One of the fundamental responsibilities of cultivating cannabis is how to properly trim and maintain its growth. You, as a grower, spends months in monitoring and maintaining for it to properly flower. Consider this as one of the responsibilities of growers they least like. Why? Trimming or manicuring your weed is not as easy as it seems but be grateful for this article for we have found ways on finding it rather enjoyable and adequate.
Why is it Essential to Trim your Weed?
The growth of weed is not as pretty as the way we see them in magazines and articles online. A well-manicured weed is indeed a good weed. When buds are left untrimmed, it does not look pleasant in the eye especially if you own a big dispensary. This way, it becomes appealing to people. It is not just for the sake of sales but to also avoid unnecessary growth within your buds.
Manicuring your weed improves your smoking experience. If the leaves are left untrimmed, there is a high probability that it will increase the harshness making it more difficult to smoke. To give you a better smoking experience, excessive leaves are removed improving the hit of the smoke through your throat.
In addition to this, manicuring your weed leaves you with potent buds. The excessive leaves growing within your buds are low in tetrahydrocannabinol levels. Incorporating these leaves to your bud will leave you getting less THC level for every gram you sell.
Studying the anatomy of a marijuana plant, the sugar leaves are best removed considering that it contains few trichomes in comparison to the nuggets. Manicuring your plant is a big help in exposing the part containing most of the trichomes.
An option we can provide if you do not want to waste the trimmed leaves, you can process and extract the cannabinoid content separately then incorporate it after. Tho, it would be best if you trim it well to produce premium quality cannabis buds.
What are the Techniques for an Efficient Trimming Process?
To make your cannabis cultivating life easier, we will be enumerating techniques that will provide efficiency during the trimming process. This would be suggested especially for the inexperienced growers who are trying to discover other ways on how they can make their growing experience progressive.
Reviewing these two, which is more suggested? It actually depends on your capability and environmental setting. Identify these and decide which trimming method will suit your situation. Whichever of the two you would prefer to use, you have to take into consideration your growing and manicuring capability as well as the environmental factors at risk. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but you have to proceed with the manicuring technique that works efficiently for you.
1. Dry Trimming Technique
Dry trimming technique is leaving your buds to dry in about four up to ten days. This way, the leaves have already curled and crisp making it easier to trim. This is preferred by growers living in dry environments since you just have to leave it and let it dry on its own plus it has its own benefits too.
There is no rush with the dry trimming technique since you will have to leave your buds to dry at a specified amount of time. It does not require much manpower too since there is an option to manicure it by machine.
If you have your own trimming machine, that would be your biggest advantage considering that it would not consume much effort and less stress.
Steps on How to Dry Trim Your Cannabis Plant
Before drying your harvest, you have to remove the fan leaves first leaving the buds and sugar leaves. This way, the leaves that contain less to no trichomes would not be incorporated into your buds.
During the drying or curing time, make sure that you do not stress your buds. Give it the time it requires for it to fully dry for it to give you a soothing smoking experience.
Once it has totally dried up, this is when the manicuring process begins. Start the trimming from the dried branches from the buds. Cut the branches depending on how long would you want it to be. This method is also known as bucking down. Prepare a brown bag where you will be placing the amount trimmed in a day.
Next step is filling your tray. Just place a handful on a tray not filling all the space to keep it organized. As the buds were trimmed based on your desired size, as much as possible, do not expose the stem. Since it is dried up, it tends to be more brittle that is why you have to make sure that you carefully trim the stem.
After trimming the stem, the removal of the crow’s feet is next. The crow’s feet is similar to the appearance of a pitchfork.
The final step is to just remove excessive plant matter produced during the manicuring. Keep your scissors sharp and clean to avoid the removal of the larger sections of the nuggets for it will result in the alleviation of your yield.
PROS
CONS
It will give you a soothing smoking experience considering that the drying process withdraws the chlorophyll which makes the naturally bitter taste lessened. It does not require much effort and manpower since dry trimming can work on machines and there is no time to target. Its harvested flowers evenly dry in a week or two when properly hung.
It is not efficient since it requires an average of one to two weeks for the drying process. It is difficult to manicure since the fan leaves and sugar leaves are curled up to its buds. Chances of development of mold are high especially on the part between the stalk and the flower. It requires a controlled environment to be processed.
2. Wet Trimming Technique
The process of wet trimming is when you do not leave the cannabis flowers to dry. You manicure the cannabis plant right away. The removal of the sugar and fan leaves are done right after harvest. This is considered by cannabis growers as the easiest way of trimming your cannabis plant since you no longer have to wait for a span of time designated for the drying process.
The wet trimming technique is time pressured. When you leave your buds right after harvest, there is a high probability that your buds’ growth will be affected. The good thing about it is that there is no additional process to do, you just have to trim it right after harvest.
Wet trimming is preferred taking into consideration the efficiency it provides. Cannabis growers believe that it would be best to trim the excessive leaves while it is still soft and moist.
Steps on How to Wet Trim Your Cannabis Plant
Begin the method by harvesting your cannabis as soon as it flowers. Make sure that you leave the buds with its primary branches for it to be efficiently hung before undergoing the process of curing.
Next, turn the plant upside down leaving the primary branches on the upper part to hang. This way, you will have easy access you get to clearly see and access the stems of the fan leaves.
With the use of your trimming scissors, begin the manicuring by removing the fan leaves first since it contains less to no amount of resin. (If you want to recycle these, you can save it for later and use it as compost or just grind and smoke it as cigars)
On a clean tray, scatter the buds and remove the smaller leaves or the sugar leaves. Be careful especially when trimming the stem. Work with sharp and clean trimming tools to come up with the desired finish.
After you already have achieved spade-shaped buds, hang them again in a cool and dry area where the humidity is controlled in more or less 50%.
PROS
CONS
It is an efficient method which does not require much time and effort. It is easier to trim considering that the flowers are still wet and moist making it easier to hold. Its buds are aesthetically pleasing. It does not consume much space since it would not undergo the drying process.
There is a probability that the harvested cannabis flowers are not that aromatic or flavorful. The effort or man-power should be doubled since wet trimming is best while it is fresh from harvest. The development of molds is unavoidable because of excessive moisture.
What are the Tools Suggested for Trimming?
After the time invested in cultivating cannabis, the trimming process is yet another experience you would not want to miss. You do not just have to invest patience and determination in coming up with your desired buds but as well as money, time and energy. We all know that growing cannabis can be sensitive at times not just at the environmental settings but the interaction of grower to its plant.
Your best friends during the trimming processes are your tools which ought to be well-maintained too from its sharpness and its cleanliness. Whether you prefer to trim it by a tool or by machine, considering your personal preferences, use the trimming equipment that will make the manicuring process efficient and worth the while.
To come up with the best spade shaped bud, what are your best tools?
Hand-held Trimming
These are the different trimming equipment needed if you prefer to trim by hand.
1. Trimming Scissors
Your trimming scissors will do the trick and magic throughout the process of manicuring. The equipment responsible for cutting excessive leaves and unnecessary stalks. As a cultivator and trimmer, make sure that you do not use trimming scissors in removing thick branches because it does not just make it blunt but there is perfect equipment for trimming the primary branches.
2. Curved Blade Trimming Scissors
A type of trimming equipment with a long and curved blade which is composed of stainless steel responsible for trimming spots which are a bit difficult to reach. It would be best if you will be purchasing the one with a rubber handle to avoid sliding off and ruining your trimming process.
3. Small Scissors
The small scissors are similar to the appearance of sewing scissors. Its sharpness is perfect for the shaping of your buds removing excessive small leaves which are not suggested for other trimming scissors because of the size of the blade.
5. Pruning Shears
The pruning shears are somehow similar to the appearance of the curved blade trimming scissors. The blade of the pruning shears is curved too designated to cut big and thick stalks and stems. You use it to cut your stems based on your desired length before you start trimming.
6. Big Scissors
The big scissors are best in removing the fan leaves as well as the rough remains on the buds. This is for starting and for finishing your spade shaped buds.
Machine Operated Trimming
These are the three of the suggested machines for machine operated trimming.
1. TrimPro Rotor Red
A machine trimming equipment which is suggested for people who will be trimming large quantities of buds. It is best for professional growers who are time pressured when it comes to the trimming process. The good thing about it is that it is not messy to use because it has a plexiglass hood which keeps the debris within the machine.
2. iPower GLTRIMBOWL16M16-Inch Leaf Bowl Trimmer
If you are just going to trim a small number of buds, this is the machine trimmer that we suggest. The Leaf Bowl Trimmer’s speed can be adjusted depending on your personal preference. You do not have to worry about the blades being blunt. The sharpness of the blade of the Leaf Bowl Trimmer is equal to up to 30 pairs of scissors incorporated.
3. TRIM-DADDY Scissor Trimmer
A scissor powered by electricity that gives you the control over the amount you want to cut off knowing that for some scissors which are not electric, you tend to accidentally remove leaves which are essential to the plant.
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