Harvesting Marijuana
Normally, a person would put all the hard work that involves planting seeds, nurturing them, watering them and tending to them each day with a lot of care. Making sure they have proper lighting-whether indoors or outdoors is essential. After all this, the moment everyone has been looking forward to arrives-the harvesting time. The most important part is knowing exactly when to harvest your crop.
Harvest time
The best time for harvesting your marijuana is by:
- Pistil Examination-This is the simplest and quickest way of examining whether our plants are ripe. Pistils are the long hairs that usually cover the plant’s buds. During the flowering period, these pistils are normally white in colour and are stringy. However, as this process comes to an end, they turn to orange and later to dark red/brown. The gradual transformation of the colour signifies maturation. Many straits follow this with the exception of a few.
- Trichomes (fine growths on the cannabis plant) are one-half turning whitish contrary to the normal translucent colour. They will then have an amber tinge on them. Trichomes are actually the factories that produce cannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenes that make weed unique and effective. They also serve as a defence mechanism. Female cannabis plants become vulnerable to insects and animals when they are flowering. This is where the trichomes come in handy. Their strong aroma and bitter taste render the flowers unpalatable, hence protecting them.
Types of trichomes
We have various types of trichomes which are a). Bulbous Trichomes- These are normally the smallest and appear all over the surface of the marijuana plant. b). Capitate sessile trichomes- These are a bit large and do have both the head and a stalk. They are numerous than the bulbous trichomes. c). Capitate-stalked trichomes-These are conspicuous enough to be seen by the naked eye. They have a stalk that attaches to a large gland head. Cannabinoid and terpenoid synthesis takes place in the gland head which is held together by a waxy layer. A serious marijuana farmer will always have a microscope to check on his trichomes as these contain all the sauce.