Professional Marijuana Grower July-August 2019 Issue | Page 38

in their size. The question you may be asking your-
self right now is this: If the growing medium should be
flushed for up to two weeks before the projected harvest
date, how do I know when the buds will be ready to be
harvested? To know when to begin flushing you must be
able to determine when the buds are ripe. Pinpointing
when the buds are ripe is best done by utilizing a two-
pronged approach.
Determining Ripeness
Not all of the buds will become ripe at the same time.
You should understand that the quality is best when they
are harvested at peak ripeness. The timing in which the
buds are harvested will affect the appearance, aroma,
flavor, and overall potency for the end user. Typically
the window for harvesting is two to four weeks. Buds
that are harvested too early will be relatively low in THC
and have little effect on the end user. Buds picked at the
beginning of the harvest window will contain more of
the psychotropic cannabinoid THC (Delta9-Tetrahydro-
cannabinol) and will produce more of a clear-headed
and uplifted feeling. The later the buds are harvested
the more of a sedative-like effect they will have which
is good for treating problems like insomnia. When the
buds are allowed to ripen for longer periods of time the
THC will begin to degrade and convert into another can-
nabinoid called CBN (Cannabinol), which is responsible
for the lazier, more relaxed sensation.
There are two main methods for determining when a bud
is of peak ripeness. One way is by noticing the change
of color and shape in the pistils of the flower. The pistils
are the hair-like structures that protrude out from the
flower itself. These are the part of the flower that catches
pollen from a male flower to initiate fertilization and
seed formation. Since all of the plants should be females
there will not be any cross pollination and those pistils
can be used to determine the stage of ripening.
Early on in the flower’s development the pistils, or
“hairs,” will be white in color and stick pretty much
straight out. This is the plant attempting to collect as
much pollen as possible, which it will be unable to do.
As the flowers begin to ripen the pistils will start chang-
ing from white to a brownish orange or golden color.
This signifies that the plant is beginning to ramp up the
production of THC. As the color of the pistils change
they will also start to curl in closer to the flower itself.
For a product that is higher in THC, that offers the clear
headed feeling, the buds should be harvested when 40
to 60 percent of the pistils, or “hairs,” have changed in
color. The remaining white pistils will continue changing
color during the drying process. Harvesting within this
time period will almost always ensure a high quality
yield. After 70 to 90 percent of the pistils, or “hairs,”
are allowed to change color they will become darker
brown or red. At this time the levels of THC will be lower
38 • Professional Marijuana Grower
with higher levels of the CBN cannabinoid that causes
the sedative affect. The exact colors of the pistils may
vary from strain to strain, but the overall concept for
determining ripeness remains the same.
The other way of visually determining a bud’s state of
ripeness is through close inspection of the trichomes that
inhabit the leaves surrounding the flower. Trichomes are
tiny glandular structures that grow from the surface of the
leaves and give the buds their crystal-like appearance.
They are comprised of a stem with a little bulb on top
and kind of resemble tiny mushrooms. Cannabinoids,
such as THC and other essential oils or terpenes, are
created and stored within the tips of the trichomes. Their
main purpose from an evolutionary point of view is to
protect the plant from the sun’s UV rays and external
attacks by insects and other pests. Trichomes can also
help a grower determine when the bud is reaching a
desired stage of ripeness.
As was the case with the pistils of the flower, trichomes
can tell us quite a bit just by their appearance alone. In
the early stages of flower production the trichomes begin
to develop. They initially look clear and glasslike, but as
the bud begins to ripen they also begin to change. The
first change they make is a transitioning from a clear
state to one that is cloudier or opaque. At this stage the
trichomes are producing higher amounts of THC and
offer more of a psychotropic effect. When 80 to 90
percent of the trichomes become cloudy and opaque, the
buds are at maximum quality and should be harvested.
After the trichomes reach the cloudy stage their color will
shift yet again to more of an amber color. At this, and
subsequent stages, the THC will start breaking down and
converting to CBN giving the product more of a sedative
(“couch lock”) quality. For best results, unless you want a
higher CBN product, be sure to harvest before five to 10
percent of the trichomes turn amber in color. As was the
case with the flower pistils, the trichome color chang-
es may differ for each individual strain but the initial
transition to cloudy will be similar. Since trichomes are
quite small, a magnification instrument should be used to
appropriately judge their appearance.
Multiple Cut Harvest
Buds grown in a high-performance outdoor cannabis
garden are similar to tomatoes in the sense that they will
not all ripen at the same time. When growing large
cannabis plants, which have several flowering points,
the top parts of the canopy that receive the most sunlight
will ripen first, followed closely by the surrounding lower
branches. For this reason, the tops of the plant should
be harvested first. Harvesting the upper branches first
also allows more sunlight to reach the lower branches.
This increased exposure to sunlight reduces the time it
takes for them to ripen. If you wait to harvest until the
July/August 2019