. They have a long stick and a round head, and they’re really hard to see without help.
These trichomes hold a good amount of cannabinoids and are on the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant.
Big Mushroom Trichomes:
These trichomes are super special because they make a lot of the good stuff like cannabinoids and terpenes. They look like mushrooms, with a long stem and a round head. They’re much bigger (you can see them without special tools), around the size of a tiny dot.
During the flowering stage, these trichomes pop up a lot on buds, places where buds grow, and the smaller leaves.
But, be careful! They can easily get hurt, so it’s important to be gentle with them while growing and harvesting the cannabis.
These tiny parts, called trichomes, matter a lot because they have special stuff like cannabinoids and terpenes. These things make the cannabis flowers strong and good.
Trichomes also help protect the plants from bugs. They start growing when the cannabis plant starts to make flowers.
As the flowers get older, they can be in danger from different animals and bugs. Trichomes help by having a bad taste and strong smell that keeps the bad stuff away.
Knowing When to Harvest Cannabis for Lots of Trichomes
To decide the best time to collect cannabis, look at the tiny trichomes and pistils on the buds. They give a good idea of when the cannabis is just right for harvesting.
If you have special tools, you can also do tests in a lab to be sure.
Why People Who Know a Lot About Plants Sometimes Don’t Agree on When to Harvest Cannabis:
People who are really good at growing cannabis sometimes have different ideas about when to collect it. This happens for many reasons, like what they personally like.
If you harvest cannabis earlier, it might make you feel happy and active. If you wait longer to harvest it, it might help you relax.
Another reason for the confusion is that different types of cannabis plants show when they’re ready in different ways. So, the signs for when to harvest might not be the same for each plant.
Also, people who really understand cannabis like different types of plants because they have special chemicals. Some plants make you think a lot (like having lots of thoughts), so they’re good to collect early. Others are better if you wait longer.
In terms of time, some plants like a long time to grow and make flowers, kind of like having a very long summer for about 16 weeks. But others, like a different type, might only need around 5 weeks to grow flowers.
Also, the flowers on a single cannabis plant don’t grow at the same speed. The ones at the top get more sunlight than the ones at the bottom. The ones at the bottom might not be as strong and have fewer of the special sticky parts (trichomes) that have THC crystals.
Because of all these things, knowing when to harvest cannabis is tricky. It can also change your plans and how you usually do things. But remember these important rules.
If you really watch your plants and look at the signs, you’ll have a much better chance of getting a good harvest.
The Right Time to Harvest
To get the strongest cannabis, growers need to harvest it when the sticky parts (trichomes) are just right.
If you harvest too soon, the cannabis won’t be very strong. If you wait too long, it might not be as strong and could make you feel very sleepy.
Getting Cannabis at Its Best
When female cannabis plants are about to finish growing, they make lots of sticky stuff. So, growers need to harvest them when they are very ready – before the good stuff starts to go away.
Some of the good stuff is called THC crystals and CBD, which you might have heard about. But there’s also another important thing called CBG.
CBG is like the start of THC crystals and CBD. It changes into them as the plant grows. So, the best time to harvest the cannabis is when there’s almost no CBG left.
Waiting too long after CBG is almost gone can make THC crystals turn into something called CBN. CBN can make you feel sleepy, but most people like more THC crystals and CBD instead.
To get the best results, harvset weed when both CBG and CBN are very low. If you harvest too early, CBG might be too much. If you wait too long, CBN might be too much.
Harvest Weed with Pretty Trichomes and Hairs
To decide the right time to collect weed and keep the sticky parts (trichomes) safe, look at their color. People also call pistils “hairs” because they look like tiny hairs. These white hairs stick out from the flower part and try to make seeds.
To check if the weed is ready, use a special tool like a magnifier or a microscope to see the trichomes and pistils up close.
Checking the Sticky Parts
Remember, the trichomes with the most THC crystals are the ones you’re looking for when deciding when to harvest. These trichomes look like small mushrooms with a round head, and they have the good stuff like THC and CBD.
When you look at them through a special tool, if they’re clear, they’re not ready yet. They need more time to become strong with THC crystals.
Here’s a simple tip: Harvest the cannabis when more than half of the sticky parts (trichomes) look cloudy.
Checking the Hairs
After looking at the trichomes, if most of the tiny hairs on the buds are white, let the plant keep growing until around 40% of these hairs become a bit brownish. Also, the trichomes should mostly look cloudy instead of clear.
When the trichomes are cloudy, they have the most THC crystals, which makes you feel really strong and good. When it’s time, you’ll probably see about 50-70% of the white hairs turning brown on the buds.
Remember, waiting too long and getting amber trichomes means losing THC crystals strength. The best thing is to look for trichomes that are milky and cloudy because they have the most THC.
Testing for THC crystals in a Lab
Some growers have special tools to test their plants. They can see exactly when THC and CBD are strongest.
But the final amount of THC can be hard to guess. So, when they test, they look at something called CBG instead.
The simple rule is to harvest the marijuana when there’s almost no CBG left.
When CBG gets very low, it changes into the better stuff like THC and CBD.
Harvesting Cannabis
Using a Machine or Doing It by Hand:
There are two ways to collect cannabis: using a machine to trim it or doing it by hand.
Harvesting by machine
Using a machine to trim makes buds look neat and is fast. Old machines used to cut too much and break the sticky parts (trichomes), but new machines keep them safe.
People have been harvesting by hand for a long time. It’s slower than machines, but if you’re careful, you can keep the trichomes safe.
Which way is better for keeping the special sticky parts on cannabis safe? Let’s compare the good and not-so-good things about each method to decide which might be best for you.
Harvesting by Hand
Good Things:
- Not expensive at the beginning
- Makes buds look nice
- Shows off the special look of each type
Not So Good Things:
- Takes a lot of time
- Costs a lot for workers
- Need to find and take care of trimmers
- Only works well for small farms, big ones have too much to do
Using a Machine to harvest:
Good Things:
- Makes buds look really nice
- Easy and fast for lots of cannabis
- New machines keep the sticky parts safe
- Works well for all sizes of farms, no need for hiring trimmers
Not So Good Things:
- Some machines can make buds look bad
- Some machines are noisy
- Getting good machines can cost a lot at first, but you save money on workers over time.
Cutting Weed: Wet or Dry?
Which One Keeps the Sticky Parts Safe?
When harvesting cannabis, growers need to choose between wet trimming and dry trimming.
Wet trimming means cutting the flowers right after harvesting, before they dry.
Dry trimming means waiting until the flowers are dry before cutting.
Wet trimming is usually done more, but some like to trim when the flowers are dry. So, which one is better for keeping the sticky parts safe? Wet or dry?
Listen to one person who grows plants, and you might think cutting when the flowers are wet is the best. But then talk to someone else, and you might change your mind and think cutting when the flowers are dry is better.
The truth is, the best way depends on how good the grower is, how things are when they harvest, and what they want at the end. People still argue about this. Here are some good and not-so-good things about each way:
Cutting When Wet:
Good Things:
- Less work to do
- Sticky parts (trichomes) don’t break easily when buds are wet, so they stay safe
- Less chance of mold or fungus while drying
Not So Good Things:
- Need to cut right after harvesting or it’s harder to do
- Need to clean equipment more than with dry cutting
Cutting When Dry:
Good Things:
- Don’t have to cut right away
- Cleaning tools is faster and easier
Not So Good Things:
- Need more space because the plants need to hang to dry
- Flowers can break easily when cut dry, so trichomes can be lost
- Need to take off big leaves before cutting, which takes more time to work.
More Tips for Keeping Sticky Parts Safe When Harvesting
Harvest in the Morning or Before the Lights Turn On:
Cannabis makes the sticky stuff at night and uses light during the day. The stuff from light might not taste very good.
Think About Harvest in Stages:
The upper parts of the plant grow faster, so you could harvest them first and let the lower parts grow stronger for another week.
Plan Everything for Harvesting:
For big farms, getting ready to harvest starts a long time before the sticky parts are ready. This means training workers, getting tools and having a clear plan for harvesting day.
Harvesting for Freezing:
If you want to freeze the plants to get the good stuff out, harvest them a few days earlier than usual.
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