When to harvest marijuana plants according to trichome ripeness

Tim Alchimia 2020-06-22
Hi and thank you for your kind words and question. I think that, if you prefer a clear, euphoric high, then you'd be best harvesting now because the longer you leave it, the more "stoney" the effect will be. The state of the pistils can often be misleading, so if it's the effect that you're concerned about then you should pay attention to the trichomes, and it looks like they're telling you it's the right time! Best wishes and happy harvesting!

Tim Alchimia 2020-04-01
Hi Dafnik, thanks for your kind words, we're very glad you enjoyed the article! As for your question, no, there's no point in feeding the plant once you're in the harvest stage, there'll be enough nutrition in the plant's cells and the soil to allow the lower buds to finish just fine. We're usually talking about a matter of days, or a week at most until the rest of the buds are mature. Either way, reintroducing fertiliser at this stage is not necessary and will effectively undo all the flushing you already did! I hope that clears things up, best wishes and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2020-02-27
Hi Jeff, thanks for your question. It's really quite normal for different genetics to behave in different ways at the end of flowering. Some varieties simply won't fade and go yellow the same way that others will, some plants will turn a lovely purple colour, while others will just stay green. There's a lot of contradictory information around regarding flushing and fading, and plenty of growers with actual botanical qualifications will tell you that no amount of flushing will remove nutrients from your buds. So, with that in mind, I'd harvest at the point when you're happy with the maturity of the trichomes. I hope that helps, all the best and happy harvests!

Tim Alchimia 2019-09-30
Hi Danny, thanks for your question. We've got some information on flushing in our post about Cannabis Roots. The idea is to rinse away any excess nutrients left in the soil at the end of flowering, so your plants finish with yellow leaves, which will lead to a smoother flavour when you smoke the buds. Some people like to flush, others wait for the plant to fade naturally and claim that excess water in the root zone isn't a great idea when the flowers are nearly ready, it can cause them to "sweat" or transpire excessively, which can lead to bud rot if the conditions are right for it. As for when to cut, if you like a euphoric, energetic high, then I'd cut when around 50% of the trichomes are clear, and 50% milky white. If you cut too early, the terpene and cannabinoid profiles won't be fully formed and you won't get the best organoleptic experience, if you leave it too late and start to see amber trichomes, then the effect will generally be heavier and more physical. I hope that's helped, all the best and happy harvests!

Tim Alchimia 2019-09-17
Hi Mark, it really depends on the effect you want, if you want a more heavy, stoned effect then leave it till you can see more amber trichs, cutting it with only a few ambers will generally give a more up, cerebral effect, depending on the variety. Remember though, that cutting too early can leave you short-changed in terms of both the effect and the terpene content, with some plants only developing their full potential in the last day or two before cutting. Also remember that the flowering time provided by the seed bank is a rough guide, and with a hybrid like this we will always find plants that take a little longer to flower, or a little less time. All the best, happy harvesting!

Tim Alchimia 2019-09-02
Hi Robert, thanks for the question, I think it would have to be incredibly hard rain to wash away any trichomes, so I really doubt it's an issue. In the case of making bubble hash, the trichomes only fall off the leaves due to there being made brittle by the extreme cold, so unless you get seriously heavy rain while it's under 4ºC outside I doubt very much whether it could happen at all. What you may end up losing is a certain amount of terpenes, as some terpenes are more water-soluble than others and could theoretically wash away although I doubt that the loss would be noticeable. All that being said, if there's any way to keep the rain off of your plants, then go for it! Rain is no friend to cannabis flowers and too much can easily lead to mould setting in, ruining the harvest completely! Let's hope that doesn't happen, all the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2019-06-25
Hello Christine, thanks for your questions. It sounds to me like you need to add some CBD to your consumption, which balances the knockout effect you've experienced with THC-rich cannabis. We have a wide range of varieties containing CBD in varying amounts, some with almost pure CBD and very low THC levels, others with a balanced 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC and others with just small amounts of CBD. For a good daytime smoke, allowing you to focus and get things done while still dealing with anxiety and pain I'd recommend trying a 1:1 variety, like many of those produced by CBD Crew, for example, although there are many others. If you find a 1:1 ratio is still too strong, the next move would be to look at high CBD varieties with barely any THC, such as Dinamed CBD Plus from Dinafem or Solodiol Clasica from Elite Seeds. As for harvesting (normal non-CBD) plants earlier for a less potent high, I wouldn't recommend doing this too early as while it may lessen the heavy physical effects of the buds, it also means that often the effect will be much nervier, edgier and can provoke anxiety. For the best medicinal effect, the ideal thing to find a variety that suits you when it's grown to maturity with a fully developed terpene and cannabinoid profile. A great cannabis cultivation book that covers everything from beginners mistakes to expert techniques is "Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible" by Jorge Cervantes. Here at the shop we only have copies in Spanish, but it's widely available worldwide in the original English language version. I hope that's helped you out, feel free to ask any further questions. All the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2019-05-27
Hi and thanks for your question. The colour and condition of your plants at the end of the flowering period are determined by the nutrition they've received up to this point, by the sounds of it you should have withdrawn Nitrogen feeding somewhat earlier in the flowering cycle to avoid the plants being so green now. This time, however, you'll just have to wait a little longer to harvest if you don't want a harsh tasting smoke. Just keep flushing the roots with water (without drowning the roots), and you could also try a product designed to help plants use up excess nutrients, like Canna Flush or Final Flush which may speed up the process. Most of all, don't be disheartened, this is your first grow and these things are bound to happen as you gain experience. Following the nutrient schedules laid out by the manufacturers is a good start, but with time you'll learn that not all plants behave equally and depending on the genetics, some plants will need vastly different doses of fertiliser throughout theirs lives compared to others. All the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2019-01-30
Hi Ozz, thanks for your comment. I understand your confusion You're right, we recommend freezing the material for making hash to keep it in optimum condition before being processed and to keep it cold to help the trichomes snap off (it doesn't need to be frozen for this, temperatures can be up to 4ºC). The material can be dry of fresh-frozen and can go into a ziplock bag for storage, it doesn't matter if it gets based around a bit in the freezer and if a few trichomes fall to the bottom of the bag, we can empty them out when we process the material. On the other hand if you're freezing buds to store them for future smoking, they need to be treated with a little more respect! Firstly they should be properly dried and cured. Secondly I'd recommend using vacuum pots rather than just bags, which will offer better protection to the buds and stop them getting damaged in the freezer. I'd also advise careful defrosting of any buds before opening the vacuum pack or handling them. Allow the flowers to return to room temperature before opening them to avoid any excess humidity. I hope that's some help. All the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2019-01-07
Hi Robert, thanks for your praise!

Tim Alchimia 2018-07-16
Hi Gary, thanks for your question. The best time to harvest is in the morning, as early as possible to get the maximum terpene content and resulting flavour. Hope that helps, happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2018-05-28
Hi Lil Those are varieties that'll be ready to harvest after 8 or 9 weeks of flowering, although if you really want a couch-lock effect then you can let them go a week longer, so that the trichomes are nice and amber for the strongest, most narcotic effect. Most flower boosters are used in the last 4-6 weeks of flowering, but I wouldn't apply anything apart from water and maybe an enzyme product, or a specific flush product like Final Flush during the flush period, which should be at least a week before harvest, preferably two weeks (or more) for a really clean, pure flavour. Hope that helps, all the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2018-02-23
Hi Jamie, Thanks for your question, the temperature in the grow room should not go over 31°C (maximum temperature) and should be above 17ºC (minimum temperature), although the ideal temperature is between 20 and 28ºC. As a general rule you'll want things a few degrees cooler in flower than in veg. Here are a few of our articles to help get your environment on point! Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in cannabis cultivation Basic tips for growing cannabis indoors Growing marijuana in grow tents Hope that helps, happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2018-01-02
Hi Tommy, thanks for your comment! I haven't seen California Lights products but I think programmable LEDs with adjustable spectrum are a great innovation for indoor growers wishing to recreate the natural light spectrum of the sun. And yes, the cannabis plant is by nature an annual plant that we've been able to "trick" into growing as a perennial by manipulating the photoperiod to delay flowering until we choose. All the best and happy growing!

Dani Alchimia 2017-10-17
Hi R, It is always a pleasure to read comments like yours!! Thanks a lot for sharing your experience, I subscribe every single statement you've made here, especially with regard to sun and organic nutrients. What you said about not trimming entirely the plant is something I've seen in many experienced outdoor growers, they leave almost all leaves during the drying process and remove them as they smoke it. I'm an indoor grower, some of my plants are in coco coir, others in soil. I can tell you, my best indoor buds were grown with soil and solid organic nutes, I only used water and bacteria for watering them. Amazing quality!! I also agree about harvest windows in outdoor crops, I've grown the same cuts outdoors for years and I've never harvested them on the same dates, every year is a whole new story. I really hope to read your comments soon mate, keep up the good work!! ;) Best!

Tim Alchimia 2017-10-11
Hi Jimmy, thanks for your comments, it's great to hear from you! Really though, there's no need to damage the plant or remove any limbs or branches to check the ripeness of the trichomes, just have a really close look using a jewellers loop or a digital camera with zoom. Of course, you can remove a small bud to speed-dry and test smoke it for potency, for sure! Just make sure you use clean scissors to cut it and that way you'll minimise any damage to the plant. Yes, you're right, trichomes can certainly have the appearance of mushrooms, with a slender stalk and a bulbous head, you'll find it's the same for buds grown indoors or outdoors. Different varieties will ripen at different rates, so unfortunately there are no set rules as to the time pattern between clear, milky and amber trichomes. Growing conditions like temperature, humidity, altitude and latitude are all variable factors that can affect the rate of maturity in resin heads. I hope that helps you out, all the best and happy harvesting!

Tim Alchimia 2017-09-27
Hi Rami, thanks a lot for your question. You're so right, high grade cannabis is more than just growing. The post-harvest treatment that flowers get is easily as much a factor in high quality cannabis as the cultivation itself! It sounds like your friend indeed harvests his plants a bit early (although it's possible that this is exactly how he likes his flowers, there's no accounting for taste!). Me, I like to harvest with mostly milky trichomes and just a few amber, but never with clear resin heads, my personal opinion is that amber heads are over-ripe while clear heads are unripe, and while it's a challenge to harvest a plant with all the trichomes at the perfect point of ripeness, it's what I'm aiming for. I'd also say that 2 weeks of curing is not enough by far, and that, along with the unripe flowers, would explain the poor flavour of your friends crop. While flowers can be smoked after a basic drying process if we're really desperate, for the best flavour it's crucial to properly cure our buds. It's worth pointing out that not all strains need the same amount of curing: I like to leave at least 6 weeks for curing after drying, however I've found that as a general rule Sativa varieties will need longer, indeed some pure landrace sativas I've grown have only reached optimal flavour after 6 months in glass jars, while six months cure on a pure Indica left it a little flavourless, in my opinion. The drying and curing process you've described sounds very comprehensive, you've definitely done your homework! It all seems like a very good method to me, and I'm sure that by following those instructions and with careful observation of the material as it dries and cures, you'll get a great end result. I've also kept cannabis in the freezer for long term storage and I've found it to work really well, although be sure that when you freeze the dried weed, don't put it all loose in one big container or bag: separate it into small baggies holding enough to last you for a week or a few days. This way, every time we want to grab a few buds to defrost we don't have to open a large container and expose all our buds to the moisture that is inevitably in the air and will lead to degradation. In fact, for even better preservation I'd recommend vacuum-packing small amounts separately before freezing. I hope I've been of some help, and I hope your harvest is a success!

Tim Alchimia 2017-09-27
Hi jimijames, Thanks for your comment and question, we're happy you're enjoying all the content! As for ripeness, personally i look at the trichomes on the buds themselves to guide me. The smaller leaves are of secondary importance since it's the flower I'll be smoking, so I let that dictate when to chop. That said, it's not unusual to see the odd amber trichome on unripe buds, this can be due to oxidisation caused by damage of some kind or simply by harsh weather. Also remember that the plant will not ripen all over at the same time, with the upper flowers getting more light exposure and maturing first. I often harvest the ripe tops and leave the lower branches on the plant so that the smaller buds can fatten a bit more for a later harvest. I hope that's cleared things up for you, happy harvesting!

Dani Alchimia 2017-08-16
Hi MS T, I'm happy to help!! Once your herb is dried, you'll put it in glass jars. Usually, the buds get a bit wet after putting them in jars, so you'll have to open them and lay out for a couple of hours every day during the first 3-4 days (do not lay out the buds with high RH, you want them to be exposed to air with low RH). After these 3-4 days you'll probably notice that they don't get wet anymore. You can now open the jars for just 5-10 minutes everyday and onwards. Whenever you expose buds to air always try to avoid light, which will degrade your cannabinoids and terpenes. Sometimes the herb gets too dry. A nice trick is to put it in jars with a couple of fresh leaves (we normally use cannabis leaves, although I've done this with lettuce) so the buds absorb the moisture from the fresh leaves. You can do the opposite if the buds are too wet, putting dried leaves which will hydrate with excess moisture from the buds (some people simply put a couple of small silica gel bags inside the jars to absorb excess moisture). WIth this method it is easy to get the perfect texture in a few days, even hours. Hope it helped, talk soon! ;) p.s. Yes, it is smokeable after 3 and a half weeks, although it depends on strains. Most varieties are perfect after 2-3 months of curing.

Dani Alchimia 2017-08-10
Hi Ms T, I've never heard of a method to accelerate drying/curing which works as well as "traditional" methods. I'd never put fresh buds in a plastic bag, they'll probably develop moulds. I'd simply remove all fan leaves, trim the buds (the less leaves the buds/plants have, the faster the drying process will be) and hang them in a dark, cool place until you go on holiday. Right before leaving, the buds will be ready to be put in Cvault containers or similar. Hope it helped!

Dani Alchimia 2017-08-10
Hi Ms T, You must count the 63 days from the day you switched the photoperiod to 12/12. If you're in week 7, you should now start flushing the plants with water until harvest. Hope it helped! ;)

Tim 2017-07-28
Hi Scott, THCA is simply the as-yet unactivated form of THC that is synthesised by the plants and remains in its non-psychoactive acid form until it is heated. This excerpt is taken from our post Cannabinoids and their medicinal properties: "All cannabinoids present in the plant are in their acid (2-COOH) form, such as THCA and CBDA (acid form B also exists, but in much smaller quantities than A). This acid form has a much lower psychoactive potential. These cannabinoids undergo decarboxylation during consumption (combustion, vaporization, cooking …), which transforming it into its active form (THC, CBD …) with the action of heat." So if smoking, vaporising or cooking will decarboxylate cannabis and convert the THCA to THC, the best option for THCA intake is probably to ingest it either orally or sublingually, for example using a tincture made from fresh, uncured material or from a fresh-frozen type extraction for the highest levels of THCA.

Dani Alchimia 2017-06-30
Hi T Christie, Trichomes will ripen during the flushing period, there's no problem at all about the lack of nutrients at this stage, trichomes will go from clear to milky and finally amber anyway. Hope it helped! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2017-05-08
Hi flow, We're glad, thanks!! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2017-04-11
Hi Kush men, I've been growing the GG#4 for some months now and 9 weeks is just perfect. Probably the best resin yielder I've ever seen, prepare yourself for tons of trichomes! If you make resin extractions you'll be a happy man!! ;) Best!

Dani Alchimia 2017-04-10
Hi Josie, Some plants continue developing white hairs even when they're ripe, that's why normally harvest time is determined by the colours of the trichomes. You should flush the plants before harvesting with water, although there is no problem on letting them dry before chopping. You should have very nice yields with your 400W HPS and your 300W LED system. Do you have them in the same grow tent/room? Best!

Dani Alchimia 2017-01-13
Hi Eric B, Latest research is showing that amber colour is more related to cannabinoid degradation rather than ripeness. The ideal would be start flushing when you see almost all trichomes milky and some clear. In this way you'll harvest your plants with a majority of milky trichomes, which are supposed to be at their peak of cannabinoid content. SInce you're using a hydroponic system, flushing your plants will be much easier, in few days they'll probably start showing nutrient deficiencies, which means you're flushing properly. I'd flush for no less than 10 days. Hope it helped, we're glad she looks great! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-21
Hi Simon King, First of all, take into account that plants do not ripe at the same time, I mean, normally buds with direct sunlight mature faster than shaded buds. From what you say, I think you should wait and continue checking the trichomes. You'll soon see that all clear trichs will become milky in a few days; when you see almost all milky trichomes, even some amber one, it is the perfect time to harvest. Sure you can upload pics here!! All the best!

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-19
Hi Confused grower, A very interesting question. From what I've read, CBD can be found at very early stages of the plant, well before flowering. We also know that amber trichs mean that THC is already degrading into CBN, but CBD levels seem to remain stable (at least, much more stable than THC). An interesting point is the interaction between CBD and CBN. It seems like high CBN content improves the anti-inflammatory effect of CBD, so perhaps harvesting with amber trichomes (THC is degrading into CBN) would yield a very similar CBD content than harvesting with milky trichs but you'd get a more suitable cannabinoid profile to combat pain. I'll continue researching on this subject, will post any useful info I find! Best!

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-17
Hi Colin, Low temps are supposed to accelerate the maturation of buds (and trichomes), although they can also lead to low yields if too low. Using greenhouses and heaters for greenhouses greatly helps to prevent this problem. All the best!

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-17
Hi Mountain Grower, Very nice appreciation, thanks for your comment! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-14
Hi kreso, That's perfect, mate. Using a pocket microscope is ideal to determine the best moment for harvesting. Best! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-10
Hi Kreso, As long as you can, try to harvest your plants with at least all trichomes milky (the ideal should be 20-30% of amber trichs too). All the best!

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-05
Hi shauna, The more time you have your plants, the more sedative the effect. If you want cerebral effect, grow Sativas and harvest with milky trichomes. If you want narcotic effect, grow Indicas and harvest with amber trichomes. Hope it helped!

Dani Alchimia 2016-10-03
Hi WelovetheHerb, It is a good idea, similar to making a little bit of charas to test the product. Once you've found the effect that you want, and if you want to preserve this certain cannabinoid profile, try to store your buds/concentrates in the freezer (the effect may vary as the curing process advances, and freezing the material helps to avoid this degradation of cannabinoids and terpenes). Thanks for your comment!

Dani Alchimia 2016-08-17
Hi Allen, Sometimes the hairs of the plants turn orange/brown some weeks before being ripe. You should really try to take a look at the trichomes with a magnifying glass, or take a close picture of the bud and then zoom it in with your phone/computer to check them. It is truly the best way to know if your plant is ready. Best of luck!

Dani Alchimia 2016-08-17
Hi steelman, Glad it was useful! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2016-06-27
Hi Steve, Many times, and especially when growing really large plants, people harvest the plant at different times since, normally, the tops of the plants are done quite sooner than the lower parts. There's no problem at all. Best of luck!

Dani Alchimia 2016-02-18
Hi Steven, Indicas are compact and bushy plants with thick leafs and broad leaflets. They normally come from mountainous areas and have a more relaxing and sedative effect. Their bloom is usually shorter than Sativas and they develop more compact buds. On the other hand, Sativa plants grow much taller and have very thin leaves, with flexible stems and a much longer flowering period. They come from tropical areas and their effect is psychoactive, stimulating and uplifting. Hope it helped! ;)

Dani Alchimia 2015-12-22
Hi crackster, I usually start checking them as soon as I see half the pistils turning orange. If you're on a 9-10 week bloom, you should start cheking them by week 8 and start flushing your plants (in case you do so) as soon as you see the first amber trichomes. All the best!

Dani Alchimia 2015-09-28
Hi Jt, Normally, a 60x-10x magnifier is enough to see the trichomes. If they're white, it means they are almost fully ripe. As soon as you see them turning amber, it's time to harvest your plants. Hope it helped, Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-09-16
Hi Mark R, Yesterday I saw one of these apps, they are ok but using magnifiers is much more recommendable (at least much more than the app I saw). Still, they can be useful if you don't want to spend money. Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-09-07
Hello c breezy, The more sunlight hours, the better the harvest. Still, you can have pretty decent harvests with the sunlight hours you have. Perhaps you could move your plants now to another spot with more sunlight? Removing fan leaves is a commonly used technique (called defoliation), you can try to remove only those leaves which shade your lower buds. I usually remove all of them a few weeks prior to harvesting, basically to make the trimming process easier. All the best!

Dani Alchimia 2015-07-28
Hi John, I completely agree with you, but I can't find the part where we say THC is a precusor for CBD. We know for years that THC does not degrade into CBD. We know that unless whe have decarboxylated plant material we'll find the acid forms of cannabinoids. We know that there are "THC strains" and "CBD strains", both producing both cannabinoids with different ratios, and we know that cannabinoid degradation obviously causes variations in these ratios. Perhaps there is a part that leads to misunderstandings, perhaps it is me who does not correctly understand your comment, but I honestly can't find it. Will be glad to re-write it if there is some confusion regarding this issue. Thanks for your help and for your comment, Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-06-02
Hi Glen, I need to know a couple more things about your plants... When you say they show amber colours on the flowers, do you mean on the trichomes? Once in flowering (3-4weeks) almost all plants stop growing in height and start to get gradually fatter. What photoperiod do your plants have now? Thanks for your confidence, hope I'll be able to help. Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-03-16
Hello SHELLYA, If you want a product as potent as possible, waiting a couple more weeks would be the best choice, since you would allow trichomes to ripe a litle bit more. If you mak the extraction now, your product will be very clear in colour, but the quality of its organoleptic and psychoactive properties will be lower. Another option, if you know the source of the pollen, is harvesting those seeds and try them. If your crop has a long flowering period you could wait until the seeds are formed (about 4-6 weeks), harvest the seeds and process the plant. Hope it helped, thanks for your confidence. Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-03-02
I'm glad we helped you, mate. Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-02-25
Hi kevork, The more amber the colour, the more potent the effect. Still, if you want a clearer effect, harvest your plants with cloudy trichomes. If you want to know the exact harvesting point that suits your needs best, you can harvest your plants gradually, starting with the clearer trichomes and finishing with amber ones. This way you will know which state of ripening is the best for your treatment. Hope it helped, thanks for your confidence. Best vibes!

Dani Alchimia 2015-02-23
Hi bobby, Of course, everything depends on the effect that you are looking for. For example, I usually harvest Sativas with less amber trichomes than Indicas, since I want a more stimulant and energetic effect. Harvesting your plants in different sessions is also a common practice, since not all trichomes ripe at the same time. Thanks for your confidence, do not forget to keep us updated on your advances! Best vibes!