When can I harvest my cannabis plant?
On the flowers of a female cannabis plant, long white, thick hairs are present during the flowering period. These hairs are whitish in color during flowering. When about 80% of these white hairs are brown, it is time to harvest.
The harvest time is also dependent on the species. Some weed species have to flower longer than others. With others, the flowering process starts later and with some earlier.
Harvested cannabis plant.
On the pictures below you can see Super Skunk weed plants that are ready for Harvesting At The Right Time. You can see this through the brown colored hair that used to be white.
Can I tell when the cannabis plant is almost ready to harvest?
Yes, a cannabis plant that is at the end of its flowering period has a number of characteristics:
- The plant looks less healthy, leaves tend to hang lower than they did, and at the bottom of the plant the number of yellow leaves increases.
- The cannabis plant uses much less water than before.
- The white hairs that come out of the buds change from a white to a brown color.
Below you will see images of female flowers that hopefully your cannabis plant is full of. As soon as the white hairs (pistils) from the female flower are brown, it is time to harvest.
So you can certainly harvest your plant too early or too late. Be careful with this because it can greatly reduce quality. It can even be so bad in quality that you just do not get stoned anymore!
What are trichomes?
Trichomes is the THC of the cannabis plant, the substance that makes you stoned. If you look closely at a cannabis plant in bloom, you will see all small stems with bulbs on them. These are trichomes. What do trichomes look like? See images below.
How can I see the trichomes when can I harvest?
You can harvest too early but too late, below is what you need to pay attention to.
- Clear trichomes If all trichomes on the plant are still clear/transparent is too early to harvest. The plant is not yet at its peak and therefore should be allowed more time to flower.
- Clear and milky trichomes most trichomes start to become white, you could harvest – the result will give you an energetic and nice up-high feeling after smoking.
- Yellow trichomes you are currently harvesting, you will get a narcotic high.
- Mostly yellow with some whitish trichomes if you were to harvest now you would get a stoned feeling head and body.
- Only brown trichomes You are too late!, the plant is past its best. If you harvest now, you will have reduced the effect from the thc.
