On average, you can expect between nine weeks and 12 weeks to elapse from planting to harvesting, but again, timing is contingent on a number of factors. Here are three strains known to grow faster than average, in case you want to accelerate your harvest:. As a grower you'll know that your cannabis plants are ready to harvest when you observe these visual clues:.
Trichome color: The appearance of the trichomes, the small resin glands on flowers, is one of the surest ways to tell it's time to harvest. Ideally, half of the trichomes should appear milky white and the others should be a vivid amber. Clear trichomes, on the other hand, indicate that it's a good idea to wait a little longer before harvest. Of all the signs to look for, trichome color is the most reliable.
This color change might be hard to see with the naked eye, so make sure you have a magnifying glass handy. Leaf color: Another reliable indicator of when a marijuana plant is ready to harvest is the changing shades of the fan leaves. During the flowering stages, nitrogen gives the leaves their green color.
When it's time to harvest, fan leaves will turn yellow and start to fall off as nitrogen decreases. Curling leaves: As the fan leaves turn from green to yellow, they may also curl and dry. The lack of moisture is a natural occurrence as cannabis plants take in less water when harvest time draws near. Brown pistils: For photoperiod cannabis plants , the pistils will turn brown at maturity.
The optimal time to harvest is when about half the pistils are shaded brown. Similar to checking trichome colors, you'll want to have your magnifying glass handy for this step. Bud shape: Though not as surefire a way to know when it's time to harvest as the trichome test, the shape of the buds can still offer a few hints about the plant's maturity. It also works well for planning ahead because you can see what your growing season will look like. Observing the pistils is the best and easiest method for deciding when to harvest.
Harvest time has come, but it is still early. These will have a lighter taste and mellower high. Waiting might be your best option. You can harvest your marijuana plants because they are as strong and heavy as they ever will be. The taste will be heavy, and the effect will be narcotic.
You need to look at either the pistils or trichomes. Experiment and find out. Some new growers harvest their plants at different times so they can figure out exactly when is best for their personal preferences. Some people prefer earlier harvested marijuana as it has more uplifting and lighter effects; while others prefer theirs as potent as possible.
When you harvest affects the quality of the resulting buds. Now, what you consider to be high-quality comes down to personal taste.
One of the best things about growing marijuana is being able to control this incredibly powerful variable. Trichomes grow on the buds and look like little mushrooms since they have a little ball on top. Some of those trichomes are resin glands. They will have a crystalline structure or appear frosty as they grow on the leaves and buds of your plants.
Trichomes are responsible for the stickiness of weed. They are also where much of the THC and other fun chemicals are housed. When we harvest based on trichomes, we are determining when those trichomes are at their highest THC level. This is difficult to see with the naked eye. So, when do you know that the trichomes are ready? You need to compare them based on these guidelines:.
This is definitely not the time to harvest. Wait until nearly half of the hairs are dark in color and not sticking out so straight. It is still too soon to harvest. Congratulations, you have reached the perfect time for harvesting your buds!
This is when they have the highest levels of THC; so, if you want to maximize your yield, you must act fast. Harvesting now is ideal. This is when your plants are their most potent. As a result, the high that comes from buds harvested at this time will provide some serious euphoria and pain relief.
If your plants have made it this far, it is a bit after the absolute peak time for the greatest amount of potency. If you are looking for a more relaxing, anxiety-reducing high, this could actually be the perfect time to harvest.
Learn more about trichomes in my free eBook, the Marijuana Grow Bible. In terms of the ideal time, try experimenting with harvesting slightly earlier or later to reach your desired results. That way, you have a variety of options. Remember to label everything! Start by removing the lamps from your grow room.
Then, hang some wire from the ceiling in its place. Carefully cut the plant at its base, then secure it upside-down from the wire you just hung. Make sure the room is dark, and the extractor fan is running. The alcohol is for cleaning your tools and hands, as resin can be quite sticky. Once you cut your plants and hang them, the next step is drying out all of the excess moisture.
It needs to evaporate from the plant matter while the chlorophyll in the plant breaks down. That is why you keep the room dark and the temperature moderate. You can expect the drying process to last somewhere between 10 and 14 days. Keep a close eye on your plants while they dry. Make sure no mold is growing or developing. Maintain the temperature as well.
Harvesting outdoors is just like harvesting indoors, except that not planning it carefully would be a serious mistake. In addition to understanding the basics of harvesting, you also need to understand the seasons, watch the sun, and think about your personal security.
All those variables sure make outdoor harvest time rewarding. If you grow cannabis outdoors, you will soon find that fall is your favorite time of year.
For more on growing outdoors , read this Howtogrowmarijuana article. Watching the sun is key to measuring how much energy the plant receives and for how long. The sun is the most consistent and important element of any kind of gardening. During the middle of the summer, your plants are probably receiving 14 hours or more of sunlight.
In the northern hemisphere , there could be 15 hours of continuous sunshine around the 21st of June. When August becomes September, the amount of sunlight decreases dramatically. For instance, in September you could lose as much as 90 minutes of sunlight per day. This rapid loss in daylight is exactly what causes your marijuana plants to change their energy focus to flowering instead of vegetation. This strong reaction is no accident; all plants have the strong ability to distinguish day from night.
So, when summer becomes fall, and there are only 12 or 13 hours of daylight per day, the flowering process initiates within days. That is because marijuana is sensitive to all types of light — even artificial lights. In some cases, it will react to light pollution in the same way it would natural sunlight. In the case of indoor growing, this is a good thing, because you can manipulate your plants to produce buds exactly when you want them to.
However, for outdoor growing, it means ensuring your plants do not receive uncontrolled artificial lights. This is why you never plant marijuana near street lights or any other form of artificial light. Your plants need properly dark nights like they would experience in nature during the fall.
If they do not receive enough darkness, flowering could be delayed. You have managed to keep your plants happy, healthy, and secure during the whole season, and now you can reward yourself with a high yield and a good harvest. Just like with any other step in the process of growing marijuana, there are some tricks to harvesting outdoors successfully.
Keep an eye out for the signs, so that you can avoid potential mistakes. The last thing you want is a complete failure after getting through an entire growing season. If you are feeling eager and harvest too early, the potency, as well as the yield, could be greatly reduced.
Then, keep a close eye on the details to determine when your plants are at their perfect harvesting time. When in doubt, be more patient. The soil should be fairly dry, but not so dry that the plants wilt. Be ready with answers to these questions:.
Whether you are growing indoors or outdoors, your plant will provide some signs that it is ready for harvesting. In addition to looking at trichomes and pistils, you should also consider the weather. In terms of your plant, pay attention to the leaves and buds. The larger leaves will turn a yellow-brown color signifying the slow death of your marijuana plant.
The stigmas of mature plants will wither at the base of the buds while remaining a healthy white color on top. Another sign; one with a bit of latitude; is the color of the marijuana buds themselves. It is a good idea to pick them at the first sign that they are losing their rich green color. The one benefit to waiting until you near the point of the leaves turning brown is that the resin glands will contain more resin. Have a nice day and happy harvest! I have three auto flower plants that appear to be ready for harvest based on your wealth of information!
The majority of the trichomes on all three plants are solid amber, sticky with resin, and have an earthy aroma. I found a fairly simple extracting method that uses a double boiler and grain alcohol to isolate the CBD. I have three other plants; non-auto, that are nearly four feet tall with thick, dark, and light green leaves so they seem to be very healthy.
Two germinated on April 12 and the other on May 4. However, none of those three show signs of beginning to flower. Maybe I am spoiled because the three au-flower plants flowered very quickly! Do you have suggestions as to how I can or should accelerate the three Non-flower plants? Hi Mark! As you say, it is recommended to follow the drying steps to get better results before making extractions. Regular non-auto plants need long dark periods in order to start flowering and they may grow in the vegetative stage for months all spring and summer.
Indoors, you change this giving them 12 hours of light and 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. Outdoors, this is more difficult with big plants. If you have potent outdoor lights that you can turn off at night, that may help.
Have a nice day and happy growing! Hi, I just want to say thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Hi Shelley! Thank you for your encouraging words! Also, buds must feel a little more brittle. Buds that feel spongy and fluffy need more drying.
If all buds have more or less the same size and trim, they are probably going to be ready at the same time. If you keep some big colas and some popcorn buds drying aside, the smaller buds are going to be ready before the big colas. You can do both, just give each one the right time to dry and cure. Congratulations on your harvest! Very very accurate and informative.
Thank you so much. Yours forever, William Bud Thom. They are awesome. However I have no idea what to do now. Anyway I of course read the article but do those also pertaining.
To the plants that are actually grown in a garden I dontvhave plant lights just the sun. I really just threw those seeds in there and I got like 5 plants. But they are doing do good. How do I find out what kind it is.
Thank you in advance for your help!! Hi Lee! Outdoor plants grow just great with sunlight if they have enough! In that way, we can see your photos and give you better advice.
Thanks for commenting and happy growing. Not really a beginner but not really a pro by any means. Always looking for information on drying and curing. Have referred back to this sight on numerous occasions to refresh my knowledge. Thank you for making it straight forward and easy to understand. Hi The Rock Star! Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and recommending our content! Happy growing!!
My CBD are ready for harvest. One question is when to I get their seed , is it before or after curing them. Hi Stephanie! You can harvest seeds before or after curing, whenever you can. Thanks for reading and commenting, have an excellent harvest! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed. Table of contents Before Harvesting a Cannabis plant Prepare your plants Flushing before harvesting Prepare your drying space When to harvest your Cannabis plants How to tell if your plant is ready to harvest When to harvest looking at pistils When to harvest looking at trichomes How to harvest a Cannabis plant step by step How to dry Cannabis How to cure Cannabis Updated May Cannabis plant near harvesting date.
Sweet Cheese Cannabis Plant Flowering near harvest. Divide branches into buds Divide the branches into smaller twigs or individual buds. Dry in a dark ventilated place Make sure the room is dark and the exhaust fan is running if drying in a tent. Trimming buds before or after drying You can trim or keep the sugar leaves with trichomes if desired. Curing: put buds in jars When the drying process is ready days , put your buds in sealed jars, and start the curing process. Jar with cannabis buds.
Checklist: What do I need to start growing Cannabis? The Cannabis plant life cycle — Cannabis stages week by week. Flowering stage in Cannabis plants: a guide for beginners. That whole article is awesome great tips especially for beginners Reply. Hi Bud!
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