Harvesting your cannabis plants is one of the most exciting parts of growing your own weed, but it is important to know when to harvest. The average harvest time is between 9 to 12 weeks flowering until harvest, although the perfect time depends on some variables such as:
- Growing indoor or outdoor
- Your growing medium
- The marijuana strain
- Your desired yield
When growing outdoors, harvest time in the northern hemisphere occurs between September and November, with some variation depending on your exact location. Ask other growers in your local climate when they harvest their crop. If hydroponic growing indoors, harvest time is generally about 7 to 9 weeks after flipping your plants to the flowering stage. Generally, Indicas are ready a little earlier than Sativas which may take a little longer, although this is not always the case.
Reliable Tips to Know When to Harvest
Examine the trichomes – The best way to know when your plants are ready to harvest whether growing indoor or outdoor is to examine the trichomes and stigma. The trichomes are those resinous glands that sparkle all over the plant and turn from a clear to an opaque color and then to an amber hue when ready. The ideal harvest time is when about half of the trichomes appear to be a milky white and the other half is a vivid amber color. Examining the trichome color is the most reliable method to judge when your plant is ready to harvest, be sure to use a magnifying glass as the color can be hard to see with the naked eye.
* If most of the trichomes have turned to an amber color, your cannabis is probably overripe. If you wait this long your harvested buds could have an unpleasant taste.
Look at the stigma – stigma are the hair-like strands that cover the buds, and they will change from a white color to an orange as they begin to curl when ready to harvest.
Observe the leaf color – nitrogen gives your cannabis leaves a nice green color during the flowering stage, although when it is time to harvest a decrease in nitrogen will cause the leaves to turn yellow and they dry and start to curl as they take in less water. This is an indication that harvest time is near.
Pay attention to your plants, use a magnifying glass to check the trichomes and you should know exactly when the best harvest time occurs. Remember that some colas on the top can mature faster than buds on the bottom because they receive more light so you may have to harvest a plant when some buds are not as ripe as others.
Here’s to a healthy harvest and be sure to get the best in quality cannabis seeds from Mosca Seeds. With 15 years of expertise in cannabis seed genetics, you can rely on Mosca Seeds for high-quality cannabis seeds.