So you have decided that you want to try your hand at Cannabis cultivation? While many will say just plant and add water, which will produce something, there are methods and skills you can use to ensure better chances at high-quality flowers. Growing cannabis correctly is a fairly time-consuming labor of love. With all of the time, effort, and funds put into personal growth, you want to make sure that the end result is worth it. The step that is often the downfall of most new growers is the final harvest, drying, curing, and storing cannabis. Impatience sets in when you start to see the flowers finishing up. Crops get cut early, and cure times are not followed, often overlooking the crucial steps of harvesting cannabis, cannabis trimming, and storing cannabis properly. This will result in a less than optimal harvest. I completely understand the desire to get those ladies down and enjoy the fruits of your labor as soon as possible, but don’t let it ruin the final step. You have spent weeks if not months getting to this point. Take it easy, take it slow, and enjoy the final steps of harvesting cannabis, trimming, drying, and curing. The final flush and cure are as important as any step in the growth. Patience will make sure you get the highest quality flower from your crop.
FINISH
Well here we are, reaching those last two weeks of the flower cycle in the harvesting cannabis process. The plants are showing tons of lovely crystals (trichomes), the buds (calyxes) are starting to really bulk, and the hairs (pistils) are turning orange. These are all signs that we are reaching that final stretch before harvest. There are some easy tricks of the trade we can do at this point to ensure that we harvest the largest, stickiest, and most-fragrant flowers possible. Once you get to this point, be liberal with your watering. We are attempting to cleanse any leftover nutrients from your root ball so that no flavor from them remains in your flowers. When doing this, a part of the cannabis trimming process, you will notice your fan leaves turning from green into yellows and browns, and dying from the plant. This is not an issue and is actually ideal. This means you are properly cleansing leftover salts from the plant and using every last bit of food built up in your fan leaves. Your buds will be the last part of the plant to yellow out, so don’t worry as the fan leaves are consumed by your flowers. Another trick I would recommend in your last two weeks of harvesting cannabis is a healthy dosing of liquid bone meal, which can be found at most gardening stores. This allows for a cleaner flush and will add a considerable amount of weight to your finished flowers. Also, the addition of a sugar in the last two weeks, ideally a black strap molasses, will likely increase flavor. Plants need this last stage in their development to use all the sugars that they worked so hard to make in their fan leaves for final bud development. Sugar in the soil helps the roots burn remaining nitrogen. Once the process is complete, the importance of properly storing cannabis to maintain its quality cannot be overstated.
TRICHOMES
So the hairs are orange, the buds are swollen, and the trichomes are seeming to drip off of the plants. Now we know that we are really close to the optimal time for harvesting cannabis. But we are looking for that optimal harvest time, when our flowers are at the peak of their development for the best cannabis trimming and storing practices. Now, not everyone feels that there is an optimal time to harvest cannabis, and in some cases, that can be true. In my opinion, an earlier harvest with clearer trichomes can lead to racy- and anxiety-causing effects, but some people prefer that effect. A later-harvested cannabis with mainly amber and degraded trichomes can lead to a sleepier and more laid-back effect that other people may enjoy. Like in the story of Goldilocks, I like the trichomes that are just right for harvesting cannabis. Not underdone, not overdone, right in the middle of the spectrum. I feel like the terpenes (smells and flavors), cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.), and effect is ideal at a very critical point in the trichome production at this time, which is crucial for the subsequent cannabis trimming and storing processes. While it is difficult to see the progression of trichomes with the naked eye, a cheap jeweler’s loupe or a magnifier on your cell phone camera can bring them into focus quickly, aiding in determining the perfect timing for harvesting cannabis. What we are trying to hit is the point after they are clear and start turning a milky white color, signaling it’s time to think about cannabis trimming and how we’ll be storing cannabis. Not all trichomes will finish at the same time, so being vigilant and making sure to pull before we get too many amber trichomes is ideal for harvesting cannabis. If you can hit that 10% clear, 80% milky, 10% amber you have done the best you can do for the harvesting cannabis process. Anytime that all of the flowers are showing primarily milky-colored trichomes is an excellent time to harvest, trim, and store cannabis.
CUTTING DAY: Harvesting Cannabis
So we have reached the point where we are comfortable with our flower and trichome development. It is time to pull out the scissors and begin the harvesting of our cannabis ladies we have spent so much time nurturing and loving. No matter if you are a first-time grower or a veteran in cannabis trimming, this is both an exciting and sad time. We have to take our plants and remove them from their homes. All of the connections we have made with our plants while living are coming to a close, and the next stage of their existence, including storing cannabis, is happening. It’s like sending our children out into the world.
First thing I recommend is, while the plant is still standing, go through and big leaf the plants. This means removing all fan leaves from the plant. Snip them off right at the stem and allow them to fall to the ground. These can be collected and used in compost. We do not want these leaves to dry with our final flowers, as they can increase drying time, and it allows for the possibility of any leftover nutrients to be pulled from them into the flowers, a key aspect of harvesting cannabis.
When big leafing has occurred, we begin to dissect the plants for hanging, a crucial part of cannabis trimming. I use a garden shear and cut the middle branch at the crotches where they meet. Having your branches smaller will aid in drying time as they hold a bunch of moisture. Removing them from the main branches is ideal but make sure to leave enough of an angle at the crotch that they can easily hang from a drying line. Cutting them like a wishbone at the middle of the plant and removing the excess on the middle so that it hangs with a cola down either side is my preferred method of harvest for hanging, ensuring effective storing cannabis practices.
DRYING
There is a conversation to be had between trimming before or after drying and harvesting cannabis. I prefer to leave all flowers on the stems until a complete dry has occurred, so this is the method we will cover here. String flowers in an enclosed space that is built for the drying and storing of our cannabis flowers. Keep temperatures in the range of 72 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep humidity in a range of 45 to 55%. Keep the area clean of dust, smoke, pet hairs, mold, and any other pollutant that can affect the final quality of the flower. Make sure to exchange the air in your dry room once every hour and keep the area as dark as possible during this time, with no direct lights or sun. Drying times will vary based on branch sizes from anywhere to 2 days to 2 weeks. Do not rush this step as a proper dry is the first step in a proper cure. Give your branches a sharp bend leading to the flowers. A soft, spongy bend means that moisture is still present. A quick break when bending means that all moisture is removed and we will not get our perfect cure. We want to be at a point where the flower feels dry to the touch and the stem, once bent, keeps its bent shape and cracking can be heard inside the smaller stems. At this point, we are clear to remove these flowers from their stems and place them into a container to await final cannabis trimming and cure. I recommend a large mason jar that is burped often throughout the day (at least three times) and that is maintaining a relative humidity of 45 to 55% inside the jar. A great tool for this is a relative humidity meter that can be purchased at a cigar store and inserted into the jar for optimal storing of cannabis. Leave these jars in the drying room out of light until you get around to trimming them.
TRIM, CURE, SWEAT, BURP
Trimming your cannabis is going to be subjective to what you are looking for in a final product. Some people enjoy a leafy, untrimmed cannabis; some enjoy a very tightly trimmed cannabis. I find that removing the majority of the sugar leaves and leaving the calyxes intact provides the best product for me, but this is also very strain-specific. A strain that is just dripping trichomes from its sugar leaves can do with a much lighter trim. A strain with sugar leaves that are barely dusted can do with a much tighter trim. It is all about what appeals to you. I do however, recommend buying yourself a very nice set of trimming shears and a bin to trim in. I like the Fiskars trimmers and the bin made by Trim Bin. This way, any loose trichomes fall through the screen of the trim bin and you are left with a very nice kief after trimming. Take the scissors and gently cut the sugar leaves at the desired length from the flower. Allow these leaves to fall directly into your bin. These leaves can later be used in baking, hash-making, or for joint-rolling. Work on one flower at a time and don’t rush it. Your trimming will improve in time but we don’t want to ruin our flowers with a sloppy trim so close to the end. When done trimming, put these finished flowers into another mason jar and your trim into a separate mason jar. Both can be cured and used.
Now we move on to a very important stage of this process: the stage where we can lose all of our flavor or make it shine. The cure is the most frustrating part of the grow for many growers because we are looking at all of these wonderful flowers sitting there. I know it is hard to resist but waiting for a proper cure is worth every minute. Keep using your relative humidity meter and maintain the humidity in your jars at 60% give or take 5%. If the RH meter is showing above 65%, this means the flower is too wet so leave the lid off for a time, to allow them to dry a bit more. During this process, open the jars every 3 to 5 days and leave the lid off for roughly half an hour and replace. Keep watching your humidity meter and when it is reaching the 55% or lower range of RH, we have reached our cured state. This normally takes 30 days with a properly harvested plant.
Store your finished, cured flower in a dark, cool place until ready for use. Cannabis cured in this method has a very good shelf-life and will keep for quite some time. Some people prefer to keep finished cannabis in a cooler place, such as a fridge, but I find that a cabinet in the house maintaining a 50 to 70 degree range works to keep light out. A food pantry is my favorite for long- term storage.
Using these finishing, drying, trimming, and curing methods, will leave you with a flower that smells amazing, tastes amazing, and burns leaving a clean white ash. The smoke should be smooth and satisfying. While these methods take a bit more time and care, it is absolutely worth it for the final product.
Terpenes In Cannabis
Terpenes are plant-derived hydrocarbons. They are solvents and not oils, contrary to popular belief. However they are secreted from the same glands which produce the sought-after resinous cannabinoids, and work dynamically with those cannabinoids to help deliver balance to the plant.
Terps also work dynamically with the human endocannabinoid system (ECS), a group of cannabinoid receptors located in the brain and throughout the central nervous system, consisting of neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors. The ECS is involved in a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory, and in mediating the psychoactive effects of cannabis. Therefore, it is imperative for your brain’s sake to cure your bud properly for the headiest terpene profile. There are six terpenes which most commonly exist in modern cannabis strains. Rhe following is a brief description of each.
PINENE
There are two isomers of pinene, alpha and beta, almost indistinguishable by smell. Both are super fragrant with sharp smells of sweet pine sap and both allegedly help you stay alert.
HUMULENE
Reminiscent of fresh-cut wood chips, soil, and mushrooms to the nose. Humulene is said to be a good anti-inflammatory pain reliever and appetite suppressant.
MYRCENE
Smells musky like fresh herbs and is noted for its antifungal, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties.
LIMONENE
Obviously smelling of lemons, oranges, and lime, limonene is a natural stress reliever and is said to help with anxiety and depression.
CARYOPHYLLENE
Pepper, oregano, and spice on the bouquet, caryopyhllene helps with insomnia, pain, and muscle spasms.
LINALOOL
Floral like lavender, rosewood, and grapefruit, linalool is also good for insomnia, depression, anxiety, and convulsions.