29. HARVESTING AND DRYING

Plants are harvested when the flowers are ripe. Generally, they are considered ripe when the white pistils start to turn brown, orange, etc. and start to withdraw back into the false seed pod. The seed pods swell with resins usually reserved for seed production, and we have ripe buds with red and golden hairs.

If harvested "early" with only a few of the pistils turned colour, the buds will have more pure THC and less CBD and CBN. A high level of THC gives a more cerebral “high”, while a high level of CBN and CBD has a more “stupid”, or hazy effect. Buds taken later, when fully ripened, will normally have these higher CBN and CBD levels and may not be what you prefer once you tried different samples picked at different times.

For harvesting, take out a whole marijuana plant and cut away all the leaves that are not concealed inside the buds with a pair of scissors. Do not cut inside the buds but around them. After this, hang the whole plant upside down on a line. Dry buds until the stems are brittle enough to snap. This process normally takes from 4 – 10 days when it is done in a dark vented room. Do not force-dry, this will ruin your harvest. When buds are nicely dried, cut them from the branches.