Contributor: John Phillips
There are loads of different things you will need to be aware of before you can complete a successful home grow. But, I’m sure you are already conscious of that, or else you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now. While there is some standard knowledge that most novice growers already know about, there is one vital piece of information that could, ultimately, take a substandard crop to the next level of potency.
While most are curious about how to cure their weed when it reaches that point of the process, the main thing home growers should be concerned about is maintaining and preserving their all-too-important trichomes. Curing weed is crucial, don’t get us wrong. But there are certain things to keep an eye out for during the growth process that will help boost those cannabis trichomes to new heights.
First and foremost, let it be known that when it comes to trichomes, there are certain genotypes of marijuana that are seemingly built to yield way more than others. So, if trichomes are your main goal (as it should be for everyone), you will need to do your research in this regard, and find out which particular genotypes are more susceptible to maintain larger quantities of trichomes.
Here’s How To Improve Your Home Grow Through Ripe Trichomes
Also, while it should go without saying, the atmosphere and environment in which you choose to grow your bud in is vitally important to the production of healthy, potent trichomes. You could have the best genotype of cannabis in the world, but if you don’t allow it to grow in an optimal location, it won’t produce nearly as much as it should.
That is why it is important to always consider the following when growing cannabis at home: watering cycles, light spectrum, nutrients, humidity, temperature, and of course, air flow. Each of these play a critical role in the growing process, and if you are careful, you can optimize each of them with ease. In turn, you would be helping your burgeoning trichomes flourish in an ideal growing environment.
When you are conducting a home grow, some people tend to get too excited when their buds start to enter into another phase of the process. With this excitement, they throw all common sense out the window, and start to physically inspect, touch, and smell these buds. Doing so causes a lot of damage to the trichomes. These aspects of cannabis are tremendously sensitive, and any sort of touch can dramatically affect the end result. So, be sure to practice self-control when you start to see your bud bloom. Trust me, you’ll be happy that you kept your hands to yourself when it’s all said and done.
Another aspect of the growing cycle that all young cultivators need to be conscious of is temperature. Obviously, if your plants find themselves in a warm to hot environment, they won’t be able to thrive. Such a climate has the potential to do irreversible damage to the plant, and its subsequent trichomes. In fact, when most expert growers are posed with this problem, they suggest keeping temperatures very low – especially during the bloom cycle. If you are able to maintain low temperatures during this portion of the grow process, it will help increase the amount of trichomes in your plant.
A great way to check if your buds are “too warm” is to give them a sniff. Trichomes that have endured an amount of heat start to give off a strong, pungent aroma. Many novices would think this is an indication of dankness to come. However, that smell is just the trichomes being burnt off far too early in the process. As I’m sure you can guess, they don’t exactly just spring back into action after being subjected to such an environment. So be careful with your temperatures.
A lot of home growers out there are abundantly anxious. They can’t wait to start curing their weed. Which is understandable, but patience is more than a virtue when growing cannabis at home – it is a requirement. The same goes for those who are attempting to get the most out of their trichomes. Harvesting your buds at the right time is paramount when attempting to achieve this goal of high potency.
In order to know if your trichomes are at peak harvesting level, you will need the help of a magnifying glass. Using that Sherlock-esque device, you are going to want to get yourself a good, hard look at the trichomes, themselves. If they are translucent, that means they still have some time to go. However, the second these babies turn white, that is a telltale sign that the trichomes are basically ready to be harvested. If you can elicit a little more patience and wait until they are slightly amber in complexion, that is when it is the best time for harvest.
Growing cannabis is a science. There are a million ways to go about it, but some methods are more beneficial than others. It is all a matter of personal preference at the end of the day. If you are even thinking about producing a crop that will yield a healthy amount of trichomes, you will want to consider one of the aforementioned tactics when tackling your next home grow. To be fair, these aren’t the end-all, be-all of procedural approaches to creating a truly potent plant – but it is one heck of a start, that’s for sure.
One of the main things that I believe all young growers need to know is that growing cannabis is a process. And it’s not a quick one, either. There’s a lot of finesse and scientific thinking required in order to create a truly phenomenal bud. More than that, patience is a must. Which, for many, is one of the hardest things to acquire.
Which is understandable. I know I was eager to cure my buds during my first home grow, and I found that giving them the ample time necessary to reach their full potential was one of the hardest parts about the whole process. Well, that and not being able to fondle the buds as much as I wanted to. The stickiness and fragrant nature of blooming buds are like a siren’s call to smokers, but it’s one that we must resist if we want to take our buds to that much-deserved next level.
In short, if you are planning on taking on a home grow, congratulations. Before you pat yourself on the back, you should pick up as many books as you can on the subject. Knowledge is most certainly the key when talking about growing marijuana.
There’s an intricacy to the process that many don’t anticipate. Along with that, you should be prepared to make a litany of different decisions in regards to next steps and methods, during the entire process. With each passing day, a series of new decisions will need to be made, and the wrong answer could end up ruining your entire crop. Which is why it is vital that you educate yourself as much as you can. That way, you can avoid any rookie mistakes that would, ultimately, damage the bud you have worked on for so long.
