Harvesting is without a doubt one of the most fun parts of cannabis gardening. If you have taken all the important things into account, chosen the right kit and the ideal harvest time, you can look forward to a large and, above all, very potent harvest.
Especially for novice growers, it is often the biggest challenge to wait until the right harvest time is reached. At the end of the flowering phase, the flowers should be checked again and again to see if they are ripe and can be harvested. If possible, do not touch the flowers. You can find out more about the right time to harvest here.
There are some indicators you can use to tell if your cannabis plants are ripe:
- Many hairs have turned reddish-brown or brown. Attention: With outdoor plants, the discolouration of the hairs does not clearly indicate the time of harvest. Outdoor plants develop brown hairs much more easily and frequently, even before they are ripe. This is caused by insects running over the plants, wind or rain. Therefore, do not use the number of brown hairs as the only indication.
- The plants no longer produce resin
- The awnings and large leaves turn yellow and fall off
- The smell of the cannabis plants has reached its peak
- The bud mass has not grown for days
The trichomes turn milky and amber as they ripen, which is easy to see with a magnifying glass or microscope. If you have several cannabis plants of the same variety, you can harvest them at different times and test for yourself what is the right time to harvest in your setting and what effect you like best. That's why it makes sense to grow the same variety in several grows to find out the ideal conditions and ripening time. In a way, specialise in one variety and optimise it over time.
The maturation of the trichomes
Trichomes are resin glands found on leaves and flowers. In the course of their existence, these resin glands form a ball (glandular kof). The trichomes with a stalked head contain the most THC and are mainly found on flowers and the small leaves (near flowers).
The safest and most reliable way to recognise the maturity of the cannabis plant is by the discolouration of the trichomes with stalked heads. It is in these trichomes that much of the THC and other potent components in cannabis are produced. Only those who harvest at the right time will get the maximum potency from their plants. There is nothing that can be done about this.
The trichomes undergo a process during flowering and change colour accordingly: initially they are clear and transparent, then increasingly milky(er) and finally amber.
Not only in Spain do beginners, but also impatient growers with little background knowledge, tend to harvest the plants far too early, which will certainly no longer be a potent hammer grass and the hay taste cannot be hidden. A pity for all the effort and time. Some people don't even know what would happen if they finally let their plants finish flowering.
By checking the trichomes daily with a microscope or magnifying glass it is possible to determine the peak of potency in the plant. The more trichomes change colour, the more will start to become shrivelled. First the trichomes that had formed at the beginning of flowering will dry up/shrivel.
Cannabis plants can be harvested "earlier" or "later" at the point of maturity and thus the later high they produce can be influenced. Trichomes are difficult to see with the naked eye, so use a microscope. A small handheld microscope, which can be bought cheaply, is also sufficient.
As long as most of the hairs are still white (or purple), new ones keep coming and the trichomes are clear, do not harvest yet! Harvesting with clear trichomes results in low THC and CBN levels. At this point, not enough potency could be produced, the premature harvest brings significant losses in yields.
The maturation of the trichomes is a process:
1.) Some trichomes turn milky: the buds continue to grow and get bigger. The strain and aroma have not fully developed at this point. Buds harvested at this point produce a more energetic and stimulating high.
2.) Most trichomes are milky: 50-60% of the hairs have darkened, a large proportion of the trichomes have become milky. Harvesting at this point produces the most potent and intense high with a high level of euphoric and analgesic effects.
In some purple strains, the trichomes do not turn amber as they mature, but purple.
3.) Trichomes turn amber: 70-90% of the hairs have darkened and the trichomes turn amber. If the plant is harvested at this point, a very relaxing, narcotic and sedative high (couchlock) is produced later on when consumed, with anxiety-reducing effects among others.
Important tips for harvesting
- As long as the plant keeps producing white hairs and the trichomes are still clear, your plant is too young to be harvested. Harvesting at that time will result in low yields with little potency.
- There is a time window within which you can harvest a cannabis plant. This window opens at the moment when your cannabis plant does not produce any new hairs or hardly any and a certain part of the trichomes has become milky. About 50% of the white hairs will have changed colour and become darker.
- The highest THC level is reached when most of the trichomes have turned milky (white). Milky trichomes contain the most THC and produce a very psychoactive and euphoric high.
- The window of opportunity to harvest closes when many trichomes have turned amber (or red or purple in some purple strains). Harvesting at this time produces a very relaxing body high.
- If the trichomes start to turn grey, the right harvest time has been missed. The weed then makes you sleepy without great psychoactive effects. Normally, a period of 4 weeks and more passes from the time when the window of opportunity for harvesting opens until the time comes. Most of the time, harvesting is too early than too late.
Now let's get on with it to the harvest 🙂
