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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

The change of colour in a trichome head represents the maturity of the marijuana plant and its peak ripeness. It is usually the point that the trichome has reached maturation and if not harvested it will start to degrade. Therefore, it is very important to always inspect your plants carefully if at all you want a perfect crop. Not all strains of marijuana are the same but this colour change remains a standard test for harvest in a majority of the strains.

Trichomes are highly volatile and risk destruction when not handled with care. Most of the time you will notice that not all farmers will produce the same quality of cannabis. One will get you well stoned than the other. This owes to the way trichomes were handled during and after harvest. Therefore, proper trimming is vital and harvesting should be done carefully.

Pre and harvest practices

Before the harvesting day, one should engage the marijuana plants in a two-step flushing process. This is usually a week or two to the harvest day. This involves using only water to feed the plants. This ensures that the plants use their own nutrients in the reserves. These nutrients should not be present in the final product as they give harsh smokes and burn badly. These elements are like sugars and starches. A final flush should occur a day to the harvest day. This is the final watering your plants get as the last 24 hours should be completely dry. Dehydrating the plants during these few hours ensures adequate resin production. Resin reflects light ensuring that the buds do not get sunburns. When harvesting, look for leaves with little resin on them first. Then move to the interior of the small buds. The final step in harvesting is to cut, trim and manicure them to perfection. It is then advisable to hang them upside down with strings ensuring maximum airflow to prepare the crop for the next stage of drying.