DISCLAIMER: Everything taught and sold by BudTrainer® is to be used strictly for legal purposes. We do not endorse the production of illegal substances and it is your duty to ensure that you are complying with the law. The words "hemp", "cannabis", "weed", and "marijuana" are used interchangeably to refer to the same plant (legal hemp with less than 0.3% THC) for the purposes of this lesson.
The Key To A Perfect Harvest: Timing & Technique
When it comes to cannabis cultivation, harvesting is the most critical moment - it's where all your hard work finally pays off, or not. Harvesting too early or too late can ruin months of effort, but by timing your harvest correctly and following the proper drying techniques, you'll ensure your buds are potent, flavorful, and ready to impress. Let's dive into the essentials you need to know to make the most of your harvest.
Tools & Materials
- Disposable gloves
- Garden wire/ties
- Jeweler's loupe (30–60x magnification)
- Clothes hangers
- Trimming scissors
- Pruning scissors
When Is The Right Time To Harvest Cannabis
Harvesting too early or too late has its consequences. If you wait too long to harvest, your plants will end up over-maturing and yielding cannabinoids that make you couch-locked (CBN) instead of high (THC). If you harvest too early, you will end up with cannabinoids that don't get you high but only make you relaxed (CBG). The key to getting high-THC/CBD yields lies in your ability to pick the ideal harvest window, and there are 3 main cues that you should look out for.
Cue #1: Strain Flowering Period
Each strain of cannabis has a unique flowering period and thus requires a different amount of days to mature. Some strains only flower for 7 to 8 weeks before they are ripe, while other strains need to flower for an entire 11 to 12 weeks. Knowing the length of your flowering cycle before you grow allows you to know when to expect your plants to mature before they show signs of maturity.
Most indica-dominant photoperiod strains finish flowering in 8 to 9 weeks, while sativa-dominant strains can take 10 to 12 weeks. Autoflowers follow their own internal clock and are typically ready to harvest 9 to 11 weeks from germination, regardless of the light schedule. To learn more about the differences between indicas, sativas, and autoflowers, read our Basics of Cannabis Home Cultivation article.
In order to find out your strain's flowering cycle length, you can simply do a Google search or even better: you can look this information up on your seed bank's website (seed bank = seed store). Your seed bank has the most accurate information since they are already growing the strains they sell.
Cue #2: Pistil Color
The next way to tell whether your cannabis plants are ready to harvest is by looking at the color of your pistils, which are those thin hairs that stick out from your buds. When 90% to 95% of your pistils are brown it means it's probably time to harvest, but not before you check cue #3.
Cue #3: Trichome Color
The most accurate way to tell when it is time to harvest is by checking the color of the trichome heads on your flowers with a jeweler's loupe or a microscope (30x to 60x magnification). They are super cheap and easily found for purchase online.
To do this, pick a small area of trichomes on your cannabis flower with the jeweler's loupe or microscope, and try to identify the color of your trichome heads. Are they transparent, milky-white, or amber?
If the trichomes are transparent this means they are still full of CBG, which is the cannabinoid that becomes THC or CBD. Ideally, you should have no more than 10–15% of transparent trichomes before harvest.
If the trichomes are milky white this means that your CBG has already turned into THC or CBD. Ideally, you want to look for 80% to 90% of your trichomes with a milky color before harvest.
If the trichomes are turning amber yellow this means they are already going past the point of ideal ripeness, and the THC is now oxidizing into CBN, which is the cannabinoid responsible for the couch-lock. 5% to 10% amber trichomes means it's time to harvest (unless you are purposely growing for getting couch-locked).
Different Trichome Maturing Times
Your cannabis plant will never mature its flowers at the exact same time. Some plants mature the tops first while others mature the bottoms, meaning some parts will be ripe, some "green", and others overripe. What is important is to decide when to harvest based on the trichome color of your best flowers and not your smallest flowers.
If the smaller buds aren't ready but the big ones are, it is better to harvest now or the big buds may become overripe with CBN. Conversely, if the smaller buds are ready but the bigger flowers are still underripe, it is better to wait and let the smaller buds go over instead of compromising the good flowers.
Plants that were properly trained during the vegetative stage tend to mature more evenly across the canopy because all bud sites receive similar light intensity. This is one of the key advantages of maintaining a level canopy, which you can read more about in our Canopy Development Science article.
Signs Your Plant Is Almost Ready (The Final 2 Weeks)
In the last 1 to 2 weeks before harvest, your plant will show several physical signs beyond trichome and pistil color. Knowing what to look for can help you prepare and avoid harvesting too early.
Calyx swelling: The calyxes (the small, teardrop-shaped pods that make up your buds) will swell noticeably in the final week. This is where the plant is concentrating its last energy into resin production, and it's a strong visual indicator that harvest is close.
Natural fan leaf yellowing: Your lower and middle fan leaves will begin to fade from green to yellow. This is normal - the plant is pulling mobile nutrients (especially nitrogen) out of the leaves and redirecting them into the flowers. This natural fade is a good sign. If you see yellowing only in the final 1 to 2 weeks, don't panic - your plant is simply finishing up.
Reduced water uptake: In the final days before harvest, many plants will drink noticeably less water than they did during peak flowering. If your cannabis stays heavy for longer than usual, your plant may be signaling that it's nearly done.
Foxtailing: Some strains will push new white pistils out of the top of already-mature buds in the final week, creating a "foxtail" shape. This can be genetic (some strains just do this) or a sign of light stress. If you see foxtailing and your trichomes are already 80%+ milky, it's usually time to harvest rather than wait.
When to Harvest Autoflowers
Autoflowering cannabis plants don't rely on a change in light schedule to begin flowering - they flower based on age. This means you can't count "weeks of flower" the same way you do with photoperiod plants, since autos begin flowering on their own, usually around weeks 3 to 5 from germination.
Most autoflowers are Defoliate cannabis in 3 stages - veg week 5+, flower weeks 3-4, and 1 week pre-harvest - to maximize yields, airflow, and eliminate pests. Indoor & autoflower tips included. to harvest between 9 and 11 weeks from seed, but some larger auto strains can take up to 13 weeks. The three harvest cues above (flowering period, pistil color, and trichome color) all apply to autoflowers exactly the same way. The only difference is your timeline is compressed - you have less room for error, so start checking trichomes early and often, beginning around week 7 from seed.
Because autoflowers have a shorter lifecycle, they also tend to mature more unevenly across the plant. The top colas may be ready while the lower buds still have white pistils. If this happens, you can harvest the top colas first and give the lowers another 3 to 5 days of light exposure.
BudTip: How To Harvest Like A Pro
If your plant has reached the stage where it's ready to be harvested, there are 2 main ways in which you can do it: whole plants or branch-by-branch. But before harvesting, it is recommended performing a Pre-Harvest Defoliation, which you can learn how to in Lesson #5: How to Defoliate Cannabis. This will help you remove unwanted leaves right away, reducing the risk of mold and making it much less time-consuming to trim later on.
Harvesting Method #1: Whole Plants
The advantage of cutting your plant whole is that the moisture from the main stem ensures a slower drying process since it holds onto humidity. This allows your buds to dry more slowly than they generally would if they were chopped branch-by-branch, which preserves more terpenes and results in a smoother smoke. The only downside to harvesting your plants whole is that you need more space to hang them, and you also need to live somewhere where the humidity is lower than 50% or you risk getting white mold on your buds.
In order to cut your plant whole, use gardening shears or a serrated knife and cut it at the main stem, closest to the first node. Snip, and you are done.
Harvesting Method #2: Branch-by-Branch
The advantage of harvesting your plant branch-by-branch is that you can dry it in smaller spaces, either hanging or simply by having your branches lay flat on a drying tray or rack. The downsides to this method is that it is more labor intensive to hang the plant one by one, and it can reduce the amount of terpenes after drying.
There are a few scenarios where harvesting branch by branch is recommended: when training with a trellis net that can't be removed, when the cannabis plant is too large and/or wide and it becomes impractical to hang it whole, or when your relative humidity is higher than 50%.
You Are Off To A Great Finish
Now that you harvested your plant, whether branch-by-branch or whole, you are set for the final stages of the growing process. Patience at this last stage is key, as the drying process that is about to start cannot be cut short or sped up. Here are some best-practices on how to dry your cannabis for maximum potency.
How to Dry Cannabis Plants
Whether you choose to harvest your plant whole or branch-by-branch, it is time to dry it. At the end of the drying process your plant will lose 75% to 80% of its total weight to water, and will leave you with dried, crystally buds that are ready for dry-trimming. The drying process starts the minute you cut your plant down, so it is important to follow the next few steps right after harvesting.
Drying Method #1: Whole Plant
In order to dry your plant whole, simply hang it by the main stem with a garden wire tied to the base of the main stem, or simply hang it by the fork on the branches. Make sure the plants you are drying aren't touching anything, and that there is airflow around the plant, whether from a fan or just the ambient.
Drying Method #2: Branch-by-Branch
Different than hanging a whole plant, drying your cannabis plants branch-by-branch requires you to… well, hang each branch. In order to do this you can use garden ties to attach to each branch and hang them on a clothesline or a clothes hanger. Make sure the branches are not touching one another and that there is enough space between them.
Ideal Drying Environment
The drying process starts the moment you cut your plant down, and lasts for 7 to 14 days depending on your environment. During this period it is important to maintain your plants in a dark room at 60°F to 70°F (15°C to 21°C), at a relative humidity (RH) of 45% to 55%, and with gentle indirect airflow in order to avoid white mold. Never point a fan directly at your buds - this dries the outside too fast while the inside stays wet, which degrades terpenes and creates a harsh smoke.
If your humidity is higher than 55%, add a dehumidifier set at 50%, or add a fan to create indirect airflow in the room. At high humidity, drying should take around 10 to 14 days.
If your humidity is between 45% and 55% (ideal), drying should take 7 to 10 days with light indirect airflow.
If your humidity is lower than 40%, do not use any fans. The air is already dry enough and you risk drying your buds too quickly, which traps moisture inside and hurts the final quality. Drying at very low humidity may finish in less than 7 days - if your stems are snapping within 4 to 5 days, consider slowing it down by reducing ventilation.
A slow dry is always better than a fast dry. The longer your buds take to dry (within reason), the more terpenes and flavor they retain. Rushing the drying process is one of the most common mistakes home growers make, and it's one of the hardest to fix after the fact.
When Drying Is Finished
After your plants are hanging, leave them untouched for at least 5 days, at which point you can start testing your stems to see if they are ready for dry-trimming. To test them, pick a thin branch and try to snap it in half. If it makes a crackle sound, this means your plant is ready for dry-trimming and curing. If they only bend without snapping, this means your plant can still use some more drying.
When you hear a "crack" sound, it's time to dry-trim and cure. After your stems are "cracking" to the bend, this means your plant is dry enough to be dry-trimmed and cured, which are the topics of our The BudTrainer Method's last lesson, Lesson #7: How to Trim & Cure Cannabis.
Your Buds Are Almost Set For Perfection
Now that you dried your plant, whether branch-by-branch or whole, all it needs is to be trimmed and cured in order to bring back the moisture from the inside to the outside, getting ready for consumption. While tedious, trimming is where you get to decide the final look of your buds, and curing is where their true quality comes through.
If you're new to growing and want to understand how the entire process works from seed to harvest, check out our Basics of Cannabis Home Cultivation guide, which covers everything you need to know before your first grow. And if you want to understand the science behind why a level canopy produces better, more even harvests, read our Canopy Development Science article.
Ready to start your next round? Begin with our step-by-step guide to germinating cannabis seeds and the entire BudTrainer Method runs from there.
