10 Top Tips for Harvesting Cannabis Indoors
If you are a first time grower, then you may not know the right moment to harvest your crop. If you are growing indoors or outside, knowing the correct harvest window will give you an advantage. In this article, we provide 10 top tips to consider for harvesting indoor Cannabis plants and what to consider for the ultimate crop.
Top tip #1 - Pay attention to the trichomes
Just because the buds during the final 7–10 days of flowering feel hard, have a chunky appearance and are plastered in trichomes, does not necessarily mean they are ready. The trichome is the small silver resin gland which contains the essential oils, terpenes and plant essence. Our top tip here is to take things one step further, and buy a loop and check the trichomes under a microscope. This will allow you to see if the heads are clear, milky or amber and red.
Top tip #2 - Dry trimming
There are benefits of wet and dry trimming, however dry trimming will be the easiest and most practical for many with a large plant count. Dry trimming simply means allowing your harvested plants to hang upside down for 14 days, so they are at a point where the dry, resin coated leaves will fall away from the buds. Our top tip here is to dry trim your crop if you have lots of plants, as the time it takes to wet trim can take much longer than anticipated.
Top tip #3 - Save the good stuff
When you are now ready to trim your buds and put them into labelled jars, you will need to carefully trim away all the smaller leaves. These leaves and smallest unwanted buds should be saved and placed in a freezer to make dry sift or bubble hash with. Our top tip here is to never throw away your best quality trim, and to let your harvested leaves build up over a year, ready for one big hash making session.
Top tip #4 - Sharp scissors are best
Trimming plants to a consistent high standard is very difficult to do, whilst staying motivated and ensuring an even level of quality control. One of the best things you can do when sitting down with your plants in front of you, is to be equipped with a sharp pair of clean scissors. Our top tip here is to buy a new pair of scissors every time you trim. The sharper your scissors, the more meticulous you can be with the cleaning up the buds.
Top tip #5 - Flush the plants prior
Flushing your crop properly with only plain water for 10-14 before chopping is an essential part of being a good grower. One sign that your plants have used up all their internal nutrients and any reserve in the soil or medium, is a multicoloured fade of the leaves. Cutting off the nutrients and using plain water will produce the best tasting buds possible.
Top tip #6 - Do not over water
It may be easy to get confused when you hear the term flushing. The only difference when it comes to the final 2 weeks of flowering, is nutrients are no longer added. The exact same volume of water should be used, so our top tip here is not to over water the plants, and make sure they are given a chance to make one final push over the finish line.
Top tip #7 - No fans blowing at buds
Speed drying your crop is easily done for a first time or beginner level grower. Having the optimal drying environment set up takes time to get right, however one rule of thumb is to never have fans blowing directly at the buds. Hanging plants which dry out too quickly will not smoke or taste as well as a well dried crop slowly perfected over a 14 days period.
Top tip #8 - Dying nets work great
Drying nets are easy to set up, provide plenty of space and most comes with various compartments. These are particularly good if you have multiple strains and are able to provide each plant with its own section of the net. Our top tip here is to have a go at fresh trimming your plants the day they are harvested, and place them on a drying net to properly air out and slowly dry.
Top tip #9 - Throw away mouldy buds
No matter what, mouldy and contaminated plant material must be thrown out. Buds and leaves, which display signs of mould or mildew, will only cause your lungs harm if turned into any type of hash or extract. It can be a heartbreaking experience discovering your best looking buds have moulded, but still never an excuse to keep them around for smoking or hash making. The next time you are flowering plants, make sure your air flow, temperature and humidity are on point to avoid further mould issues in the future
Top tip #10 - Be patient!
Our final top tip and the only thing left now is to be patient. They say that patience is the road to wisdom, and that rings especially true when it comes to growing Cannabis plants. There should be a number of variables that you base the harvest date on ranging from recommended flowering time, plant size, light intensity, flushing phase, trichome maturity, calyx development, resin and terpene production and how much the leaves have faded.
Conclusion
Harvesting your first ever crop is one of the most exciting things you can do in your life! Watching all your hard work, skills and effort pay off is extremely rewarding and addictive. Don’t just get the scissors out and start chopping your rooms down, just because you think the plants are ready, and take the time to do thorough checks mentioned in this article, to fully identify the right time to chop the ladies. Good luck growing your own buds and finding out what harvesting methods work best for you personally.
S
Stoney.Tark
