Should you harvest the whole marijuana plant at once? Or, should you harvest the buds one at a time? What's the best practice?
First, let's talk legality. Growing marijuana can be, but doesn't have to be illegal. Growing medicinal marijuana is legal in many US states. It's also legal in Canada. Therefore, harvesting it is also legal. Anyone who tells you different hasn't been to law school or is misinformed.
Now that's out of the way let's get back to the question. Should you harvest everything at once? Or should you clip the plant bud by bud?
I prefer to harvest one bud at a time, but that's assuming a small, indoor grow. It's best to let each bud mature before you clip it. I find the buds at the top of the plant mature first and grow biggest. The lower buds need more time.
There are reasons to harvest all at once. If your garden is remote and time is an issue then you have to do what you have to do. Or, if you're growing a big crop you probably need to be efficient.
Other things could influence your harvest plan. Cold or wet weather my force you to harvest an outdoor garden. Fear of discovery could do the same thing. A mold of bug infestation may make immediate harvest of everything a salvage operation.
However, if there is no urgency involved, don't panic. Let the buds develop. Let them grow and get big. When they're ready they'll stop growing and start to dry out, and the hairs will start to redden.
But, each bud does it at a different time. Marijuana (and other plants) tends to concentrate it's growing power on the highest tips of the plant. That means the first buds tend to develop at the top, and they tend to be the biggest.
You can actually manipulate this trait and bend, or espalier the plant. This involves bending the tips down, and results in lower nodes developing more. That's another post.
However, you can also manipulate the growth hormone by cutting off the top. In other words, harvesting the top bud will divert growth hormone to lower buds. If you take the top bud when it looks like the hairs are just starting to dry out you'll shift attention to lower buds.
So, don't just clip the cola at it's base. Take the stem down to the next node or bud. There are two reasons. One, the hormone will go to the highest point left on the plant, and it will find a bud there. Two, the stem left on the harvested bud improves curing.
So, should you harvest cannabis all at once? My answer is only if you have to. Otherwise harvest each bud when it's ready. You'll be happier with the results and you'll get more bud.
First, let's talk legality. Growing marijuana can be, but doesn't have to be illegal. Growing medicinal marijuana is legal in many US states. It's also legal in Canada. Therefore, harvesting it is also legal. Anyone who tells you different hasn't been to law school or is misinformed.
Now that's out of the way let's get back to the question. Should you harvest everything at once? Or should you clip the plant bud by bud?
I prefer to harvest one bud at a time, but that's assuming a small, indoor grow. It's best to let each bud mature before you clip it. I find the buds at the top of the plant mature first and grow biggest. The lower buds need more time.
There are reasons to harvest all at once. If your garden is remote and time is an issue then you have to do what you have to do. Or, if you're growing a big crop you probably need to be efficient.
Other things could influence your harvest plan. Cold or wet weather my force you to harvest an outdoor garden. Fear of discovery could do the same thing. A mold of bug infestation may make immediate harvest of everything a salvage operation.
However, if there is no urgency involved, don't panic. Let the buds develop. Let them grow and get big. When they're ready they'll stop growing and start to dry out, and the hairs will start to redden.
But, each bud does it at a different time. Marijuana (and other plants) tends to concentrate it's growing power on the highest tips of the plant. That means the first buds tend to develop at the top, and they tend to be the biggest.
You can actually manipulate this trait and bend, or espalier the plant. This involves bending the tips down, and results in lower nodes developing more. That's another post.
However, you can also manipulate the growth hormone by cutting off the top. In other words, harvesting the top bud will divert growth hormone to lower buds. If you take the top bud when it looks like the hairs are just starting to dry out you'll shift attention to lower buds.
So, don't just clip the cola at it's base. Take the stem down to the next node or bud. There are two reasons. One, the hormone will go to the highest point left on the plant, and it will find a bud there. Two, the stem left on the harvested bud improves curing.
So, should you harvest cannabis all at once? My answer is only if you have to. Otherwise harvest each bud when it's ready. You'll be happier with the results and you'll get more bud.
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