When to cut cannabis plants?
When to cut cannabis plants?
This is one of the questions I have been asked the most in the years I have been working in this world. Most people think that they should cut when the hairs turn brown, usually you can see if a bud is ready to cut, but this way you don't know what kind of maturation it has. In our online grow shop we tell you everything in detail!
To be able to cut the cannabis plants at the exact moment you will need to know several things and you will need a magnifying glass or microscope. Most customers see the use of a microscope as too complicated or imagine that it must be very expensive and the truth is that it is very simple and cheap, we have the x60 mini microscope for as little as €8.
For those of you who have never looked at a bud under a microscope, here is a picture to give you an idea.
Photo microscope
Different stages of trichomes:
When examining the buds with a microscope we can see different stages of trichome maturation, in the following photos you can see 3 types of maturation; transparently, white and brown.
Transparent trichomes: When we observe transparent coloured trichomes, we should never cut the plants. This means that our plants are not ready, if you harvest the plants at this time you will have lost production, effect and flavour.
White trichomes: If you grow Sativa strains and are looking for a stimulating effect, then this is the time to harvest your plants.
Brown trichomes: If you grow Indica strains and are looking for a relaxing effect, then you should cut the plants when 80% of the trichomes are brown.
Never let the buds go over 80% brown trichomes, as this can overdo it and ruin your harvest.
Things to keep in mind to harvest at the right time:
- Flowering time of the seeds: When we buy the seeds we can ask the seller for the flowering time, as the seed bank always gives this information and so we will have an approximate idea of when we will have to cut the plants. If we grow indoors, we will know the flowering time in days (from 42 days to 120 days, depending on the variety). If we grow outdoors, we will know the month in which we will be able to harvest, normally between September and October, although there are varieties much faster, so it is very important to know the month of harvest.
- Don't cut your plants by eye: Don't waste so much time and work for the cost of a magnifying glass or microscope. With the help of a magnifying glass or microscope you can easily observe the trichomes and harvest at the desired time.
If you are still undecided about buying a microscope and decide to cut your plants by eye, look at the pistils and the shade of the buds. Pistils are the white threads that come out from between the buds. We do not advise you to use this method if you want a specific effect.
Beginning of flowering (white pistils)
Late flowering (40 - 50% brown pistils)
Ready for cutting (70 - 80% brown pistils)
- Desired effect: If you are looking for an uplifting, cerebral, active, giggly, etc. effect. Then we advise you to grow Sativa strains and you should harvest your plants when most of the trichomes are milky white.
If you are looking for a more relaxing, narcotic, sleepy, etc. effect. For this we will have to grow Indica varieties. To get the effect of an indica variety, harvest the plants when 80% of the trichomes are brown and 20% white.
If we grow hybrids 50% sativa 50% indica, we will cut the plants according to the desired effect.
Tip: Don't harvest your sativa plants with a high percentage of brown trichomes, as they will lose that much sought after sativa effect. And with indicas the same, do not cut your indicas before your trichomes mature, if you harvest an indica when the trichomes are still white, you will lose that relaxing, narcotic effect. But you will also lose THC, flavour, etc.
- Cut your plants in the morning: THC levels will be much higher if you cut your plants first thing in the morning. If you grow indoors, harvest your plants in the first hours of daylight.
- Don't leave your plants without water: Don't leave your plants without water the days before harvesting, because if you do this your buds will be dehydrated and you will lose a lot of yield and potency.
What to do once the plants have been cut?
Once the plants have been cut, we advise you to prune all the leaves, because if you trim when the marijuana is dry, you will lose much more pollen. Also, if you do it when the weed is green, you can use trimming machines.
To do this in our online shop you will find the harvesting section, where you will find different types of trimming machines, scissors and many more things to make this job easier.
It's time to move on to drying
Once you have manicured the buds and prepared the place where you are going to dry them, you can start with this process, which is one of the most important parts of the crop.
For drying you can use dried nets:
We advise you to visit the post "How to dry cannabis buds".