Identifying the perfect time to harvest cannabis

How to determine the perfect time for your cannabis harvest using trichomes, terpenes, and stigmas!

Today we are dealing with one of the most important and exciting topics that every cannabis gardener is looking forward to after months of lovingly caring for their beloved fun plants.

Namely, how to determine the perfect harvest time to achieve the best possible result of high-quality flowers for you!

The day of harvest will not only determine the THC content and other cannabinoids, but also the aroma and its intensity, as well as the type of effect the final product will have on us.

For this reason, we need to activate our senses of sight and smell to determine the ideal harvest time for us. Only then can we find the perfect moment to achieve the desired effect from the flowers.

By selecting the genetics we will cultivate, we can determine in advance what kind of aroma and effect our flowers will have, but the time of harvest can still massively change and influence these factors.

As an example:
Sativa-dominant weed strains are said to have an invigorating, euphoric effect that produces a head high but does not involve a physical "stoned" effect.

This may generally be true if you harvest before the amber trichomes have formed. As soon as the trichomes darken to amber, THC is broken down and converted into CBD (cannabidiol), which has a drowsy and physically calming effect!

Other cannabinoids that are produced after the change from milky-white to amber-colored trichomes include HHC, 10-OH-THC, 8-OH-HHC, etc.
This clearly shows that the effect and potency depend entirely on when we harvest the buds.

Another aspect that changes during the flowering phase are the terpenes, which we perceive as aromas and smells. These change in the trichomes during the flowering phase and have a major influence on how our flowers will interact with the cannabinoids.

A "Sweet Tooth terpene profile" such as that found in the cannabis strain "Girl Scout Cookies" has a physically relaxing effect due to its earthy aroma, while the sweet note also provides a mental uplift, making you feel relaxed, happy, and sociable.

Minty aromas increase concentration, citrus aromas provide an invigorating feeling, and woody aromas evoke a calming effect, to name just three different examples of how aromas created by terpenes massively influence the effects of our flowers.

Therefore, it's not surprising that our cultivated medicinal and party flower changes its scent as it blooms. This change in scent gives us the great advantage of being able to better determine the final effect of our product.

For this reason, in this blog post, I will not be satisfied with blanket formulas that the Internet suggests for determining the harvest time, but will provide a targeted guide so that each person can determine the ideal harvest time for themselves.

Stigmas - small hairs that give the buds a Struwwelpeter appearance

As you've probably noticed, I didn't find any reason in the foreword to put the stigmas on the flowers in the context of the ideal harvest time. The reason for this is the fact that stigmas have no influence on bud quality.

Stigmas develop on the cannabis plant solely for reproductive purposes. They serve to capture male pollen from the air to fertilize the underlying egg cell, resulting in seed formation.

Although the stigmas change color with increasing flowering time, this does not happen in the same way for all genetics and only shows us an "autumnal" appearance, which is also noticeable in the entire plant.

The "autumnal" appearance often varies from marijuana strain to marijuana strain, as do the appearance and effects of their flowers. The claim that the harvest should only be harvested when the stigmas have turned dark is, in my opinion, false.

I've cultivated several Cali genetics where the trichome coloration, combined with the scent of the plants, told me that the ideal harvest time had been reached before the stigmas turned dark. I've also grown genetics where the darkening of the stigmas was achieved weeks before the ideal harvest time.

For this reason, we will not deal with the stigmas any further in this blog post and will now turn to the only two indicators that tell us the ideal harvest time.

Reading trichomes and what they tell us

Trichomes look like small pearls or bubbles that form on small stems throughout the plant during the flowering phase. They essentially resemble small mushrooms, initially transparent but changing color over the course of the flowering phase due to the ripening process.

Due to the fact that trichomes are only 0.05 to 0.1 mm wide and 0.2 to 0.3 mm high, a trichome magnifying glass with at least 40x (better 60x) magnification is required to make them visible and readable with the naked eye.
I find it easiest to read the trichomes on the sugar leaves (small leaves on the buds) with a magnifying glass.

The reason for this is that the trichomes are true active ingredient factories in which the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids (flower pigments) are located.

Considering that these tiny glands, which are produced all over the Weed Lady during flowering, fill with viscous resin containing the valuable cannabinoids and terpenes, it should be clear why only trichomes can tell us the ideal harvest time and not an "autumnal" appearance of the Cannabis Lady.

Initially, the trichomes are still transparent and resemble small water pearls, which slowly turn white during the flowering period as they mature. This indicates cannabinoid production: the plant initially begins producing cannabinoids and produces the so-called precursor cannabinoid THC-A. As the ripening period increases, the trichomes will slowly turn white, indicating that THC-A is converting to THC.

The maximum THC peak is reached when all trichomes have changed from a watery to a milky white appearance. If the plant is allowed to continue flowering, the trichomes will gradually darken over time, turning into amber.

This state is due to the decomposition process and means that THC degrades into CBN. While CBN has no psychoactive effects compared to THC, it does have a calming effect on the body and a drowsy effect on the mind.

I've seen recommendations online that the best time to harvest Indica strains is when the first trichomes have darkened, and Sativa strains should be harvested when the trichomes are all milky white. Such recommendations are complete nonsense and are not based on any scientific evidence.

The color of the trichomes is the same in both mother strains. White trichomes indicate high levels of THC, while amber trichomes indicate CBN.
No matter whether they are sativa or indica plants!

Those who prefer flowers that are a little less psychoactive but more calming to the body and mind will find their individual perfect timing with a combination of white and amber trichomes.

However, those who want to achieve a higher psychoactive and euphoric effect will be better able to achieve their goal by harvesting the flowers before they begin to turn amber.

The difference in the color state of the trichomes is also reflected in the aroma and smell of the flowers, which are created by the ripening of the terpenes.

Terpenes - how the sensory perception of aroma influences the effects of cannabinoids.

Even when choosing the cannabis seed strain to grow, the type of effect can be determined by the terpene profile of the selected genetics. Here in the CBD-HEXE shop, the "flavor" indicator is listed.

For example, if the aromas are listed as "woody, spicy, earthy", you can assume that it has a calming effect, which can be ideal for relaxation in the evening.
If, on the other hand, the terpene profile contains the aromas "lemon" and/or "lime", an invigorating, euphoric effect can be expected, which is more suitable for daily use.

It is therefore very important to consider not only the THC content of the chosen genetics, but also the aromas in order to make the perfect choice for you.

When trichome production begins, when they still look transparent and watery, the plant usually has a fresh, grassy smell, which will change over time as the trichomes mature.

With fruity cannabis seeds , such as "Purple Milkshake, Blueberry Bubba, Mango Smile", I could perceive that the plant gave off a sweet, fresh, fruity and invigorating smell when most of the trichomes were still milky white and not amber.

The smell changed increasingly from the moment the first trichomes darkened, so that the fruity note remained, but the sweet, fresh note had to give way to a resinous, bitter note.

In one of my grows, where I cultivated two Cali strains of "Purple Milkshake," I harvested both plants at different stages of ripeness. One of the two ladies was harvested when approximately 95% of the trichomes were white. The effect of the flowers was euphoric and invigorating, producing a nice social high.

The second cannabis strain was harvested when approximately 20% of the trichomes had darkened to amber. This strain had a stimulating effect on the mind, but also a physically and mentally relaxing effect, creating a stoned state that was more conducive to relaxation.

The exciting thing about this for me as a cannabis cultivator is that I can influence the effect myself by whether I harvest the lady earlier or later, since every day changes the type of effect due to the ripening process.

Harvesting an Indica strain when the trichomes are already amber will force a more extreme sedative and drowsy effect than if it was harvested when the trichomes are almost milky white and not yet amber.

Here, too, the maturation process of the terpenes changes the aroma and the effect it then unfolds in us, because the aroma will develop in a spicier direction, which has a calming and balancing effect.

On the other hand, depending on the desired effect, an Indica strain can also be harvested when 95%+ of the trichomes are milky white. This results in a creativity-enhancing and mood-enhancing effect that has a calming and relaxing effect on the body, yet remains talkative and sociable.

Therefore, it's up to each individual to choose the right time to harvest. This blog post is only a guide to help everyone determine their ideal bud harvest time.

Listing all terpenes and their effects on the human body and mind would go beyond the scope of this blog post.

For this reason, when selecting seeds, I recommend Googling the terms in the flavor data provided by the CBD-HEXE Shop, in the context of the term "effect." This allows you to determine the direction of the desired effect in advance when selecting the genetics.

I wish you much success with your grow and on the exciting journey of finding the ideal harvest time.

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We thank the author Jorge Rieger for this blog post on "Identifying the Perfect Time to Harvest Cannabis." Feel free to follow him on his Facebook account. --> Click here