The trichomes, whose meaning in Greek is "hair", have the appearance of tiny and very fine hairs. They are common in many other plants, but if we talk about trichomes on weed, this is the place where cannabinoids are present, both psychoactive (THC) and non-psychoactive (CBD). Moreover, in this part of the plant there are also the terpenes, which are the ones that give each strain its special touch. For example, its smell.
We have talked about THC and CBD and, among other things, we are now going to see how the appearance of the weed trichomes is closely related to this. Let's find the optimal point of your trichomes.
The first thing you need to know is that, in general terms, it is about cutting at the moment that allows you to find the optimum level of THC, both the one that most interests you according to your interests or needs and the one required by the genetics you are harvesting. This means that there is no single moment to cut a plant according to the aspect of its trichomes. Rather there is a range from which you can not get out and that will mark the state of your weed.
Cannabis trichome color, cutting point
There are strains that are worth harvesting before they reach their peak of THC, but in other cases it is better to wait. Now we are going to explain all this, but we already tell you that it is the color of the trichomes cannabis that marks the ideal cutting point of your marijuana plant.
- Transparent trichomes? Too early to cut: Here there is no possible doubt: The plant is not yet ready and has no psychoactive value.
- Milky trichomes: When they are white, you can consider starting to cut. At this point the THC is not yet at its peak and the CBD level has not risen much, so it is advisable to cut genetics strongly indica when they still have this milky color. In this way we would be enhancing a more cerebral and less physical effect.
Ready amber trichomes on weed
- White trichomes starting to change to hazy: This would be the standard point when the trichomes are ready to cut. It would be just at the moment when trichomes with a hazy head start to appear.
- Perfectly formed trichomes of which 1/3 have already changed to amber: At the moment when 1/3 of the trichomes are amber, the plants are already well formed and ready for harvest. If you wait to cut at this time you are increasing the physical and narcotic effect. If you are going to give your weed a medicinal use, it is a good option to hold off until this point, as it will help you sleep better and relieve pain. Now the effect will be more physical and narcotic, so if in your crop you have a sativa that takes time to mature (haze style) you can be guided by this.
And don't wait any longer. From this moment on you will find over ripe trichomes, and if it has never happened to you, you will be very angry when you see that your crop has been ruined by rushing your time to the maximum.
Pictures of trichomes ready harvest
In the following infographic you can see a summary of the different phases of trichomes. Depending on your interests, they will be ready to cut a little earlier or a little later, we hope it will be helpful:
This is all very well, but it is not going to do us much good if we do not have how to see the trichomes. These are so tiny that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. But don't worry, it has an easy solution.
Formerly it was necessary to resort to magnifying glasses or microscopes. Especially to these last ones since they are the ones that allowed you to get a more reliable idea of the point through which your plants pass.
Although using a microscope is still the most reliable option, nowadays you can get by with almost any smartphone. Any magnifying glass application will do, and if you have a cell phone with a built-in macro camera, even better.
That's all... for now. If you have any pending doubts about when to harvest cannabis according to trichomes or if you have any other doubts in the future... our team of professionals is at your disposal to advise you!
