When you grow marijuana it is difficult not to feel anxious when having to wait to harvest the ideal bud and this is one of the most satisfying moments of the activity.
However, many times this impatience can lead to harvesting your plant at the least optimal time so that you obtain a product that does not provide the expected effects, smell or flavor and all the work of weeks or months ends up being wasted.
To avoid this mistake, there are a series of tricks and signs that you can follow to correctly harvest your plant, but to explain it in more detail we will give a brief review of the growth chronology.
The marijuana plant goes through different processes in which the concentration of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is constantly changing. We can do these processes classify in 4 phases:
1st Phase or flowering
The plant begins to develop its stem, elongating quite quickly while also generating branches with a few flowers at the tips that in turn have white fuzz. At this time the flowers begin to develop trichomes, which for now are only tiny dots. In this phase the concentration of THC is minimal.
2nd Phase or flowering
In this phase the plant begins to create the desired buds and flower production increases.Los tricomas comienzan a identificarse con su forma característica que es una especie de bastoncillo que acaba en una bola perfecta, siento totalmente translúcido y con un aspecto acuoso. Todo esto comienza a generar mínimamente el olor identificativo de la planta aunque la concentración de THC sigue siendo pobre.
3rd Phase or fattening
The plant stops investing nutrients in its growth to use them in the development of many more flowers that considerably fatten the buds.The external flowers turn yellowish and tend to wither, while those that remain alive are, for the most part, fertile and, since they are not pollinated by a male, they are protected by the plant itself, which supplies them with more resin than normal to avoid that they be sterilized before a male arrives.Esta resina es la que carga a la planta de un olor intenso aunque el THC sigue siendo sin ser óptimo.
4º Fase o declive
The plant no longer produces new flowers and its vitality begins to decline, the leaves begin to fall and what remains begins to dress in autumn tones. The resin begins to develop an amber tone, in the same way as the trichomes, which also begin to present deformations in their “head.” A more or less balanced distribution between trichomes and resin of amber tones is a clear sign that it is time to harvest, however when the trichome has broken or the resin has turned white or brown, the ideal harvest time has passed and The buds are losing quality.
Signs to cut marijuana
Although each type of marijuana will have its own maturation period or physical characteristics, we can find common patterns in them that will allow us to determine the exact time for harvest.
The first sign to take into account to harvest at the right time is to look at the seed bank’s recommendations. The seed supplier will indicate an approximate maturation period, and although it is extremely important information, it is still a speculative average since the maturation of your plant will really be determined by the conditions in which you keep it (whether indoor or outdoor) and the care and feeding you give it, so this information should only be taken into account as an approximation to be attentive to the plant and the truly defining signs.
The next sign to take into account is that the pistils or white fuzz that was on the flowers and other places have turned brown and that the largest leaves and the flowers outside the bud begin to wither and fall.
This usually occurs throughout the “3rd Phase or fattening” and at the beginning of the “4th Phase or decline” mentioned above and is not a sign that you should perform the cut immediately.
This alteration in color is generally an indication that the plant is reaching maturity, but it can also be caused by other environmental factors (climate, lighting) or plant care (watering, feeding, etc.).
It should be taken as a sign that you have to pay attention to the trichomes and not dare to cut since you will get a product with a quality far below what it can really give you.
A trichome, explained more broadly, is an organic extension of plants in which some characteristic elements of their lineage are concentrated.
In this case, the trichome is the gland that forms the cannabis resin and in it elements such as CBD or CBN will be concentrated, but above all, our beloved THC. The trichome begins as a tiny dot that develops little by little until it reaches its identifying “mushroom” shape.
In this case, the trichome is the gland that forms the cannabis resin and in it elements such as CBD or CBN will be concentrated, but above all, our beloved THC. The trichome begins as a tiny dot that develops little by little until it reaches its identifying “mushroom” shape.
It is at this moment where the grower’s taste comes into play, since the effect we obtain from the bud in its consumption will depend on the state of the trichomes (obviously it also depends on the type of marijuana), since depending on whether there is a higher or lower concentration White or amber trichomes (when it begins to oxidize) will favor the euphoric or relaxing effect of the product.
If you are not looking to accentuate either of the two effects, it is advisable to harvest when there is a clear predominance of trichomes in milky tones and a smaller amount of translucent and amber trichomes, in a proportion of approximately 60, 30 and 10% respectively. Although the ideal is that you experiment in different proportions to identify the different effects, flavors and smells obtained and gain experience.
If you notice that there is a clear predominance of broken or amber-colored trichomes, you will be able to identify that the cutting date has passed and the plant will not give you any of the desired optimal fruits that it could have given you if you had cut it earlier, when it was due. To correctly identify the state of the trichomes, a microscope or magnifying glass will be needed, preferably capable of achieving a magnification that ranges between 60 and 100 times.
Harvest Tricks
It is important that the temperature and humidity present both in the plant and in the environment at the time of cutting are as low as possible to achieve very compact buds, so the ideal is to harvest them first thing in the morning when the temperatures are cooler. .
It is also advisable to stop watering the plant in the days before cutting it, favoring subsequent drying.
In the same way, what we are primarily looking for is the presence of resin to achieve the greatest possible flavor and effect in its consumption and it has been proven that when the plant is subjected to minimal lighting conditions, its production of this element is considerably elevated, for example. We recommend leaving your plant completely in the dark for about 24 hours prior to harvest.
