The best way to tell that it’s too early to harvest your cannabis is by looking at the colour of the plant’s trichomes. If most of the trichomes are transparent, this means that you need to wait a little longer before you harvest. When trichomes are clear, this means that the plant’s resin production has not yet reached its peak. Cannabis that is harvested too early will result in a product that is not as flavourful, aromatic, or potent.
WHEN TO HARVEST CANNABIS:
TIPS AND TRICKS GUIDE
WHAT TO LOOK WHEN HARVESTING CANNABIS
SIGNS IT’S TOO EARLY TO HARVEST THE CANNABIS
SIGNS IT’S TOO LATE TO HARVEST CANNABIS
If there are more amber-coloured trichomes than milky ones on a cannabis plant, you’ve missed your chance to harvest at the right time. When trichomes are overripe, they will also become brittle and may crumble in your hands. Cannabis harvested at this point will yield a product that has sub-par aroma, flavour, and decreased THC.
HOW TO HARVEST CANNABIS
When you are ready to harvest your cannabis crop, it is important to have a system and all of the equipment you’ll need at the ready. Well before harvest time, plan whether you will be harvesting by hand or with machines, and make sure that you have all of the tools, staff, and space that you will require to harvest and process your plants..
In order to prepare for harvest, you should flush your plants with water for about one week before you plan to harvest. Flushing helps to flush out the salts and nutrients from the plant, creating a smoother end product that will produce a lighter ash. Often, many of the large fan leaves will be removed leading up to harvest to encourage the plant to focus its energy on the bud development and to reduce the amount of plant material going into the dry room or trimming machine.
Some producers harvest whole plants at a time, while others prefer a branch method. This is often determined by the size of the plant, whether a trellis net is used, and what bucking and drying methods will be used. A branch method is when the plant is cut down, branch by branch. This allows the plant to be broken into smaller segments for easier processing.
Take care to ensure however many plants are cut down can be processed and loaded into a drying room within a reasonable.
POST-HARVESTING CANNABIS BY HAND
Some small cannabis producers opt to process their harvest by hand. This process requires patience and time. Make sure that you are wearing gloves and clothing that can get dirty. Use sharp, good quality shears or scissors to cut each plant at its base, then transfer the plants to your processing area to be dried, separated, and trimmed. Using scissors, the flowers are cut from the stem and the leaves are trimmed off.If you are spending a lot of time hand bucking and trimming, consider switching to machines.
CANNABIS POST-HARVESTING EQUIPMENT
Even small-batch cannabis operations will benefit from using cannabis buckers and trimmers. These machines make the process of bucking (removing leaves and flowers from stalks) and trimming much more efficient and allow you to complete your cannabis harvesting process with fewer staff. CenturionPro’s industry-trusted buckers and trimmers make cannabis processing quick and easy, without sacrificing quality.
CenturionPro sells buckers and trimmers for every size operation. If you are a very small operation and do not wish to purchase cannabis processing equipment but would like access to it occasionally, we provide a machine rental option.
