For most people, the cannabis plant and its producers just sow the seeds and harvest them at the time of harvesting. However, the truth is far from this. Before harvesting, there are multiple stages of cutting and pruning that takes place. Growers find it appropriate to cut the ends of the plant before harvesting. They believe that cutting and pruning of marijuana plant makes its life long. This article will guide the beginning producers on how to Pruning Marijuana Plants for beautiful buds with some wonderful tips.
Why Trim Marijuana Buds?
If you question a producer of cannabis regarding cutting the plant, that person would tell you how important this step is. It is the process whereby the excess big leaf of the plant, which hinders the growth and covers the plant from sunlight, gets trimmed. Cutting and trimming the buds of cannabis makes the plant-strong. It is believed that cutting the buds of cannabis helps the plant to grow well, and the life of the plant becomes longer. Furthermore, it is said that the quality of the flowers that grow after cutting is a lot better than before. Cutting the plant off is considered to be the most effective way of growing cannabis indoors and outdoors.
The pruning of the plant revolves around cutting the fan leaves followed by trimming bucking buds branches off the plant. When the plant is trimmed, it gives a more uniform outlook. The appearance of plants becomes much more aesthetic. Additionally, removing the fan leaves would provide exposure to the inner buds underneath. Trimming of buds and leaves also makes the plant much more moisturized, which result makes the flavor of the smoking substance strong and smoking more pleasant.
When Should You Trim Marijuana Plants Like a Pro?
Pruning cannabis is usually done using curved scissors. The curve trimming scissor is the perfect tool as it fits flawlessly around the buds. Thus, the cutting experience becomes much more smooth and easy. Producers also use pruning machines at some places. Trimming usually takes place before the maturity phase of the plant. Usually, producers are ready to trim their cannabis within a couple of weeks of planting the crop. If the cutting is done accurately, it can give larger returns. It is preferred to prune the buds in the growth stage of the plant cycle before flowering. Once the plant develops the established vegetation phase, it is recommended to cut the buds off. The plant should be at least 12 inches long at that time.
The cutting of buds is not suggested in the maturity stage. Cutting in maturity may delay the flowering process of the plant. Thus, the final product might not be ready at the time when needed or expected. If the producer wants the plant to be bushy, the cutting should be minimal. Additionally, cutting should also be minimal when the flowering starts. At the mature or flowering stage, only the fan leaves should be removed as they most probably would shade and hide the flowers from the sunlight. However, in the case of dying foliage, it is safe to cut them through the plant’s life no matter at what stage of life the plant is. This helps in redirecting the nutrients of the plant to the developing flowers.
Hand Pruning vs. Machine Pruning Marijuana Plants
When it comes to pruning by hand or by machine, it usually depends upon the type of grower an individual is. If the grower is the home grower of the small scale grower, it is handy to trim the cannabis with hand scissors. However, if the producers are cultivating cannabis plants at the commercial level, it is most likely that they would prefer machine trimming. Both methods are used for trimmings, and both of them have their pros and cons.
For hand trimming, one needs the pruner, which would cut off the big branches, and curved scissors, which would help in cutting the buds. Producers also need a table of the comfortable places where the plant can be examined easily before trimming occurs. If the grower is doing hand trimming, it would be less costly. One can get the trims at a low price. Additionally, cutting from the hand would allow the producer to delicately pay attention to each plant’s part. After examining, the producers can bring out the shape of each strain and mold the buds individually.
In hand trimming, one can also pay attention to issues like pests and insects attacking the plant. However, hand trimming does have some drawbacks. It can be time-consuming. Since the producer is cutting and pruning each bud and branch, it may take them a while to get the job done.
Furthermore, doing hand trimming can be messy. The producer would incur extra costs in buying a lot of coconut oil and alcohol for cleaning purposes. Producers would also need to hire some people to get the job done as it may be a one-man job.
On the other hand, trimming cannabis using trimming machines would allow the producer to get the job done efficiently. Since the machine is trimming, it would do the job uniformly and efficiently. The producer would save a lot of time and money using the machine for trimming. Additionally, it would be less messy. A producer would need to buy a lot of cleaning detergents like coconut and alcohol. At the same time, machine trimmers would gather the trims that the producer can use elsewhere. However, using the trimming machines does have some cons. Probably, trimming machines may over trim the buds.
Since the producer is not individually looking at every bud and standard cutting is taking place. Uniform cutting might probably result well for all the buds. Machine trimmers are known to cut a lot of trichomes. Thus this may affect the flavor of the plant. Cutting through trimming machines would leave some of the stems and seeds. This may help the plant grow some finished buds once again, which affects the plant’s quality.
Wet Pruning Vs. Dry Pruning Marijuana Plants
In wet pruning, the pruning takes place right after cutting the plant. Producers will cut the plant, prune the branches, and trim the buds. After trimming and pruning, the plant is hanged on the drying rack for few days. On the other hand, in dry pruning, the plant Is cut from the middle. After cutting, it is placed on the rack for few days. Once the plant is dry, it is put done, and the pruning of branches and trimming of buds takes place. Both methods are used by different producers for trimming cannabis. Both of them are effective and come with their pros and cons.
Some producers argue that trimming wet plant is best since they believe trimming the plant wet would provide a more pleasing appearance and tighter final product. It is also easier to cut the branches and leaves when they are wet as it is easy to exceed them in wet conditions. In the regions where the climate is humid, it is preferable to cut the cannabis wet. As no foliage with moisture is attached to the plant, the drying process becomes much more efficient. Additionally, wet trimming is also an excellent option if you lack drying space. Thus, the larger part of the plant would be removed, leaving the producer with essential stems, leaves, and stalks to dry. However, wet trimming can be extremely sticky and messy. Trichomes can get to one’s body and hands, making it difficult to be clean and speedy.
On the other hand, if the producer uses dry trimming, it has its pros. Dry trimming is far less messy than wet ones. All trichomes dried up as the weed dries to make it an efficient and cleaner way of trimming. Moreover, the regions with arid climates should prefer dry trimming. It would keep the moisture intact in the buds in the drying process. This would allow the plant to prevent excess cannabis terpenes loss. However, dry trimming might require more space as you would hand the plant with all the leaves and branches. Other than this, dry pruning would make the trichomes more prone to breakage. Thus, this would make the cannabis plant sensitive towards trimming.
Wonderful Tips for How to Trim Marijuana Plant for Beautiful Buds
Tips 1-Remove the Fan Leaves
The cannabis plant has a lot of excess leaves covering the buds in the vegetation stage of the plant. These leaves do not have trichomes, thus making them useless. The producer should cut these leaves off. If the producers are cutting wet, they can gently remove these leaves with a hand. On the other hand, if the drying process has taken place, use the scissor to remove these leaves.
Tips 2-Cut Buds from the Branches
The process of cutting the buds is called bucking. Bucking takes place once the fan leaves are cut. Here producers trim the buds individually from the plant. Make a pile of buds on the tray before cutting them off. Keep the buds separate from stems and leaves.
Tips 3-Fill Your Tray.
Once the trimming of buds and leaves is done, get rid of extra branches. After doing the process, place the plant in the drying rack. Fill your tray from the cannabis plant after repeating the steps and hang the rack for several days for drying. If the producers are using the drying process dries the tray first and then starts the trimming of leaves, branches, and buds.
Recommended Tools for Pruning Marijuana Buds
Marijuana Trimming Scissors
The curved trimming scissors make fit perfectly around the buds and cut each bud flawlessly.
A Comfortable Chair/Space to Sit
Since the cutter needs to examine every plant, it is better to have a table and a chair where he/she could examine the plant before trimming.
Rolling Tray and a clean surface
Rolling trays are needed for drying the cannabis plant.
Cleaning supplies
Coconut oil and alcohol are usually acquired by the producers to clean the mess of trimming.
Proper attire
There is a lot of mess in wet trimming, so to avoid trichomes all over the body, it is essential to have the trimming attire. It is suggested to wear aprons before trimming starts.
Entertainment
Of course, who would mind some music in the background while the trimming process is taking place?
What to Do After Pruning Marijuana Plants
After the trimming is done, give some time to plant for recovery. Trimming and cutting the plant might have to stress effect on the plant. The essential key is to take extra care of cannabis after the trimming is done. The producer must give water to the plant regularly and place it at the place where sufficient sunlight would reach it. This would allow the plant to recover and grow in the next several days. If the plant is not taken care of after trimming, it can have consequences. The inflicted pressure of trimming might hinder the growth and flowering process of the plant. The quality of the plant might get affected. The life of plants might become short, and flowers may grow with less flavor. So it is very important to take extra care of the plant once trimming has taken place.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, it is essential to understand the region where the producer desires to grow cannabis. How to trim the marijuana plant next? Well, look around for the climate and other demographics of the plant. If the field is small scale, go for hand trimming. The commercial field would require machine trimming as the plants would be in large quantities. The wet and dry trimming process again depends on the region. If the producers are sowing in the humid climate, they should go for dry trimming. On the other hand, if the climate is arid, it is preferable to trim the plant wet. So it is best to make decisions regarding cutting and trimming according to one’s circumstances.
