5 Harvesting and Post-Harvest Tips

1. Check Your Plant’s Trichomes Before Harvesting Them

Growing cannabis plants can take a while. Depending on the kind of seeds you use, the type of strain you’re growing, and the growing conditions you give your plants, you might have to wait anywhere from two to six months until they’re ready to harvest, and sometimes even longer. So how do you know exactly when to harvest your plants?

There are a few signs that will tell you when your plants have matured. For instance, they’ll often start to produce thick buds with colorful pistils. However, more important, you’ll want to check the trichomes. Trichomes are the small, bulbous crystals that grow on the surface of marijuana buds- these also contain THC, the chemical that gets you high.

You should check on your trichomes regularly as your plants start to mature. They’ll initially look translucent and watery and start to whiten over time. The best time to harvest is when the trichomes look cloudy and the majority of the hairs on your buds have darkened. You can also wait for the trichomes to turn amber if you want your buds to produce more relaxing effects.

2. Cut Your Marijuana Buds Properly And Carefully

After assessing your plants carefully and deciding that your marijuana is ready to harvest, the next step is to trim them. This helps separate the potent marijuana buds from the rest of the plant. This is particularly important as the last thing you want is marijuana that’s ruined by stems and leaves.

You should wear gloves before trimming your plants to avoid rubbing away the trichomes. Hold the plants carefully and trim as much excess plant matter as possible. You can either trim everything but the buds or leave the buds on their branches if you’d rather use the branches to hang them up for drying.

The next step is to dry your buds, so you’ll want to either place your trimmed buds on a drying rack or hang them on a drying line using the branches. You can alter your trimming method based on the drying method you plan to use.

3. Dry Your Freshly Cut Marijuana Thoroughly

Once you’ve trimmed your buds, you’ll need to transfer them carefully for drying. However, before anything else, you’ll need to ensure that you have a room that’s ideal for drying your plants. The best approach is to use a cool, dry room that doesn’t contain much except your plants and a dehumidifier.

Some users prefer to hang up a drying line and hang their buds from it using pegs. However, while this might help them dry quicker, it also leaves them prone to falling. The easiest approach is to spread your buds out on drying racks and leave them in your drying room.

Ideally, you’ll want your room to have a temperature of around 59-70°F and humidity levels of around 50-60%. You should check your plants regularly to check that they’re free of moisture. This is important to prevent your weed from growing mold. Usually, it takes anywhere from three to ten days for your buds to fully dry.

4. Cure Your Buds For High-Quality Cannabis

When your marijuana buds have dried, you can simply grind them and smoke them if you want. However, if you want the best cannabis possible, you’ll want to cure them before using them. This involves carefully transferring them to clean, sealable glass jars. Mason Jars usually work well.

Try to fill your jars as much as possible and store them in a cool, dry place such as a cupboard or closet. At first, you’ll need to regularly “burp” your containers by unsealing them for around 30 minutes a day to release built-up oxygen. You should also check them to ensure they don’t smell strange and aren’t too moist. If they are, take them out and continue to dry them.

After a couple of weeks or so, you won’t need to burp your containers regularly, although doing so occasionally can help. Usually, curing your buds for 2-4 weeks will give you fresh, potent weed. However, leaving them for even longer can make your buds even more potent and flavorful.

5. Store Your Marijuana Appropriately

When you’ve dried and cured your buds, you can use them however you see fit. Some users leave their weed to cure while taking a small stash out each time they want to smoke. Others prefer to transfer them to another container.

If you’re running a marijuana business and storing weed for commercial purposes, you’ll want to look into appropriate Custom Packaging. You can find Custom Glass Jars, Custom Exit Packaging, and even Custom Pre-Roll Tubes. These are perfect for keeping your buds as fresh as possible before selling them.

For personal storage, there are various options. You can continue to keep your weed in Mason Jars or transfer it to a Stash Jar or Cannabis Humidor. You can also store your weed in a Stash Bag or Pouch if you need to travel with it or take it to a friend’s house.

Conclusion

If you’re learning about growing weed, these 5 harvesting and post-harvest tips will help ensure you end up with the best buds possible. If you want to buy effective cannabis storage solutions or even learn how to start and promote a cannabis business, visit Cannabis Promotions.