Pay attention that growing marijuana may be subject to special restrictions and regulation in your country or state. Please contact your attorney to obtain advice before cultivating cannabis.
Disclaimer
Pay attention that growing marijuana may be subject to special restrictions and regulation in your country or state. Please contact your attorney to obtain advice before cultivating cannabis.
As a beginner in weed growing, you are probably interested in a lot of questions about how to plant, treat and ensure the growth of cannabis. One of the critical questions here is how to harvest cannabis.
Although it seems like a confusing topic, here all your questions will be covered.
Before harvesting
- The first thing to do is to monitor the plants for pests and look for spoiled parts (fungi, severe insect infestation) and in case you found them cut out these fan leaves.
- If you have used some mineral nutrients to nourish the soil, you should do flushing 2 weeks before harvesting. The purpose of flushing is to run a lot of clean water through its growing medium to get rid of the surplus of salt and mineral nutrients and as a result, your plant will use the number of nutrients absorbed before. It leads to a better quality of weed you are going to smoke.
- According to the previous paragraph, you should stop using fertilizers 2 weeks before harvesting and continue your routine of watering.
- Stop watering 1-3 days before harvesting (it depends on the size of your pot).
Are your plants ready for harvesting?
We cannot tell you the exact time when you should harvest weed, because it depends on many factors such as the strain, your location, growing conditions, and the type of plant.
However, there are various methods to check for ripeness. But the most trustworthy and not so complicated way to tell if your marijuana plants are ready to harvest, both indoors and outdoors, is to look at: stigmas or trichomes.
What is stigma? Stigma is a part of the pistil where pollen germinates, that is those hairs that come out of the flowers. So, when about half of them turn amber, it’s getting really close to the time of harvesting.
What are trichomes? Trichomes are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. These are the small mushroom-looking protuberances that produce the hundreds of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids that make our favorite cannabis strains unique and effective.
Trichomes change their color during the growth of weed. The moment we are waiting for is when trichome heads turn milky white. These white trichome heads indicate the highest level of THC and CBD. They will turn into milky white from being transparent and the last stage is when they get dark color. Basically, if you are new to this, consider the fact that it would be better to harvest cannabis when the plant's trichomes are primarily cloudy and a little amber, rather than a mixture of clear and cloudy. Actually, More growers regret harvesting their plants too early.
One more good tip is to try to squeeze the buds. If they are spongy, you should wait more. If they are firm, it is time.
What do you need to harvest weed?
- Make sure your drying room is all set to go
- You should also need on hand clean pruners
- Something to transport your harvest from the garden to the drying room, either a clean tarp or a clean plastic bin
Final harvesting
It would seem that there is nothing easier than harvesting. You cut off all the plants, and - enjoy life! But the way of cutting is different, depending on the length of the branches. If they are small, you can cut the bushes completely. And if the branches are large, they are cut separately.
Since the most significant concentration of THC in the sprout is in the morning, our advice is to perform pruning during this period. In the process of cutting, depending on the species, a significant amount of resin may be released. Therefore it is better to wipe tools with alcohol and to put on rubberized gloves.
In a perfect scenario, you need to cut the whole bush in place near the ground, but if this is not possible, then start from the large lower branches, gradually moving to smaller ones. Cut without hesitation. After that, large leaves are removed (you can remove a few days before harvest), later move to smaller leaves. The first leaves to be removed are not covered with crystals, followed by those that grow from the cones themselves. They can be removed either completely or only those parts that extend beyond the bump.
The process will be accompanied by the abundant release of resin and other elements of the plant, so it is better to prune over a clean light surface. Here we have listed the main points that give an idea of ​​when to cut hemp.
How to Dry Your Cannabis
Depending on the amount of moisture accumulated by the plant and the drying conditions, it can take from several days to 2-3 weeks. To achieve the best results, your cannabis buds should be dried under the following conditions:
Lack of light. It is not necessary to adhere to complete darkness; dusk will suffice. The most important thing is that the buds are not exposed to direct sunlight, as they destroy the THC molecules.
The temperature should be between 18-22 (64-71 Fahrenheit) degrees. In this case, moisture will evenly evaporate from the inflorescences, which will eliminate the appearance of mold and excessive drying of the top layer. The critical temperature indicator starts at 35 (95 F) degrees.
The moisture level indicator plays a huge role in drying. The figure of 45-55% is considered favorable. Excessively outside these limits will create the risk of mold or over-drying of the resin.
During the drying process, the buds must come into contact with air from all sides. Usually, for this they are suspended vertically at a short distance from each other. If this is not possible, then they are laid out on a sheet of paper, but in this case, the inflorescences should be turned over regularly.
For the harvest to please you, you need to properly harvest, dry the harvest and you can enjoy your own grown weed!
