Harvesting is one of the most important steps to growing potent marijuana for medical ailments. It will take time and patience. If harvested too early and dried incorrectly, the marijuana may be weak, too wet and possibly moldy, or too dry. It varies.
That’s why it’s important to know when to harvest your marijuana plants. Usually, the best time is when the hairs on your marijuana plants are turning white to a reddish-brown. Once about 50% of the hairs have changed color, it’s time to start harvesting.
About a week or two before you plan to actually cut the plants, stop fertilizing the plants. It will help flush out the chemicals. A few days beforehand, stop watering the plant.
This part is kind of simple: take sharp scissors and cut the plant below where leafs branch off. Do this in batches, collecting a decent amount each time. Then find somewhere comfortable, because the trimming process can take a while.
Using sharp scissors, cut off leaves from the buds. Save all trimmings, because you can use them to make hash and edibles afterwards, since they do have THC trichomes. You can leave stems attached to the buds, especially if you are planning to hang-dry the marijuana.
Once trimmed, it’s time to set the buds up for drying. There are two ways: find a way to stack the nugs without them overlapping (like in this 8-tiered hanging rack) or tie/clip the stems to a rod in a closet. You’ll want them to dry in a darker area so that the THC content isn’t affected by the light.
After 2-3 weeks, remove the buds and cut off stems. You’ll want to store them somewhere that will prevent mold growth, like in a canning jar with a tight lid. Check your jars consistently to examine moisture content, and keep them in a dark area. After a month of curing, it is safe to transfer the marijuana nugs into other storage places.
