When should you harvest cannabis plants? This question can have multiple answers, depending on growing conditions, the maturity of the plants and also personal preferences regarding the type of effect you are looking for.
Harvest
The Harvest window is a period of a few days when the plant is ready for harvest. For example, a variety like Cookies USA can be harvested after about 8-9 weeks of flowering; therefore, we would have a harvest window of one week between days 56 and 63 of flowering. Harvesting earlier will result in a more stimulating and cerebral effect, while the later the harvest, the more relaxing the effect will be.
To determine if a plant is ready for harvest, several factors must be considered, although the main one is the condition and color of the glandular trichomes.
Seed Bank Recommendations
The producers recommends an approximate harvest date or an approximate flowering time, which will serve as a first reference point to help you anticipate when harvest time is approaching.
This recommendation is not a fixed piece of information, as it can change depending on latitude for outdoor cultivation or environmental conditions for indoor cultivation.
The Color of Pistils
One of the most visible indicators of flower maturity can be color of Pistils. These will tend to turn brown as the buds mature; when more than a half of them are orange/brown, it means harvest time may be near.
If the plants are harvested when they are half orange and half brown, their effect will be more psychoactive, while if they are harvested when all the pistils are brown, their effect will be more narcotic.
Observation of Bud Trichomes
To use this method, you need a magnifying glass with at leat 10x magnification, ideally 50x magnifying microscope. Another good option, if is available, is a good camera on your cell phone; a macro photo that can be enlarged will likely work as well.
The goal is to observe the glandular Trichomes of the plants to see if they have reached their optimal point of maturation, which is when they are fully formed and at least half of them have changed from a clear color to an opaque milky color.
As the Trichomes form, produce and store more and more compounds, their color changes. At the beginning of flower formation, they can all be seen as transparent, even though their stalk and head are already fully formed. As flowering progresses and the plant approaches maturity, this color changes to a milky or whitish color; after a few days, the Trichomes display a beautiful amber color.
To learn even more about the ideal color of Trichomes visit our blog post!
