How to Harvest Weed Step by Step: A Guide for Guaranteed Success

If you are growing marijuana at home, or if you have plans to do so, it is crucial to learn how to harvest weed step by step, which is exactly what you will learn in the rest of this post.

All your hard work will finally pay off when it is already harvesting time. Finally, you will be able to reap the fruits of your labor!

Harvesting weed, however, is not as easy as picking it and using as desired. It requires a meticulous process to ensure the best in terms of its quality.

Know the Right Time

 

Is it already time to harvest? This is perhaps the most important question that you should ask yourself.

If you harvest too early or too late, the quality will be affected. The flavor can be too strong or unpleasant if you harvest too late. Meanwhile, if you harvest too early, it might not be potent at all.

There is no exact science that tells you about the right time.

Basically, you will need a magnifying tool to examine the health of the plant and to know if it is ready. You need to look for trichomes that are present in the buds. They are the tiny hairs that are glittery. They are filled with resins, which are responsible for its potency.

Some of the best 420 microscope you can use include a handheld magnifier, jeweler’s loupe, or a digital microscope.

Determining the right time of harvest will also depend on the flowering stage. The latter, however, will be dependent on the strain of the plant.

Often, in the case of indica strains, the flowering stage will take approximately eight weeks. If it is a sativa strain, on the other hand, it might take about twelve weeks before it reaches the flowering phase.

Flush your Marijuana

This is a pre-harvest procedure. This is done because marijuana can be prone to the build-up of nutrient residues or salt. Flushing is a process that gets rid of the latter.

The method of flushing will depend on the growing medium that has been used. If it is grown in soil, you simply need to run lots of water. You can use rainwater and your choice of a flushing agent.

Remove the Fan Leaves

After flushing, the next thing that you need is the fan leaf removal.

You simply have to pluck the fan leaves from the stem, which will make the next steps a lot easier to accomplish.

Fan leaves do not contain any potent compound with medicinal or psychoactive value, so there is no need to worry if you need to have it removed.

To pluck these leaves, all that you need to do is to pull it downwards. Be careful to avoid damaging the other parts of the plant. Do not forget to wear gloves. Also, at this point, you can do it simply using your hand.

Remove the Branches with Buds

Now that you have removed the leaves, the next thing to take out is the branch with buds or colas.

You will need clean scissors to do this. Start from the larger branches and work your way to the smaller ones.

Choose from Wet or Dry Trimming

At this point, you can trim the plant using best bud trimming scissors. Basically, wet trimming refers to the process of removing the remaining material on the plant when it is wet.

Otherwise, if you have the time to spare, wait until the plant is dry.

Dry the Buds

 

The harvest does not end after the trimming. You also need to dry the buds before they are used as desired.

When it comes to drying, you have to go slow. This will help in preserving the most important qualities of marijuana, which include the smell, flavor, and weight.

To dry the marijuana, all that you have to do is to hang it upside down in a place that is well-ventilated.

Ideally, the drying environment should have a temperature of 67 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, the humidity should be anywhere from 45 to 55%.

It is also good to stay away from UV light when drying the marijuana.

On average, the drying process will take seven to ten days.

Use the Marijuana

After following the steps that have been described above, now is the time to use the marijuana depending on the way you like it.

As an added step, as shown in the photo above, you might want to weigh your buds before consumption. This will let you know the average yield and will allow you to use only the exact weight that will be needed.

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