Subscriptions - Maximum Yield Cannabis USA November/December 2020 | Page 18
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR A GROWER? Email [email protected] to get an answer.
ask a
GROWER
by Lee G. Lyzit
Q
a
How do I know when to harvest the buds on my cannabis plant?
— Richard A.
Thank you for your question. The average length of
cannabis’s flowering stage is around eight weeks.
The duration to maturity will vary for different plant
varieties, therefore, the eight-week average should only
be used as a rough guideline. As the plants approach
the sixth or seventh week of flowering, a grower should
start to monitor the visual signs of maturity. There are two
common methods used to determine when a cannabis
flower is ready to harvest: employing a magnifying glass/
microscope or by looking closely at the flower’s pistols.
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 development of the trichomes
(the small mushroom-like glands that contain most of the
cannabinoids). Many growers choose a magnifying tool
with a magnification power between 10x and 30x. With
one of these devices, a gardener can closely examine the
trichomes and decide on when to harvest based on their
color and/or concentration. As the cannabis flowers start
to ripen, the trichomes will turn from translucent (clear)
to milky to, eventually, an amber color. For most hybrid
plants, the peak THC/CBD concentration will be when
the trichomes are mostly milky in color. Put another way,
most growers wait until the majority of the trichomes have
become milky to harvest. This usually means there are
also a fair amount of amber and clear trichomes. The idea
is to maximize the amount of “ripe” trichomes.
That being said, some growers prefer harvesting
their flowers for a desired effect. Flowers harvested
earlier (when trichomes have developed, but the majority
are still translucent) will produce a more energetic
effect for most users. Flowers harvested later (when
the majority of the trichomes have turned amber) will
produce a more lethargic effect for most users. The use
of a magnifying glass or microscope allows growers to
accurately determine when to harvest depending on his
or her personal preferences.
If a grower does not have access to a magnifying tool,
the old school “red hair” method can also be used to
determine when to harvest. As the pistils (tiny white
“hairs”) on the flowers mature, they change from a
white color to a reddish-brown color. Before the days
of relying on magnifying tools to determine maturity, it
was common for growers to harvest when most of the
pistils on the cannabis flowers became red. With this
method, the grower should closely watch his or her
flowers until the pistols start turning from white to red
or brown. As the cannabis flowers reach maturity, more
of the pistils will become red or brown. A good rule of
thumb is to harvest when a little more than 50 percent
of the pistols have turned red or brown in color. I hope
this answers your question.
Keep on Growing,
Lee G. Lyzit
LL
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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Maximum Yield