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It’s the million dollar question, especially when you start growing cannabis yourself: When to harvest cannabis? At Buddha Seeds we put special emphasis on the colour of the trichomes. That’s why we recommend that you grab a magnifying glass and read on.
The word trichome comes from the Greek word ‘trichos’, which means hair. Virtually all plants have trichomes. They are usually found on leaves and stems, but depending on the species they are also found on petals, seeds and fruits.
Trichomes provide plants with a defence mechanism:
So how do you know when to harvest cannabis? When it comes to harvesting our plants, trichomes come in different colours:
When the trichomes have a transparent colour it means that they have not yet matured. In other words, they are not yet ready to be harvested.
On the other hand, if all the trichomes are milky white, the THC is at its peak. From that moment on, the trichomes will mature and turn to an amber colour.
When the trichomes turn an amber colour it means that they are already ripe. The more amber they are, the more narcotic the effects will be.
When we harvest stale trichomes we are losing THC that is already degrading. In turn, if we let the trichomes ripen, the effects will become more narcotic.
Trichomes store terpenes, terpenoids and cannabinoids. As a rule they usually turn white. However, there are strains that can turn blackish or purple.
Because of their tiny size, we need a magnifying glass or microscope to get a close look at them. We have the following options:
If you do not have a magnifying glass to see the trichomes, you will need a pocket microscope. This is another economical option to help us know when it is time to cut our marijuana plants.
In order to see the resin glands you will need a magnifying glass to see the trichomes or a microscope.
It is necessary to use a device to increase the size of the trichomes. This way, we can see the exact moment to cut them.
To be able to see the trichomes with great clarity and sharpness we need a microscope of about 100x magnification. Thanks to them, we will be able to see when it is the exact moment to harvest.
We know that the trichomes are ready to cut when they are milky in colour. This is when the plant contains the highest percentage of THC.
The trichomes start to change colour when harvest time approaches, in the meantime they remain transparent. At the moment of maturation they turn milky in colour and when they start to turn amber.
Each plant has different times, so we can’t give an exact time.
There are sativa strains of marijuana that when cut the trichomes are milky and the pistils are white. Not all strains are cut with brown pistils.
We can do anything with trichome leaves that we would do with buds. You just need to add more of them. With the leaves we can make teas, creams, oils and even hashish.
If the trichomes do not ripen, it is likely that we have a problem with our plants or crop. To determine why trichomes do not ripen, growers focus on 5 points:
After cutting, the plant is still alive for a few days. Therefore, the trichomes continue to ripen after cutting the plant.
It is therefore advisable to cut the plant when all the trichomes are milky and only 5-10% are amber in colour. If we cut the plant too late, we may have overripe trichomes after drying.
The optimum point of the trichomes is when they are all milky white or when they start to turn amber. This will ensure high THC levels. At the very least, wait until you have between 80 and 90% milky colour and 10% amber.
If you have any questions after reading this article, leave them in the comments, we will answer them as soon as possible.
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