Cannabis Clone Tips
4 Tips for a SUPERIOR Harvest
For a grower, harvest time is the most exciting time.
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your harvest, here are a few tricks that can make all the difference in the
success of the finished product. One of the biggest mistakes growers make is harvesting too early. After all, most of a cannabis plant’s essential oil
and terpene production happens in the final weeks of flowering. The ideal time to harvest cannabis depends on the strain. Harvesting early impacts the quality, odors, and flavors of the flowers, and it can also significantly reduce the crop’s final yield.
The average flowering time for a cannabis plant is eight weeks. However, there are other factors that could determine
the harvesting schedule such as the trichome development. As the flowers ripen, the trichomes turn from clear to
milky to amber in color. For maximum tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency, the optimal time to harvest is when the
trichomes are milky. Growers who wait are rewarded with the most potent dank buds.
Trimming is also an important step in the harvesting process.
There are several methods for trimming such as wet trimming, dry trimming, and automated trimming. First remove
the large fan leaves while minimizing any contact with the flowers.
Then, carefully remove the leaf material close to the flowers, touching and bumping the flowers as little as possible.
Don’t be afraid to touch the flowers; get into the habit of handling the flowers as gently as possible during the harvest
process.
Leftover Trim Material
Don’t throw away all that trim material!
The leaf material that was trimmed away from near the flowers will contain a good amount of cannabis oils. Many of
these leaves will have trichomes visible on them at harvest time. Any of this leaf material that is not brown or dead
and that has visible trichomes should be saved for making extracts or edibles.
Drying, Curing, and Storage
Many first-time growers dry their marijuana flowers too quickly. Cannabis flowers should be dried for seven to 14 days
in a room kept at a temperature of 65-75°F and a humidity range of 45-55 per cent. This humidity level ensures the
flowers dry at the proper rate.
The drying room should also be kept in total darkness. Ultraviolet light from the sun or artificial light sources will
degrade the THC and other components in the essential oils. Properly cured cannabis flowers can be stored for a
year or more without losing quality or potency.
Interested in learning more, our expert staff is here to answer all of your farming questions.
Let’s talk!