To properly harvest cannabis plants, a person must look at the trichomes on the plants because the trichomes will determine the quality of the cannabis harvest. Trichomes are the resin head on the cannabis plants, and the trichomes contain the cannabinoids and terpenes that will help to create the effects of the cannabis product. Although examining the pistils or the leaves of the cannabis plants may help to show the maturity of the plants, those indicators dont offer an accurate measurement of the ripeness of the cannabis plants.
To inspect the trichomes properly, a person must use a magnifying tool to examine the plants to ensure that they are harvested at a correct time. There are three main types of trichomes that can be found on the cannabis plants. During the harvesting process, a person should only focus on the large, stalked trichomes that has fat heads.
How to Check Trichomes to Harvest Cannabis
The other two types of trichomes will mature too quick to be of any use during the harvesting process. The trichomes that a person should examine are the trichomes that are found on the calyxes of the top buds of the cannabis plants. These contain the most important trichomes.
If the cannabis is harvested while the trichomes are clear, the cannabis will contain low levels of potency and the effects of the cannabis will be immature. As the cannabis matures and the trichomes turn from clear to milky white, the cannabis will reach it’s peak of potency. After the trichomes have turned to amber on the cannabis plants, the THC in the trichomes will have converted to CBN, which will create more sedative effect on the body.
Depending on the effects that a person desires from the cannabis that is harvested, they can choose when to perform the harvest. If the desired effects of the cannabis will be energetic, a person should harvest the cannabis when the trichomes are mostly cloudy with very little amber within the trichomes. If the cannabis is to have more sedative effects on the body, 20 to 30 percent of the trichomes should be amber.
The rate at which the strains of cannabis change color is not the same for all strains of cannabis. Sativa strains can hold their potency longer than indica strains. Indica strains will turn amber quickly to provide the cannabis consumers with a feeling of relaxation in their bodies.
Autoflower strains will grow quickly, and the trichomes need to be examined every day starting at the eighth week of the plant’s growing cycle. Before the cannabis is to be harvested, the trichomes must be inspected two week prior to the estimated time of the harvest. To inspect the trichomes, the person should turn off the lights in the growing area as the heat will interfere with inspecting the trichomes.
Using a pocket scope or a magnifying loupe with an LED light will allow the person to closely examine the trichomes. The buds on the top of the cannabis plants will mature at a much quicker rate than those on the bottom of the cannabis plants; hence, the top and bottom buds may need to be harvested at different time. Using a notebook to record the color of the trichomes will help the grower to keep track of the maturity of the cannabis plants.
Flushing is a process that a person should perform prior to harvesting the cannabis plants to remove the salts from the cannabis plants. The cannabis that is grown in soil should be flushed with plain water for two weeks prior to harvest, while the cannabis grown in hydroponic system should only be flushed for one week. When flushing the cannabis plants, the person can use the runoff tests from the plants to determine when the flushing process is complete.
The flushing process will be complete when the levels of PPM in the cannabis runoff are low. After the cannabis is harvested, the cannabis must be dried. The person should hang the cannabis branches in a cool and dark place for approximately ten days until the cannabis stems will snap rather than bend.
Once the cannabis is dried, it should be trimmed. After drying the cannabis, it should be placed into jars at the precise humidity levels. When the jars are first filled with the cannabis, they should be opened to “burp” the cannabis to allow the chlorophyll to break down.
After burping, the cannabis should dry for a minimum of four weeks; however, some cannabis strains may need to dry for eight weeks to allow the cannabis to reach an even texture. If the cannabis is not properly dried, it will smell of hay when mature regardless of the quality of the trichomes on the plants during harvest. Its important to be careful because you should of checked teh plants regularily to ensure the best result.
You’ll find that the quality of the resin heads is alot more important than the leaves.