How to Harvest and Dry Outdoor Cannabis Plants
As the grow season comes to an end, the inevitable harvest approaches. This is a time all growers look forward to, but it is not always an easy job. The bigger your plants are, the longer it will take for them to be harvested. You need to have all of the right tools in place, and have a good plan of what you're going to do to make the harvest as easy as possible. This may start out fun, but after a few hours of trimming, it can get tiresome. Being properly prepared for harvest will make the whole process easier on you, and the plants. Firstly, you should make sure your plants are ready for harvest! You can do that by checking the trichomes on the buds. If you need a guide on how to do this, then visit Soft Secrets website. But for now we are going to assume you have checked, and your plants are ready for harvest. Now all you have to do is chop them down.
Best Way to Chop Down a Cannabis Plant
Cannabis plants grown outdoors can grow up to ten feet in height! Some plants remain small, especially if growing auto flowering plants. The best practise is to chop the plant down at the bottom of the main stem, removing it completely from the root ball. If the plant is only a few feet tall, then this is easy to do. From there, you will remove branches, one by one, and trim the large fan leaves off, as well as the “sugar leaves”. If your plant is too big to be hung upside down, then you need to remove branches one by one and hang them individually. This should be done as early in the day as possible. Preferably before sunrise.
Hanging the Branches
Once removed from the main stem, branches will need to be hung upside down, preferably in a dark place. The drying area should be set up before you start chopping, so you can chop branches off the plant and immediately hang them and move onto the next one. When hanging the branches, they should not touch each other, and a light breeze should be blowing around them whilst they hang. This will reduce the chances of mould spores germinating. After the whole plant has been chopped down, and all of the branches are hanging, you will move onto the main trim.
Best Way to Trim Buds
There are many ways to trim your buds after harvest. But most growers will simply get some scissors, and begin chopping leaves off the plant. Some growers will use electronic trimming machines, which will reduce the amount of time the harvest takes, but they are expensive. Prepare! Before you start to trim your plants, you will need a few pairs of good scissors. One large pair for trimming strong branches, and a couple of small pairs for trimming the smaller leaves. Roll your joints before you start, and prepare some cannabis podcasts to listen to for a few hours to help pass the time. We recommend “High on Home Grown”, as it is funny and informative, and is perfect listening material for harvest time. Also, you should wear latex gloves. This will stop your hands from getting sticky, and collect resins as you trim the buds. These can be put in the freezer after harvest and the resins can be removed and smoked. You can also do this with your scissors. Trim Trim Trim Once you're all set, take one of the untrimmed hanging branches, and start removing all of the big fan leaves, as close to the stem as possible. These are easy to get to. Then it's time for the finer leaves. This can take a while. But it is a good idea to remove the big leaves first and throw them away. Then save the tip leaves as you trim them off, for making hash or edibles after harvest from them. Take your time, but it doesn't have to be perfect. A harvest can take a long time, and some of these smaller leaves can be removed when the buds are dry. After you have trimmed the bud to your satisfaction, you should hang it, in a cool dark place, and move onto the next branch. This will take a long time for big plants, but the work is worth it after harvest! The buds will be dry enough to smoke around 1 week after harvesting if they are dried correctly.
How to Dry Buds after Harvest
After hours of trimming, all of the buds should be hanging in a dark cool place with a constant breeze moving around the drying room. This is a very important step, if it isn't done right you can ruin the whole grow. Dry too quickly and the cannabis will be harsh to smoke. Leave it too long, and it will go mouldy and be unusable. On average, smaller buds will be dry within 5 days, and medium sized buds within a week. But bigger colas can take 10 days or even 2 weeks to dry. Buds should hang at around 20c, with a small oscillating fan blowing air around the drying room, but not directly at the buds! Humidity will rise in the first couple of days but should settle to around 55% on day three. The smell will fade from the flower and it will smell like grass for a few days too. Don't worry, this is part of the drying process and the smell will return as the buds dry, and they are cured.
How to Check Buds are Dry
You can tell when the buds are dry by bending the stems and seeing if they snap. If you bend it, and the stem bends, there is still too much moisture in the buds and they should hang for longer. On the other hand, if you bend the stem, and it snaps clean in half, the buds are dry enough to be removed from the branches and put in jars or containers for curing. This whole process can take a couple of weeks, and it is very important that you take your time and dry your buds correctly. If not done right, you can ruin months of work, and your cannabis will not be enjoyable. Wait until it is dry, and then cure the buds for at least a week. For a guide on how to cure your buds, check out the next issue of Soft Secrets! In the next episode we cover how to get the best taste from your buds by curing them correctly. Good luck with your harvest, and don't forget to share your pictures on the Soft Secrets Social networks!
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