Once you have reached the point at which you think your cannabis is ripe and ready to harvest, it is important to take your time and not harvest too early or haphazardly. Determining the ideal time for harvesting your cannabis flowers can be daunting at first, but there are a few telltale signs that will indicate the time is right.
First, it is important to remember how many weeks the strain you are growing is supposed to take before maturing. Most breeders will have this information available on the seed packet. If the pack says the strain will flower for 8 weeks you can assume this is most likely correct; however, the exact harvest date will depend on you paying close attention to your plants, particularly the trichomes, as they are the greatest indicator of readiness.
What are some indicators of bud maturity?
- Well-developed flowers have swollen calyx or bracts at maturity. The calyx is where a seed would normally develop. Buds are ready to harvest when these seed pods swell and look full.
- Your plants will have an increased aroma, particularly right at harvest time. It is at this time that you will get a full representation of the bouquet of terpenes that your particular strain offers.
- The pistils - or white hairs - should be noticeably senesced to reddish brown and withering in structure. Sometimes, not all of the pistils will fully change colour but if 85% or more have turned then it’s a good sign that your cannabis is at its peak.
- Some cannabis plants will change colour at maturity, as if it’s autumn. This is a sign that your plants have used their nutrients and are fading naturally. Don’t worry about this and try to feed them or fix them, this is perfectly natural and actually means you are more likely to have a smooth cure in the end.
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Trichomes should be all cloudy with some amber or blue hues.
How do I check the trichomes?
To be sure whether your cannabis is ready for harvest, you need to look directly at the trichomes. Cannabis trichomes are very small and need to be checked with a magnifier, such as a jeweler’s loupe and a strong light, or use your mobile phone. To use your phone, scroll into the bud as far as you can with your camera then take a picture. Use the flash if you need more light. Scroll into the picture to check trichome development.
Trichomes senesce from clear to cloudy and finally amber or blue at full maturity. Fully opaque or cloudy trichomes with the odd amber or blue trichome indicate the peak of THC production. This period of peak maturity - and ideal harvesting window - lasts about one week.
You can allow your plants to continue to grow beyond the window of peak maturity, letting trichomes develop so they are predominantly amber or blue, but keep in mind that this produces more of a heady narcotic or stoned effect. Each strain is already bred to produce certain effects however and aiming for peak THC production is probably a better tactic than experimenting with ripening times. However, this is up to you, the grower.
Why are some trichomes blue? What if I don’t have blue trichomes?
Blue trichomes are produced exclusively by the Blueberry strain of cannabis and its crosses. Blueberry is one of the oldest cannabis strains in North America and is commonly crossed by geneticists to create new, amazing strains for the market.
If you are growing a Blueberry cross, expect to see some blue trichomes along with amber during senescence. If the strain you are growing is not a Blueberry cross, you should see cloudy trichomes mature to amber only.
How do I harvest my cannabis plants?
Once you are satisfied that peak maturity has been reached, it is time to give your plants 24 hours of darkness. To do this, simply cut the lights on the StealthBox but keep the fans running.
After this period of darkness, cut your plants down by snipping branches at the main stem. Remove any large fan leaves. It is up to you whether you want to trim your product wet or dry. The difference is you either trim your buds immediately upon harvest, or after a short drying period.
If you decide to wet trim, be sure to save any clippings or shake as they are likely to retain a significant amount of trichomes. Dry trimming allows you to really see how the bud will be formed as you allow the extra water weight to evaporate off before trimming, leaving you with a true representation of the bud. When trimming for your own consumption you may choose to leave more “sugar leaf” material on the buds that contain a large amount of trichomes. You can also trim the sugar leaves off and process this “shake” into hash or edibles. Dried cannabis shake can be kept in the freezer and used later to make other products such as dry sift hash.
If you are interested in making concentrated products such as rosin or ice water hash, fresh-freeze your buds immediately upon harvest or after two or three days of drying. This helps lock in the flavour and terpenes that are usually lost during a long dry and cure. Then simply make ice water hash or press your fresh flowers in a rosin press, which many consider to be one of the greatest ways of enjoying concentrated cannabis.
How do I dry cannabis flowers?
Once you have decided how you’d like to process your harvest you can easily set that plan into action. To dry your cannabis, simply run a string between the hooks inside the StealthBox and hang the clipped branches upside down. With the lights off and fans on, allow branches to dry at a temperature around 20 C (or less) and below 50% humidity. Drying can take between 3 to 10 days, depending on the RH of your drying location.Your StealthBox is the ideal place to dry your harvest as it is equipped with a carbon filter to deal with any odour released during the drying process.
The longer your drying takes the better the end product will turn out. Plant material is considered sufficiently dried once the stems snap easily between two fingers, without much bending. After this, you can move on to the final step, curing.