Maximum Yield Cannabis USA December 2017 / January 2018 | Page 12
ask a grower
Q
Hi Lee,
I’m a first-time cannabis grower and my first plants are starting to flower, but I’m not
sure exactly sure when I’m supposed to harvest them. How do I know my buds are ready?
Also, is there anything I can do with the fan leaves after harvest, or do I just throw them out?
Thank you, Bren
a
Hello Bren,
Thank you for your question. There are two common
methods to determine when a cannabis flower is
ready for harvest: with the naked eye or with a
magnifying glass or microscope.
With the naked eye, the grower should closely
watch his or her flowers until the pistols (little white
hair protruding from the flowers) start turning red or
brown. As the cannabis flower reaches maturity, more
of the pistols will become red or brown. A good rule of
thumb is to harvest when just over 50 per cent of the
pistols have become red or brown in color. The naked
eye method is good for beginners who do not have
access to a magnifying glass or microscope.
If possible, use a magnifying glass or microscope
to determine the appropriate time to harvest your
cannabis flowers. A magnifying glass or microscope
allows a gardener to observe the trichomes (the
small mushroom-like glands that contain most of
the cannabinoids). As the cannabis flowers start
to ripen, the trichomes will turn from translucent
to milky, and then, eventually, to an amber color.
For most hybrid plants, the peak THC percentages
will be when the trichomes are mostly milky in
color. In other words, most growers wait until most
of the trichomes have become milky to harvest.
However, some growers like to harvest earlier (when
trichomes have developed but are still translucent),
which produces a more energetic high for most
users, or later (when the majority of the trichomes
have turned amber), which produces a more
lethargic high for most users. Having a magnifying
glass or microscope allows the grower to determine
when to harvest more accurately depending on his
or her personal preferences. All in all, a magnifying
glass or microscope is a valuable tool for harvesting
and an investment worth making.
To answer the second part of your question regarding
the fan leaves, you can make extracts from them.
The large fan leaves contain cannabiniods, albeit at
a far less concentration than the flowers. Due to the
low percentage of cannabinoids they contain, many
growers dispose of the fan leaves. Personally, I like
to make a coconut oil extract with my fan leav es. I do
this by heating water and coconut oil in a large pot (I
use one of my water bath canning pots). The amount
of water and coconut oil will vary depending on the
amount of fan leaves you have. After the coconut
oil has melted completely in the water, add the fan
leaves, and cook over low heat for three to five hours.
You do not want to heavily boil the leaves; a light
simmer is sufficient. After cooking, strain the water/
coconut oil mixture through cheese cloth to remove the
leaf material. The remaining mixture can be placed
in the refrigerator for separation. After 12 hours, the
coconut oil will separate from the water and become
hard. Discard the water and scrape the bottom of the
hardened coconut oil to remove any sludge left by
the plant material. The resulting cannabis-infused
coconut oil can be used for making capsules, baked
goods, or as a topical ointment. I hope this answers
your question.
Keep on Growing,
Lee G. Lyzit
Lee G. Lyzit has been
involved in the medical
cannabis industry for nearly
15 years. His passion for
natural healing drives him
to learn as much as he
can about the miraculous cannabis
plant. Lee breeds his own strains of
cannabis to create concentrated
glycerine and coconut oil
extracts. Aside from cannabis
education and consumption,
Lee enjoys playing music,
gardening, hiking, and
cross-country skiing.
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Email [email protected] to get an answer.
12
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myhydrolife.com