Ultimate Guide to Harvesting Cannabis

Harvesting cannabis in the right way is important. If you’re new to cannabis growing at home, then you should educate yourself first. That’s how you can better ensure your success.

Tools Needed in Harvesting Cannabis

There are some basic tools necessary to harvest your cannabis once the plants are already mature. These are:

• A magnifying glass, jeweler’s loupe, or a digital microscope
• A space and technique for hanging your buds
• A sharp knife or trimming shears
• Wide-mouth mason jar with cover
• Hygrometer
• Temperature, airflow, and humidity equipment

Magnifying Glass

The market is full of various magnifying tools that can help you see things that you can’t with your naked eyes. A magnifying glass will be helpful to know when you should harvest your cannabis plants. However, it is very crucial to use the right one for your needs.

Jeweler’s Loupe

This tool is more suitable for those people with a tight budget. Jeweler’s loupe is quite basic. It doesn’t have anything fancy but will give you the exact details you need. Therefore, you can easily decide when you should harvest your plants. If you want more information and details, then a Jeweler’s Loupe is not the right tool for you.

A Jeweler’s Loupe zooms in to provide your buds a closer look. However, its incredible strength often leads to giving inaccurate results. It makes focusing the tool on the buds somewhat difficult.

Digital Microscope

It’s the priciest of these three options. However, it can easily answer all your questions. Therefore, it will tell you the exact right time for harvesting your cannabis plants. In using one, you need to connect it to your laptop to see and process the gathered details.

When Should You Harvest Cannabis?

You can determine the perfect time for harvesting marijuana in 3 basic ways:

Observe the Pistils

A nearly mature healthy cannabis plant will have white pistils that stick out of the flower. When your plant is ready for harvesting, half of the pistils will be dark and curled back into the flower.

Check the Trichomes

It is where you need a magnifying glass, the jeweler’s loupe or a digital microscope. Point the magnifying tool at the trichomes wrapping your cannabis flower. When trichomes are glassy and clear, don’t try to harvest them. Instead, wait and allow the plant to grow a little more. You can harvest the buds only when the trichomes became cloudy.

Examine the Pistils and Trichomes

Any of those methods mentioned above will help you determine if it’s time to harvest marijuana. However, the result is better if you combine both. At times, trichomes begin to become cloudy while the pistils are still white. Also, there are times when the pistils start to curl while the trichomes are still clear. It is the time when the trichomes and the pistils begin to change, making your plants ready for harvest.

Harvesting Cannabis Based on the Flowering Time

Some cannabis growers choose to use timing to determine the right time for harvesting their plants. It may not be as accurate as a scientific method. However, it is easier to recall. It is also more consistent. If you choose to use timing, then you must do your homework on the seeds you preferred to cultivate.

Aside from your strain choice, the actual growing setting where your plants are can make a big difference in the harvest time. Bear that in mind that when you establish the right time for harvesting your plants.

• For Indica – people who grow indica or indica-dominant strains normally expect the flowering period of approximately 8 weeks long. Harvesting your plants when September ends are typically the right time for harvest indica plants.
• For Sativa – sativa or sativa-dominant cannabis plants typically take more time to flower. The longest one is around 3 months or 12 weeks. There are many haze strains that flower in around 9 up to 10 weeks. If you got your Cannabis Seeds online, you should research and gather more information about them to be sure of their flowering time. Generally, sativa and sativa-dominant strains of marijuana are available for harvest at the end of October.
• For Autoflowering – autoflowering strains take lesser time to flower. That’s because they don’t’ underground life cycle changes depending on the lighting. Turn the timer on when the first seeds poke out on top of the soil. Autoflowering strains are normally ready for harvesting in 10 weeks or less.

• Whatever kind of marijuana strain you chose to grow, computing the time in advance may not provide you with the right timing to harvest the plants. However, it will give you hints on when you should do it instead of guessing.

How to Harvest Cannabis?

Harvesting is quite easy to do once you know how to get started. Here are the steps to follow:

• Cut the Plants – you may cut the whole plant off at its stem. You can also cut the branches one by one. The result will be the same regardless of how you do it. This may depend on how you want to hang the buds. However, do not give too much time and though on this step. Just begin cutting.
• Prune Fan Leaves – prune the fan leaves off your plants. You can also cut the smaller leaves if you want. That is okay. Also, it will never affect the process even if you choose not to cut them. Ultimately, getting rid of the smaller leaves will give you a better and smoother experience. Remember, excessive leaf matter will give your buds a bad quality. Pruning the fan and even the smaller leaves will make the buds look good.
• Hang the Buds to Dry – you can hang the buds and let them dry in many ways. Find out which one will work for your case. Using hangers and a rod for clothes is the easiest method. Tie or clip the plants upside down using the hangers then keep them on the cloth rod. However, you should dry your marijuana, so keep the temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 degrees Celsius. The humidity level must be 50%.
• Take the Buds from the Stems – when the buds are already dry, and the smaller stems are now snapping instead of bending, pick the flowers from them. it usually happens between 3 to 7 days.
• Put the Buds in the Jar – after removing the buds from the plant stems, pack them in your mason jar. Screw on the cover.
• Start Curing the Buds – throughout the curing phase, store the jar in a dim room while the temperature is in 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity in 60 to 65 percent. The curing time typically lasts around 3 weeks. You must open the mason jar’s cover and allow the buds to breathe for the initial two weeks. Also, you may shake the mason jar gently without removing the lid. Shaking will prevent humidity from accumulating in just one place. Moisture is not good for the buds as it can lead them to rot.
• Save the Buds for a Long Time – put the mason jar in a dark and cool room and leave it there for several days. You can even put it in the cabinet or closet. If you store them for at least 6 months, vacuum the sealing or keep the jar inside the freezer.

You can now start consuming the buds. Get them all out of the jar, grind it, roll the joint, blunt, then heat it. Take time to enjoy the fruit of your hard work. But, do not forget the future. Sooner, you must have new seeds to plant to have a new batch of buds to harvest.

Harvesting the Buds Outdoors

Harvesting is a crucial phase in the plants’ life. It tends to be the most important phase in some ways. This phase will be successful only if you succeed throughout the growing period.

You will be making a big mistake if you just harvest the buds without making sure that it’s the right time for that. You must understand each season, the sun, your safety, the necessities in the harvest, and what will occur throughout the flowering phase.

For your cannabis plants grown outdoors, you will learn if it’s the right time for harvesting by observing the buds and the leaves. The plants’ physical characteristics will alter considerably.

The bigger leaves will change into a yellow-brown hue that signifies the poor health of your plants. This color means they are dying. The stigmas of fully grown plants wither on the bottom of the buds. Also, the plants will stay white on top, which means they are healthy and happy.

One more thing you need to watch out is the color of the buds. If the buds are already brown, you can start picking them. Their color means they have withered a little and will produce a richer smoke. It will also make them stronger and more delicious.

Also, wait until the resin glands contain more resins. People do not care about the more pungent smoke because they bargain that they experience a more intense psychedelic high.

Should You Harvest Early or Late?

Many cannabis growers wonder if they should harvest early or late. Harvesting the buds is all about finding the right time for doing so. If you harvest too early, you may fail to get the psychedelic effects. harvesting too late is also a bad idea. It can lead your buds to self-pollinating or rotting. Therefore, keeping things balanced is the ultimate key to achieve the greatest harvest.

Early Harvest

If you like to harvest more buds, then you should never attempt to harvest early. However, there are some reasons that make harvesting a little earlier a brilliant idea.

One of these common reasons is to prevent mold and the bugs from infesting your plants. If you are from a place with a not-so-good climate, you should be more careful in taking care of your plant. Bad weather conditions can lead them to rot and diseases that can occur before the harvest time. If you cannot move the plants indoors to protect them from harsh climates, premature cutting will be a good idea.

The rise of other plants that may surround your weed can also kill your harvest goals. It is also a good reason for harvesting earlier. Stealth growing is another thing that forces some growers to harvest early.

Technically, you can begin harvesting the buds when the flowers start to appear. However, the cannabinoid levels are still extremely low until the buds become adequately mature.

As much as you can, don’t opt to premature harvesting. If you harvest the buds only a few days before the right time for doing so, the potential negative effects will be nominal. However, you can’t expect more buds to pick if you harvest early.

Late Harvest

However, late harvest means you let the plants mature too much. Many growers say it is not a good method since it causes the THC levels to drop. Thus, it means those overmatured buds are less effective in relieving any health conditions.

Terpenes tend to be stronger when you harvest late. However, this will mean the buds have lost their delicious aroma and flavor. Harvesting late will induce a more narcotic high instead of the more energetic one.

If your plants are sativa, late harvest may result in the development of those effects that seem like the effects of indica-dominant strains. It doesn’t look a great idea for most cannabis growers. However, some users choose to store a jar of buds for a few more weeks. It makes the buds have higher CBN levels and increased sleep-inducing effects.

Besides, you must be extra careful when you choose to harvest late. Consider the nature of those strains you chose to grow. It is very important because some strains tend to self-pollinate or turn intersex.

If you want more buds in each harvest season, you have no other choice. Just wait for the right time to harvest. When the perfect time comes, extend the waiting period a bit. That’s the best way to get the best return for your time, effort, and money.