Harvesting and Drying Cannabis

8/18/2019 Harvesting and Drying Cannabis

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Harvesting and Drying Cannabis

Harvesting your cannabis the reaping of the bounty, and is the most enjoyable time you will spend with

your garden.

Cannabis Plants are harvested when the flowers are ripe. Generally, ripeness is defined as when thewhite pistils start to turn brown, orange, etc. and start to withdraw back into the false seed pod. The

seed pods swell with resins usually reserved for seed production, and we have ripe sinse buds with redand golden hairs.

for more marijuana pictures

t is interesting that the time of harvest controls the !high! of the buds. f harvested !early! with onlya few of the pistils turned color, the buds will have a more pure THC content and will have less THC

that has turned to C"# and C"$. The lessor psychoactive substances will create the bou%uet of the

pot, and control the amount of stoneyness and stupidness associated with the high. & pure THCcontent is very cerebral, while high THC, high C"#, C"$ content will make the plants more of a stupid,or ha'y bu''. "uds taken later, when fully ripened will normally have these higher C"$, C"# levels and

may not be what you prefer once you try different samples picked at different times. #on not listen tothe e(perts, decide yourself based on what you come to like yourself. for your e(perience from

harvesting and drying your own cannabis

)eep in mind, a bud weighs more when fully ripe. t is what most growers like to sell, but take somebuds early for yourself, every week until you harvest, and decide how you like it for yourself. Grow the

rest to full maturity if you plan to sell it.

*ost new cannabis growers want to pick early, because they are impatient. That is +) -ust take buds

from the middle of the plant or the top. &llow the rest of the cannabis plant to keep maturing. +ften,the tops of the plants will be ripe first. Harvest them and let the rest of the plant continue to ripen. ouwill notice the lower buds getting bigger and fu''ier as they come into full maturity. /ith more light

available to the bottom portion of the plant now, the plant yields more this way over time, than takinga single harvest.

0se a magnifier and try to see the capitated stalked trichomes 1little THC crystals on the buds2. f they

are mostly clear, not brown, the peak of floral bou%uet is near. +nce they are mostly all turning

brownish in color, the THC levels are dropping and the flower is past optimum potency, declining withlight and wind e(posure rapidly.

http://www.marijuana-picture.com/

http://www.marijuana-picture.com/



#o not harvest too late t is easy to be too careful and harvest late enough potency has declined./atch the plants and learn to spot peak floral potency.

#o not cure pot in the sun, it reduces potency. 3low cure hanging buds upside down in a ventilated

space. That is all that is needed to have great sensi. #rying in a paper bag works too, and may bemuch more convenient. "ud tastes great when slow dried over the course of a week or two.

f your in a hurry, it is +) to dry a small amount in4between paper sheets or a paper bag in a

microwave oven. Go slow and check it, don not burn it. 0se the defrost power setting for a slower,better drying. t will be harsh smoking this way though.

& food dehydrator or food preserver will dry your pot in a few hours, but it will not taste the same as

slow4dried. 5ery close though. &nd this will speed your harvest time 1which can be nerve4wracking,with all this pot hanging around drying.2

#ry cannabis buds until the stems are brittle enough to snap, then cure them in a sealed tupperware

container , burping air and turning the buds daily for two weeks.

+nce e(perienced cannbais grower told me to dry in an uninsulated area of the house 1like the garage2so that the temperature will rise and fall each night, as the plant is drying. f you treat the plant as if it

were still alive, it will use some of it is chlorophyll while it is drying, and the smoke will be less harsh.

enjoy the weed.

Harvesting, cutting, trimming & drying

your marijuana, weed & pot plants.

How to properly cure your cannabis buds.

This chapter will address the proper harvesting and then move onto the proper drying (curing) of yourmarijuana plants. It is very important that you take the time to cure your cannabis properly... it makes all the

difference in the pleasant consumption of that harvested bud.



Time to Harvest Hint: When the resin glands or trichomes(on your buds) are about one-half turning a milky white or

amber in color (versus clear or translucent) and the small

hairs have begun to turn orange brown or reddish in colorit is then time to harvest your weed. !ou have a window of

"-# days for peak harvest and potency. I will tell you the

more amber the trichomes have turned the $stonier$ the potwill likely be.

This is why I recommend harvesting when about %&' of the

resin glands have turned amber in color - be patient and be

sure of what you see. !ou will harvest ecellent weed atthis point without passing the premium harvest window

and the weed will generally *T make you completely

lethargic when smoked.

When you see the first signs of amber trichomes waterwith water only... no more nutrients are needed at this time.

This allows for a cleaner taste and smoking pleasure

(I+*).

(click to enlarge photos) I ,uite often have trimmed buds

from the different $tops$ of the plant based on how they look

individually before I took down the entire plant. o as the plant progresses you may have already harvested half of

the buds before you $chop$ the plant down (so to speak).

This also helps with being able to smoke some of your cannabis and test your crop using a ,uick dryingtechni,ue.

Harvesting Time: ow that we know when to harvest our cannabis the net ,uestion

is/ How do we actually cut and trim our plant (buds) and then dry it properly to

cure it for the best taste and smoothest smoe!

"nvironment: hould include good air circulation for both trimming and drying rooms- 0s you will find the odors can be ,uite strong at this stage. 1eep the room

around #2 degrees 3ahrenheit heat is not necessary at this stage and only increases

odor.

Temps over 42 degrees and too much moisture and even rough handling will actually

decrease your T56 potency. 7e gentle with your buds from trimming throughdrying it will pay off in potent reefer.

Trimming & #anicuring: I trim my buds the same day I harvest the plant

or top. The leaves are firm and cut off ,uite nicely. 8ifferent strains of

marijuana are different to trim. !ou want to remove all the large leaves and trim off the

leave tips that are all around the buds themselves. I take the time to remove the large

http://www.weedsthatplease.com/quickdry.htm






leaves right to the stem leaving little to no stem stick in my buds. This is a learned skill but not too difficultto improve as you go (grow). +akes for a great smoke.

7eautiful weed.

$%m still woring on this...

Than you for your continued patience my

friends.

rying marijuana 'uicly.

ast and 'uic ways to dry your cannabis buds.

I$d like to share a few different ways to ,uick-dry your marijuana and cannabis buds for sampling or moreimmediate pleasure.

9lease remember though... that properly dried and

cured marijuana only gets better with time. It

smokes smoother without harshness or the greentaste. 5owever these tips to drying your weed

,uickly work very well.

!ou do retain T56 levels they may get crispy (the buds silly) but these function just fine. These processes will help you dry your pot ,uickly and

be able to enjoy it in minutes or a few hours. 0nd

then you should be $crispy$ too.

9lace your trimmed buds on a cookie sheet spread out evenly. et your oven to %'"-%:2 degrees 3ahrenheit(no hotter). ;eave for %2 minutes remove for " minutes and turn buds. <epeat once more.



<ig a flat piece of %2 foil to be held under a %22 watt light bulb (no hotter) within '-: inches. Turn your buds every %-' minutes. hould be smoke-able within about %2-%" minutes time.

Take your buds and flatly wrap them in paper or use a paper envelope and place them over your

water heater radiator or the back of your T=. 9ot should be dry in a few hours orovernight.

9lace buds flat on a plate. >se your microwave on "2? power or less (important not to burn). et for only

%2-%' seconds at a time remove and turn repeat as necessary. 8one ,uickly be careful.

I$ve heard you can use a food dehydrator it takes a little longer (hours) but should work as well

if you have one one of these.

0lso if your buds get too dry (crispy) you can put them in a @iploc bag or glass sealable jar with a piece of

orange peel... yep it will smoke much nicer by morning.

*"+" have your heat source be more than %"2 degrees 3ahrenheitA 0ny hotter will actually burn or

vapori@e the T56 or resin glands...this I what gets you high so be careful of this.

These tips should help you enjoy a little of your smoe a little faster... however - $ still recommend

proper drying and curing - you $// notice the difference.

Harvesting #arijuana hen To Harvest

#arijuana

5arvesting +arijuanaA When To 5arvest !our +arijuana 6rop

7y 8B hort

There are several important points to consider when choosing the optimum time to harvest your marijuanacrop. There are different factors to consider between indoor and outdoor marijuana plants. There is the

difference between ativas and Indicas in bloom duration and final effect.There is the difference between early and late harvest to encourage head to body high respectively. There is

the issue of chemistry because what we are really considering in terms of the ripeness relates directly to thechemical nature and state of the plant at harvest. ;ast but not least is the concept of the window for

marijuana harvest where I will begin.

indow or Harvesting 0our #arijuana 1rop

http://www.weedsthatplease.com/harvest.htm

http://www.weedsthatplease.com/harvest.htm



This term indicates the period during which the plant is at its optimum state of ripeness. The window openswhen the plant is first ripe. omewhere along the line the plant becomes over-ripe which signifies the

closing of the window of harvest.

3or most Indicas grown indoors the window of harvest is about two weeks long give or take a couple ofdays for various strains. Indoors if going directly from an %4&C hour vegetative light cycle to a %'&%' hour

bud cycle most indicas take about eight weeks to fully mature.

0s to outdoors I can only speak from eperience at the :"th parallel and the bloom times there. 0t the :"th

parallel I$ve found most Indicas to be at peak harvest starting at the beginning of *ctober sometimes verylate eptember and running until the end of *ctober sometimes running into ovember during mild years

or in a greenhouse. +y favorite time to harvest a nice 7lueberry Indica outdoors is in the second to third

week of *ctober.

3or ativa grown either indoors or outdoors the window may be open much longer. ome ativas take up tothirteen weeks to mature indoors. *utdoors many will go well into ovember and even 8ecember if

conditions are right (again this is near or at the :"th parallel). 5ead 5igh or 7ody toneD

0n important consideration has to do with one$s preference for a head high or more of a body high. 0 goodhead high can positively influence one$s mental state much like a psychedelic/ whereas a good body high is

more similar to a narcotic effect. Eenerally head highs tend to be more up and body highs tend to be more

down. uffice it to say that a good healthy mi of the two is a fine goal to achieve.

ativas and early window harvests tend to be more of a head high whereas Indicas and late windowharvests tend to be more of a body high. Eiven this rule of thumb you can pretty much come up with what

you want. That is if you prefer a very psychedelic head high then an early harvested ativa might do best.

If a very narcotic body high is desired then a late harvest indicas would probably do best. 3or that best-of- both worlds high eperimentation with late harvested sativas and early-to-mid harvested indicas usually

proves interesting.

#agnify 0our 2uds

When we speak of various highs eperienced by different products we are noting variations in plant

chemistry. The chemicals we enjoy are produced within the glandular stalked trichomes along the surfaces

of the bud flowers (calyes) bracts leaves and stems starting in or around the fourth week of the bud cycle.+ore and more of these trichomes develop as the plant matures.

I highly recommend that the serious cannabis student ac,uire a F2G power illuminated magnifier. These

can be found at most local electronics stores often for under fifteen dollars. With the aid of the magnifierone can learn more about the detail of trichome development and ripeness.

0s far as trichomes are concerned the tall ones with swollen clear bulbous heads are what to shoot for. The

denser the concentration the greater the potency.

The 1ycle 3f #arijuana 4lant #aturity

tarting in the third or fourth week of the flowering light cycle glandular stalked trichomes will begin to

form along the surfaces of leaves flowers bracts and stems. 0t the same time more and more flowers (also

called calyes) develop into densely-packed floral clusters.The pistils of the young flowers are bright white and turn reddish brown with age. The pistils and flowers

develop from the bottom of the bud to the top. The older lower pistils are the first to turn reddish brown.

3or most basic indicas this usually happens by the sith week in the flowering cycle. It is about this timethat the calyes begin to swell.



6aly swelling is a major indicator of peak maturity. The lowest oldest calyes swell first and the swellingworks its way up to the highest youngest flowers on each bud. 0t peak maturity about H2? of the calyes

will almost look seeded they are so fat.

Three ,uarters to H2? of the pistils will have turned reddish brown as well. 3or a basic Indica this takeswell into the seventh week of the flowering cycle.

7y the end of the eighth week most of the calyes will have swollen and a surge of trichome development

has coated most of the buds. It is now that the development of a very discerning palate comes into play todetermine the finest harvest time. <emember - patience is a virtue and often a discipline.

The ripening signs for most ativas are highly similar ecept etended over a longer period of time.

*ccasionally some ativas have windows of peak harvest that actually open and close. That is for a weekor so the plant may ehibit signs of peak ripeness.

5owever a week later the plant may have a growth spurt which lowers the trichome-to-fibre ratio and

overall potency for a little while. >sually a fibrous growth spurt is accompanied by a corresponding

trichome increase. 0gain time and eperience are the key elements in this regard.

1hanges $n #arijuana 1hemistry

0s the plant matures through its window of harvest its chemistry changes. 0s the window closes the more

desirable compounds begin breaking down into less desirable ones. 9rimarily it is T56 breaking down in67s and 678s.

Which particular combination of chemicals is the most desirable is purely a matter of taste and choice

developed over time and with eperience. et and setting also play an important role in determining whichtype of product is best appreciated.

9leasant head highs are often desirable for social occasions whereas a narcotic late-window Indica may

work better as an evening medicinal herb. The main point is that these differences are chemical in natureand more research is needed to more fully understand this phenomenon.

0nother important point is that much can be done to further enhance the chemical process especially in

regard to bou,uet aroma and flavour given the proper curing process.

bibliography - ovember C '22: from a%b'cF.com

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Harvesting and Drying Cannabis