A Simple Guide on How to Cut Marijuana Plants

Pruning or cutting your cannabis plants is an essential part in improving the quality of your garden and your yield. Plants grown in a healthy garden with plenty of light exposure and nutrients are going to thrive at a pretty alarming pace. In order for your plants to benefit from all of this growth, you will need to decide where to put all of your garden’s energy.

When Should You Start Cutting Cannabis?

You should begin to cut your plants once they start to take on a bushy shape. Training your plants will help promote a bushier and healthier looking growth. During the early stages of your plants, its structure will be narrow enough to allow sunlight to reach most of its foliage. Using any kind of training methods will cause the plant to take a shape that will ultimately define where its canopy will be. Once this happens you can finally begin to cut away at any unnecessary parts of your plant. It is from this point on right until your plants start to flower that you should be actively cutting them. Note that no pruning should take place more than 2 to 3 weeks into your plant’s flowering stage because doing so will cause vegetative growth to once again take place. If this happens it can have a negative impact on your yield.

What You Should Be Looking for When Cutting Marijuana Plants

Growing marijuana plants of the highest quality all come down to putting them in a spot where they can receive the most sunlight and airflow. The top of the plant is where you want its energy to be focused. Here is what you need to remove to make this happen: 1. Dying leaves that aren’t getting enough sunlight. 2. Low-down branches that don’t get enough sunlight. 3. Bud sites located low down on the main stalk of the plant. Once you have these removed, you can now begin cutting your marijuana plants.

How to Cut Them

Before you begin, make sure that you have a few pairs of sharp scissors with you. Small branches or leaves can be cut quickly and easily with a pair of Fiskars or Chikamasas. Get a stronger and sharper pair nearby in case you need to work on larger branches. Using sharp and cleans scissors will protect the plants from damage and infection and allow for smoother and cleaner looking cuts. Begin pruning by going for the larger branches first. Removing the bigger branches will allow you to clear out and get all of the space that you need before you start doing more detailed work. Those of you who are cutting their cannabis for the first time may feel like you’re doing more harm than good to your yields. This is a completely normal feeling for beginners, so take your time and relax. Once you are done removing the larger branches, move on to the branches that are growing in the middle of the plant somewhere beneath the canopy. They should be removed because these branches don’t receive enough sunlight and will never be as strong as the other ones. After you have cleared out the middle part of the plant, you can now proceed to remove the buds that get little to no sunlight. You can find these buds right around the lower halves of the canopy branches and the bottom of your plant. Even if the buds are growing on a strong lead branch, they will never fully develop unless they get enough sunlight.

Interval Cutting

It is best to prune your plant in intervals instead of doing it continuously because this can help prevent plant shock. In the days to follow you will see a surge of growth in your plants, but it will only happen after your plants recover from the shock of getting cut. Cutting is seen as an intimate practice between the grower and his plant. While it may seem like you’re harming your plant whenever you cut it, you are actually doing it a big favor. Cutting it will help your cannabis reach its full growth potential which in turn could lead to higher yields. It is also important to understand that you are helping the plant direct its energy towards the parts that need it the most even though you are practically removing some of its parts. Yes, your plants need light, water, and nutrients to survive and grow, but pruning/cutting is just as important. This step allows you to be present in your garden and see first-hand how your plants are doing.

Storing the Trimmed Buds

Sometimes you may have to remove the buds while pruning the plant. If this is the case, be sure to put the trimmed buds in an airtight container so you can save them later for curing. Most growers recommend using glass mason jars because they do a great job in preserving the freshness of your fried and cured buds that you’re planning to take on a long cure. Do not forget to save the “scissor hash” at the end as they can be used in various ways. You can roll them into a joint, sprinkle them on a bowl of flower, or dabbed on a nail so you can have a sweet post-harvest celebratory joint to reward yourself after a successful harvest. We hope you were able to learn some new things with regards to cutting your cannabis. Now take what you’ve learned and prune your plants.