Preparing to Harvest Your Outdoor Crop and What to Consider

The final 4 weeks

As we approach the end of September, outdoor plants will be close to their harvest dates. It is during this time when the buds will become swollen and dense, trichome production will hit maximum production and the terpenes should be as loud as possible. Things may not always go smoothly during the final month of bloom, so below are some of the different scenarios to consider. 

Support side branches

As cannabis plants get closer to the end of the flowering cycle, they will begin to pack on weight, causing the side branches to droop downwards due to the excess weight. Now is an excellent opportunity, if you have not already done so, to add a bamboo cane around the edge of your pots and tie the side branch to the cane for support. The more support the plants can get the better and the more they can focus on bud production.

Rainfall and colder temperatures

Depending on where you live, Summer may be short-lived and the rest of the season is mainly colder and cloudy. If your cannabis plants are mature and ready to harvest, I recommend harvesting your plants before they experience the cold and wet nights ahead. If you have the luxury of a greenhouse, it is a good idea to keep the plants inside the greenhouse, accompanied by a heater at night.

Signs of mould

Mould is a real problem for outdoor growers and can wipe out an entire crop if not taken care of in time. If you have never experienced a moulding plant, the signs to look out for are a soft candy floss consistency which is usually grey. If you gently squeeze a bud, and it feels like the consistency of wiping spider web away, then you have a mould infection. 

Signs of powdery mildew

Even though powdery mildew targets plant tissue, it can still be a devastating problem that can spread in almost no time. Not only is powdery mildew difficult to combat outdoors, it is naturally spread as an airborne pathogen that will attach itself to a plant leaf and use the plant as a host. If you are planning on making hash with the leaves, then anything with the white powdery substance should be discarded and thrown away once harvested.

Preparing to harvest

Once you have made it to the last stage of bloom, have flushed your plants for 2 weeks with plain water and are literally counting down the days, you are now ready to harvest. If you have never harvested a cannabis plant before, then below is a short list of everything that should be worked out prior to chopping one single branch!

Wet trim or dry trim?

There are two ways of drying freshly harvested outdoor cannabis plants. The first is to trim the leaves off the buds and remove them off the main branches whilst the plants are fresh, or the other is to chop the plants and let them dry out for 14 days before handling them again for trimming. Decide in advance which method is most practical for you.

Making hash with the leaves

Hash makers will collect every single leaf and lower undeveloped buds for making hash with. If your goal is to make hash and place your leaf trim straight into the freezer to be stored for a later date when washing into hash, then try and be as careful and delicate as possible, making sure the trichomes and plant material remain intact.

Preparing the drying room

I would strongly advise you to buy a tent, extractor and carbon filter just for drying out your outdoor plants. Don’t bother chopping the plants and letting them hang up in a back bedroom, stinking out the house. Not only will this end up with a knock on the door from angry neighbours or the authorities, it will be a waste of all your hard work. For the sake of investing your cash, a tent is the most professional and discreet method of drying any cannabis crop.

Sharp scissors and latex gloves

Trimming is when you finally get to tidy the buds up by removing any smaller sized leaves, and letting those go into the trim pile for hash making. You could be in for days of trimming, so buy a couple of pairs of sharp scissors to make life easy, as well as latex gloves to wear between trimming sessions. Trimming with your bare hands is not ideal and may cause resin to stick to your fingers and everything that you touch.

Preparing tubs for storing and curing

Once you have got to the point where every single bud has been meticulously trimmed to coffee shop quality, all the unwanted buds or sugar leaves have been preserved for hash making, now you need to store and cure the buds. Curing just means the buds are exposed to fresh air for 10 minutes each day. The same way cheese or ham is cured, curing cannabis can enhance the smoking experience and often produce a more potent effect than prior to curing. 

My conclusion

Growing cannabis plants outdoors is easier said than done and with so many variables to consider pre- and post-harvest, it can easily become a full-time job, especially if you have many big sized plants. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a smell proof drying room, and to avoid causing your house or street to become overrun with the smell of high grade cannabis. 

Being vigilant and keeping an eye on the developing buds during the final stages of the outdoor crop can reduce the risk of mould or powdery mildew. Always prepare in advance and as the saying goes“ failing to prepare is preparing to fail ” so good luck with this year's harvest and keeping your curing jars full for months.