When to Cut your Plants
Generally, cannabis plants need between 6 and 16 weeks of growing time before being ready for harvest depending on the strain and the growing environment.
Somewhere between 9-12 weeks is the most typical time frame. There are a few biological changes that will show you when the plants are ready.
Yellow Leaves
As your plant nears harvest, the fan leaves will switch from deep green to a yellowish-green hue. When the plant is in the Flower stage, the leaves will be full of nitrogen. Nitrogen makes the leaves green and helps with photosynthesis. As the Flower stage ends, nitrogen levels drop and the leaves will begin to turn yellow and you will know that you are getting close to harvest time!
Amber Pistils
Pistils are the minuscule hair-like protrusions that you see in cannabis buds and the reproductive organs of female cannabis plants, which will produce seeds if they are pollinated. Earlier in the flowering stage, the pistils appear strikingly white. However as the plant gets into the end stage of flowering, the pistils will turn a reddish brown amber colour. The ideal time to harvest is when about 50-70% of the pistils have started to change colour.
The higher the number of pistils that have changed to amber, the stronger the high will generally be in the end product. You can vary slightly to dial in the peak harvest time for your individual preferences.
Trichome Colour
Trichomes are the teeny resin glands on your buds that give it a dewy look. Trichomes are where cannabinoids and terpenes are produced in varying amounts to give each strain its individual properties. When in Flower, the trichomes will appear crystal clear. This tells us that the plant is not yet ready to be harvested.
When these trichomes start to change to milky white or amber, your plant is reaching peak potency and you know it's time to Harvest. Trichomes are very tiny however and so to examine them properly you will probably need a magnifying glass. Trichome colour is one of the most reliable ways to know when it's Harvest time.
Leaves that Curl
Alongside yellowing, the fan leaves will begin to curl up as harvest time approaches. Plants need less water toward the end of harvest, and so the leaves will begin to look wilted, dried out and begin to curl.
Bud Shape & Size
Another thing you can check is the shape and density of your buds. A plant that is ready for harvest will typically have firm, tight buds. Once your weed is harvested, it’s still not quite ready! You will then need to dry, trim, and cure it before you can smoke it.
More From Soft Secrets:
L
Liz Filmer
