The Rough Guide To Harvesting And Curing, Few answers to common questions

Welcome to "The rough guide to harvesting and curing". The object of this document is to provide easy answers to common questions which have been posted on this forum. It's by no means definitive but should provide answers or a link to the information you are looking for.

I plan to update this document from time to time and welcome constructive criticism or personal experiences which you might have to add. Feel free to PM me. If you have any other questions remember to use the search facility at the top of the forum. Chances are it has been asked before. If not then ask because someone will know.

You have spent months preparing for this day. The anxiety, the anticipation, the excitement has all been leading towards this day. The day of the chop, a glorious day to for any grower weather it's the first time or the hundredth. The job won't end here though. Take a step back for a moment and consider this : You're half way through the process of having a finished product which is ready to be smoked. You still have to dry what you have and hopefully cure it for a better taste and high.
You're going to need to have a few things sorted out before chopping anything down. This should prepare you a little.



Length of flowering is strain dependant, and even then you can't be sure that the seeds will do what they say on the pack. Any reputable breeder will give guidelines as to the length of time that the strain will take to mature. Most Indica dominant strains mature in 8 to 9 weeks as opposed to Sativas which can take anywhere from 13 or more. Failing that have a look at the Strain Base regarding flowering times.

As cannabis matures; the flowers - 'calyxes' - swell and grow. Pistils wither and brown but are overtaken by new growth which in turn does the same. Peak maturity is reached when 90% of the plant calyxes are fully swollen aswell as over 80% of the plants pistils being browned.

It is generally agreed that the best way to determine if a plant is ready for harvest is by looking at the colour of the trichomes (trichs). Trichome FAQ here by OT1. In order to be sure try to use trichome colouring as the main guide for finding out if the plant is ready to your taste. You may find sections of the plant which are mature before any others. In this case it is your choice to remove them or allow them to stay on the plant and continue to mature.



Summed up best by VRG and oldtimer1:

If you have a pocket microscope, or jewellers loupe, you can examine the trichomes (trichs). They start out as just little sticks, and as your bud ripens they grow bobbles on the tops of those sticks. As soon as your trichs have bobbles on, and appear to be ready to burst, you can harvest.

If you leave them on, and keep an eye on the trichs with your magnifier, you can taylor the stone to what you require. They will firstly go a milky white colour, this is the process of THC degrading to CBD, THC gives you the heady "up" high, whereas the CBD gives you the body stone. Going on the pistils, gives you a rough idea of when to chop, but if you get a magnifier, you can chop different buds, at different stages to see what you like the best

Most people chop when the trichs are mainly milky white. If you leave them a bit longer, you will see the trichs turn an amber colour, this is when the buds are at their most potent in terms of couch-lock, and is the best time to harvest if the smoke is to be used for medi purposes.

- VRG

High psychoactive varieties produce clear or transparent capitate heads then they turn transparent amber then slowly oxidise to brown, none translucent. This type is most psychoactive at the early amber translucent stage.

Most varieties do not have a translucent amber stage. What you get is transparent then the milky none translucent that develops over time to the oxidised none translucent brown stage. This type is most psychoactive at the early milky stage.

- oldtimer1



The thing about amber trichomes, is that true amber trichomes only develop in some phenotypes and only with very high potency types!

The way to define it, is that high potency or should I say the type of plant that develops what I call complex psychoactivity, only develop with clear trichome stages, they go from glass clear to very light yellow to amber to red amber as they develop. The onset of the first red amber just showing is when the potency is at its peak.

At all these stages the trichomes are crystal clear like cut jewels! Its only as they start to degrade that they start to go brown and start to cloud ie: become none translucent this finally degrades to a dark muddy colour.

Types that go from glass clear to milky [like frosted glass]. With this type when you get 40 to 60% milky trichomes, new thc production is being produced at a lower rate than it is slowly degrading, this is the most psychoactive point for this type or variety, it will never produce true amber, instead when you get the oxidised thc starting to show, which is more of an amber brown but cloudy. With this type of var as soon as brown trichomes start appearing you know thc production is way over the top and declining rapidly, at this stage psychoactivity is also declining and the effect becomes more and more narcotic. You see this much more with genes that come from hash making type genetics or so called indicas. Its the same thing as fresh lightly pressed hash has a nice medium honey coloured look, but this very quickly starts to darken, becomes brown then black over time as the surface thc oil oxidises.

Real Amber trichomes only happen on a very few varieties (mainly sativa dominant), the order is clear, clear slightly pale yellow, ie [going amber], to clear red amber. [at all stages they remain jewel clear]

With most varieties (indica dominant) you get clear trichomes then slightly cloudy finally milky.

What happens to both types (sativa and indica) is that eventually both milky and amber trichomes will finally degrade to brown, people often confuse this brown with amber, true amber trichome types remain crystal clear until they finally degrade, they are not the same, the final brown is cloudy/muddy in both types, when trichomes are getting to this stage potency is declining rapidly and the buds well over the top.

With sativa dom’s time means little, as soon as you see the first sign of trichome changes ie milky/clear straw, you start cutting a bud every week, then choose the stone you like best, sats take longer to mature especially real amber types, also longer to degrade to the brown oxidised stage.


Some pictures of trichome maturation courtesy of Tricky knome and OT1. Shown here are pictures of trichomes which have turned milky in colour.



Few shots of trichomes ready for harvest. Shot on the left is of an indica dominant strain. Shot on the right is a sativa variety:



Finally you can clearly see the amber coloured trichomes on this leaf. This is about a month over ripe.



If you're having problems getting hold of a loupe try here or for a microscope check here : You're looking for at least a x10 and at the most a x100. I get by fine with a x20. Alternatively you could have a look on ebay.



It is worth taking a little time to consider where you are going to dry your bud. This may be an easy decision for some people and difficult for others. Ideally you're looking for an environment which is :

 15 - 18 degrees C and has low air exchange.
 Humidity should be kept below 50.
 Dark.

If the drying temperature is too low then the buds may contract fungus which will ruin your crop or at least allow it to dry very slowly.
On the other hand if the temperature is too high then you'll end up flash drying the buds which will result in a harsh taste and a lower quality smoke. You're looking at a drying time of between 10 and 21 days. Stems should snap easily when completely dry and the buds should not have a direct breeze blowing on them.

Some people opt to use their existing flowering room to dry their crop. Keeping the light off and the desired temperature pretty much ensures an even dry. The added bonus is that the flowering room will usually have a carbon filter attached to the extraction line, so you won't have any problems with potential smells. Using your flowering room is by no means a bad idea. For some people however it may not be practical simply because they always have plants in the flowering room being flowered.

Use what's available to you weather it be an airing cupboard, loft, garage or spare room. You may need to build a chamber specifically for drying your crop. This is the option I decided on simply because it is a little risky having drying bud about the house.





There are numerous ways to harvest you're plants. Stem at a time is probably the easiest way but some folks cut the entire plant and hang it upside down. You may have single stemmed plants which are easily hung as they are. On the other hand you may be dealing with a large, multiple stem plant which can't be hung as a single unit. The general consensus is that by hanging the plant / buds it enables you to keep it off the ground and allows air to get at all of the surface area evenly.

Of course there is nothing stopping you from placing your buds on screens, trays, pieces of cardboard or similar; but you'll end up with a 'flat' section on the bud and possibly disturb the trichomes on that side. You may also need to turn the bud to allow for even drying and end up with a few flat spots.

Hanging methods include:

 String hung across two points.
 Coat hangers.
 Cloths hangers / horse.
 Screws / nails /string.
 Tights.
 Gaffer tape.

Example here shows screws being used to hang a freshly cropped plant. Each large growing branch was removed and hung by a smaller branch on the main stem on each.




Try to allow for some space between buds and try not to allow them to touch one another.



 Cut and hang colas / buds by the main branch's

 Remove fan leaves from the cola / buds. Remove any medium to large sized leaves which have no visible trichomes and bin them. Because the buds have just been cut it means the leaves are still turgid and outstretched. This makes it far easier to remove the larger non essential leaves.

 At this stage you can do a few things. You can leave the whole cola intact and move onto removing medium / smaller sized leaves which have low to medium trichome covering. Give the cola a rough work round removing excess leaf material. Remember to do the cropping over a tray or papers. Collect up the trimmed leaf and keep it in a zip lock bag.

The alternative is to cut the cola into manageable sized, smaller buds. Shown below is a smaller bud which has been removed from the main cola. It's had the fan leaves removed and a rough manicure to remove excess leaf. It's now ready to be hung for drying.



 Note that you can leave the plant / cola untouched and just hang it to dry if you like. It will however take longer to dry because there is more water holding material on the plant. The trim from the medium /smaller leaves with light trichome covering is usable and worth keeping. Put it in a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer for now. You'll have a use for it later.

 Final manicure can be done when the plant is wet, drying or dry. This is easiest done by holding the area to be manicured upside down. With a pair of scissors or clips you can cut the stem of each trichome covered leaf which will be curled round protecting the bud itself. These small / medium sized leaves should be saved. There is no need to go overboard when removing leaf on your final manicure. If it has a good trichome covering then leave it on the bud. You should be looking at something like this after a final manicure. From here clip any extra stem off and cut the buds into nuggets or manageable sized lengths.



Brown bagging is a method used for the final drying period of your buds. After the buds are nearly dry and a few days before they go into the jars some people like to place the buds in brown paper bags. The bag is then loosely closed up at the opening and the buds are left for a few days to a week. This draws out the remaining moisture before going into the jars. Brown paper bags are advisable as they don't contain any colouring agents.



When people refer to 'air-bud' they are talking about lower, smaller 'airy' buds which are trichome covered but sparse in bulk. These are excellent source material for making bubble hash or for using in another method of THC extraction. Picture shows a 'sugar leaf' which is ideal for bubble making.



Trim the usual excess material away from the air-buds and put them in a separate zip lock bag from your other trim. Put them both in a freezer until you are able to do something with them. If you're interested in bubble hash check the forum here. Other methods of extraction can be found here in the hash making forum along with The Rough Guide to Hash and Hash Making.



Seeds should be ready for harvest 3-5 weeks after pollination. 4 weeks being average. The seeds should be plump with good dark colouring when harvested. Remove undeveloped and pale seeds as well as any plant material before allowing drying to take place.

In order to make sure you have viable seeds which are gong to germinate you need a 2 month drying and curing period. Seeds should be removed from the seed pod and dried under the same conditions as sinsemilla. If possible store in a fridge or freezer to prolong viability once they have dried and been cured.



What is curing and why bother ? Curing is the slow process of partial decarboxilation of oxygen molecules from THC and plant material. Resulting in a clearer, stronger high as well as an improved taste, smell and burn. It should be noted that hash should be stored under the same conditions as bud. Pickling and food storage jars are favoured for this job. Pic here courtesy of a post by Bish.




Along with some good advice:

"To avoid chipping the jars i gave the seal a good warm in hot water & worked it a bit before putting on. Don't rely on the wire & glass to do all the work - this applies for all these jars - but press down on the lid with ya hand before clipping on"


Wire and clasp with a rubber seal is what you're looking for. These usually come in different sizes up to 5 litres and larger so i have read. Usually pretty cheap and easily available.




The main factors in THC degradation are heat, light, oxygen and water. Bearing this in mind; find somewhere to store your jars of bud. Main thing is the room / hiding spot is dark and cool.

Before you place any of your bud in the curing jars it has to be DRY. This is the most important thing you have to remember. Stems should snap cleanly between thumb and forefinger before going into the jars. If you place damp buds in the jars then there is a good chance the whole jar will go mouldy. Don't take any chances and allow your hard grown weed to be wasted at this stage of the game. Buds should be placed in the jars and not packed in. Note the strain and date somewhere.




In order to remove the last of the moisture from the plant each jar must be 'burped' every day / few days to allow stale air out and fresh air in. If you don't burp the jars it is possible to get a moisture build-up inside; which will lead to the development of fungus or mould. To achieve a full cure it is necessary to leave the buds in the jars for a minimum of 4-6 weeks, burping every odd day.

Simply open each jar for about 5-10 mins a day and shake the contents a little. Not hard; just enough to stir the buds. Replace the lid, maybe take a sample and leave it.

Buds can be stored in jars for years when the conditions are correct. If you find the contents of a jar has dried out after a long period of time add a fan leaf into the jar for 12 hours or so. It'll add a little moisture. Enjoy the fruits of your labour ...

great guide, mega rep dude! everyone make sure to read this over before starting a thread saying "ready to harvest?"

p.s just to let people know I didn't right this, so I am not trying to take credit for it.... good guide tho

There are several important points to consider when choosing the optimum time to harvest your marijuana crop. There are different factors to consider between indoor and outdoor marijuana plants. There is the difference between Sativas and Indicas in bloom duration and final effect.

There is the difference between early and late harvest to encourage head to body high respectively. There is the issue of chemistry because what we are really considering in terms of the ripeness relates directly to the chemical nature and state of the plant at harvest. Last, but not least, is the concept of the window for marijuana harvest, where I will begin.



Window For Harvesting Your Marijuana Crop

This term indicates the period during which the plant is at its optimum state of ripeness. The window opens when the plant is first ripe. Somewhere along the line the plant becomes over-ripe which signifies the closing of the window of harvest.

For most Indicas grown indoors, the window of harvest is about two weeks long give or take a couple of days for various strains. Indoors, if going directly from an 18/6 hour vegetative light cycle to a 12/12 hour bud cycle, most indicas take about eight weeks to fully mature.

As to outdoors I can only speak from experience at the 45th parallel and the bloom times there. At the 45th parallel I've found most Indicas to be at peak harvest starting at the beginning of October, sometimes very late September, and running until the end of October, sometimes running into November during mild years or in a greenhouse. My favorite time to harvest a nice Blueberry Indica outdoors is in the second to third week of October.

For Sativa grown either indoors or outdoors, the window may be open much longer. Some Sativas take up to thirteen weeks to mature indoors. Outdoors many will go well into November and even December, if conditions are right (again, this is near or at the 45th parallel). Head High or Body Stone?

An important consideration has to do with one's preference for a head high or more of a body high. A good head high can positively influence one's mental state much like a psychedelic; whereas a good body high is more similar to a narcotic effect. Generally, head highs tend to be more up and body highs tend to be more down. Suffice it to say that a good healthy mix of the two is a fine goal to achieve.

Sativas and early window harvests tend to be more of a head high, whereas Indicas and late window harvests tend to be more of a body high. Given this rule of thumb you can pretty much come up with what you want. That is, if you prefer a very psychedelic head high, then an early harvested Sativa might do best.

If a very narcotic body high is desired, then a late harvest indicas would probably do best. For that best-of-both worlds high, experimentation with late harvested sativas and early-to-mid harvested indicas usually proves interesting.



Magnify Your Buds

When we speak of various highs experienced by different products, we are noting variations in plant chemistry. The chemicals we enjoy are produced within the glandular stalked trichomes, along the surfaces of the bud flowers (calyxes), bracts, leaves and stems, starting in or around the fourth week of the bud cycle. More and more of these trichomes develop as the plant matures.

I highly recommend that the serious cannabis student acquire a 30X power, illuminated magnifier. These can be found at most local electronics stores, often for under fifteen dollars. With the aid of the magnifier one can learn more about the detail of trichome development and ripeness.

As far as trichomes are concerned, the tall ones with swollen, clear, bulbous heads are what to shoot for. The denser the concentration, the greater the potency.




The Cycle Of Marijuana Plant Maturity

Starting in the third or fourth week of the flowering light cycle, glandular stalked trichomes will begin to form along the surfaces of leaves, flowers, bracts and stems. At the same time, more and more flowers (also called calyxes) develop into densely-packed floral clusters.

The pistils of the young flowers are bright white and turn reddish brown with age. The pistils and flowers develop from the bottom of the bud to the top. The older, lower pistils are the first to turn reddish brown. For most basic indicas this usually happens by the sixth week in the flowering cycle. It is about this time that the calyxes begin to swell.

Calyx swelling is a major indicator of peak maturity. The lowest, oldest calyxes swell first and the swelling works its way up to the highest, youngest flowers on each bud. At peak maturity about 90% of the calyxes will almost look seeded, they are so fat.

Three quarters to 90% of the pistils will have turned reddish brown as well. For a basic Indica this takes well into the seventh week of the flowering cycle.

By the end of the eighth week most of the calyxes will have swollen and a surge of trichome development has coated most of the buds. It is now that the development of a very discerning palate comes into play to determine the finest harvest time. Remember - patience is a virtue and often a discipline.

The ripening signs for most Sativas are highly similar, except extended over a longer period of time. Occasionally, some Sativas have windows of peak harvest that actually open and close. That is, for a week or so the plant may exhibit signs of peak ripeness.

However, a week later the plant may have a growth spurt, which lowers the trichome-to-fibre ratio and overall potency for a little while. Usually a fibrous growth spurt is accompanied by a corresponding trichome increase. Again, time and experience are the key elements in this regard.




Changes In Marijuana Chemistry

As the plant matures through its window of harvest its chemistry changes. As the window closes, the more desirable compounds begin breaking down into less desirable ones. Primarily it is THC breaking down in CBNs and CBDs.

Which particular combination of chemicals is the most desirable is purely a matter of taste and choice, developed over time and with experience. Set and setting also play an important role in determining which type of product is best appreciated.

Pleasant head highs are often desirable for social occasions, whereas a narcotic late-window Indica may work better as an evening medicinal herb. The main point is that these differences are chemical in nature and more research is needed to more fully understand this phenomenon.

Another important point is that much can be done to further enhance the chemical process, especially in regard to bouquet, aroma and flavour, given the proper curing process.









From Overgrow's FAQ'S

When to harvest your trichomes
There are several schools of thought as to when it is the time to harvest. I shall attempt to explain how you can determine the harvesting time that will produce the most favorable psychoactive effect for your individual preferences.

We are most concerned with the capitate-stalked trichomes, as these contain the overwhelming majority of the psychoactive cannabinoids (THC, THCV, CBN). Different cannabinoids affect the high in a multifaceted manner.


THC:
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol & delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol - THC mimics the action of anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced naturally in the body, which binds with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain to produce the ‘high’ associated with marijuana. THC possesses high UV-B (280-315 nm) absorption properties.

THCV:
tetrahydrocannabivarin - prevalent in certain South African and Southeast Asian strains of cannabis. It is said to produce a ‘clearer high’ & seems to possess many of the therapeutic properties of THC.

CBD:
cannabidiol - previously believed to be psychoactive, or to contribute to the high by interacting with other cannabinoids, conversely the most recent research indicates that CBD has negligible effect on the high, it is however a strong anti-inflammatory, and may take the edge off some THC effects, such as anxiety. CBD as a non-psychoactive cannabinoid appears to be helpful for many medical conditions. CBD biosynthesizes into cannabinol (CBN) & tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBN:
cannabinol - a degradation product of THC, produces a depressant effect, ‘fuzzy’ forehead.

CBC:
cannabichromene - non-psychoactive , a precursor to THC.

CBG:
cannabigerol - non-psychoactive, hemp strains often posses elevated levels of CBG while possessing only trace amounts of THC.

Heavy trichome production is not necessarily an indication of a potent plant. Some hemp strains have moderate layers of trichomes yet pack only a strong headache. In a drug strain, a thick layer of trichomes is a symbol that it may well posses an elevated potency level, but it is certainly not a guarantee.

What defines a cannabis drug strain is the plant's ability to produce THC & THCV.

A small 25x or stronger pocket microscope, which can be picked up inexpensively at an electronics store like Radio Shack, works well for getting a closer peek at your trichome development. We are examining are the capitate stalked glandular trichomes, the coloration of these gland heads can vary between strains and maturity. Most strains start with clear or slightly amber heads which gradually become cloudy or opaque when THC levels have peaked and are beginning to degrade. Regardless of the initial color of the secretory cavity, with careful observation you should be able to see a change in coloration as maturity levels off.

Some cultivators wait for about half of the secretory cavities to go opaque before harvesting, to ensure maximum THC levels in the finished product. Of course nothing tells the truth more than your own perception, so try samples at various stages to see what is best for you & the phenotype your are growing. While you may be increasing the total THC level in the bud by allowing half of the glands to go opaque, the bud will also have a larger percentage of THC breakdown products such as CBN, which is why some people choose to harvest earlier while most of the secretory cavities are still clear.

Indica varieties will usually have a 10-15 day harvest window to work with. Sativas and Indica/Sativa hybrids often have an extended period to work with.


An example of times to harvest by trichome colour



Although cannabis resin glands called trichomes are structurally diverse, they come in three basic varieties:


The figures above denote capitate-stalked trichomes with green arrows, the bulbous trichomes with yellow arrows & the red arrows mark the capitate-sessile trichomes.
Bulbous:
The bulbous type is the smallest (15-30 micron). From one to four cells make up the "foot" and "stalk," and one to four cells make up the "head" of the gland. Head cells secrete a resin - presumably cannabinoids, and related compounds which accumulate between the head cells and the cuticle. When the gland matures, a nipple-like protrusion may form on the membrane from the pressure of the accumulating resin. The bulbous glands are found scattered about the surfaces of the above-ground plant parts.

Capitate-Sessile:
The second type of gland is much larger & is more numerous than the bulbous glands. They are called capitate, which means having a globular-shaped head. On immature plants, the heads lie flush, appearing not to have a stalk and are called capitate sessile. They actually have a stalk that is one cell high, although it may not be visible beneath the globular head. The head is composed of usually eight, but up to 16 cells, that form a convex rosette. These cells secrete cannabinoids, and related compounds which accumulate between the rosette and it's outer membrane. This gives it a spherical shape. The gland measures from 25 to 100 micron across.

Capitate-Stalked:
Cannabinoids are most abundant in the capitate-stalked gland which consists of a tier of secretory disc cells subtending a large non-cellular secretory cavity. During flowering the capitate glands that appear on the newly formed plant parts take on a third form. Some of the glands are raised to a height of 150 to 500 micron when their stalks elongate. These capitate-stalked glands appear during flowering and form their densest cover on the female flower bracts. They are also highly concentrated on the small leaves that accompany the flowers. The male flowers have stalked glands on the sepals, but they are smaller and less concentrated than on the female bracts. Male flowers form a row of very large capitate glands along the opposite sides of anthers.





Disc cells, attached to leaf or bract by stipe cells (RED) & basal cells (GREEN), release fibrillar wall matrix into secretory cavity where it contributes to thickening of subcuticular wall during enlargement of secretory cavity. Plastids (ORANGE) in disc cells produce secretions called lipoplasts which synthesize quantities of lipophilic substances that accumulate outside the plasma membrane, migrating into the endoplasmic reticular cytoplasm and through the plasma membrane and cell wall into the secretory cavity where they form vesicles (BLUE) in the secretory cavity. Vesicles in contact with the subcuticular wall release contents that contribute to the growth of the cuticle during the enlargement of the secretory cavity. THC occurs in the walls, fibrillar matrix & other contents surrounding the vesicles, but not in the vesicles. Trace amounts of THC is present in the disc cells

nice this is the first time i read about the paper bags, gonna do this method. im about to harvest in a few days

dont feel like this thread gets enough street cred how about a ol bumpie to the topie for you

I genuinely miss Overgrow.

Simon