Harvesting Questions

As many of you know this is my first grow and I'm rapidly approaching the last few weeks of flowering, and want to get my bearings straight on harvesting.

When do they get trimmed? Before they get hung up, or after they get hung up? Or both? My thinking behind both is trimming the larger water leaves off prior to hanging along with the bulk of the sugar leaves, leaving behind about 30% of each sugar leaf. Then, after the plant has dried to stem-breaking point, again trimming the remainder of the sugar leaves. Any thoughts on this?

How many of you give your plants an extended dark period prior to chopping? I've read that people do this to somewhat stress the plant and cause her to shoot more flowering hormones into the plant, culling it before it herms. I believe I'm going to give her a 48 hour dark period prior to chopping her.

However, thinking about that particular pre-harvest strategy, I've become curious about something when it comes to harvesting the plants. Do they need CO2 during the dark period? Like, would I be able to trim the water leaves off the plant, the leaves that do the bulk of the photosynthesis, prior to throwing her into a 48 hour dark period? Thinking to add to the concept of her throwing out excessive hormone levels to the bud sites. The plant needs the CO2 and light to photosynthesize... but when does it photosynthesize? At night or during the day when its receiving light? Would that be harmful or beneficial? If it doesn't need the water leaves at night, what would be the harm in cutting them off 2 days before I chop them down and keeping the plant in complete darkness for those 2 days?

I cut them down and trim them completely right then. But some do it after they are dried. Growers choice their. I just think it is easier to trim when fresh, plus I make bubble hash with the frozen green trim.

I do not believe that the 24-48 hours of darkness does anything since mj needs light to make thc.

Cut when yual like cause it be only yu happy to end the day your trail walked pilgrem.

BWD

lets see some pics getnasty---here is what i do---when 75% cloudy all leaves lacking trichomes get get cut off and composted---manageable pieces of the harvest are hung to dry upside down on a line---just before the stem is ready to snap a final trim is done---this trim goes into the hash bucket and the buds into a jar for burping---i do not give extended darkness or flush---my understanding is co2 is not used by the plant during lights out---imo a stable strain is not gonna herm on you from extended darkness but from a multitude of small light inturruptions in the dark period---how did your seed production go---:48:

In my opinion trimming a dried plant is absolute torture, i cut a branch and trim it, if i cut the whole plant and dont get it all done in one sitting i would rather hash it than trim it dried, so i cut a branch at a time so i can stick it back in the room if i dont finish the plant, but that is just my opinion.

dman---how do you dry your manicured wet buds

dman1234 said:

In my opinion trimming a dried plant is absolute torture, i cut a branch and trim it, if i cut the whole plant and dont get it all done in one sitting i would rather hash it than trim it dried, so i cut a branch at a time so i can stick it back in the room if i dont finish the plant, but that is just my opinion.

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That is how I do it too dman. Cut one branch at a time and trim it. I leave more on then I used to as I vape 95 % of my harvest. There is a lot of tricomes on the sugar leaves. I also would never trim a dry plant. ick.

dman1234 said:

In my opinion trimming a dried plant is absolute torture, i cut a branch and trim it, if i cut the whole plant and dont get it all done in one sitting i would rather hash it than trim it dried, so i cut a branch at a time so i can stick it back in the room if i dont finish the plant, but that is just my opinion.

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This is how I do it as well....works great for me!

how are you all drying your herb then---cut, trim, and then what???

I hang the branches, put the trimmings on a rack to dry.

What do you do Mr Orangesunshine?

:ciao: Mrs. Rosebud---i posted my madness to harvest above---

Why do you wait to do the final trim, Mr Orange?

this is how i was taught---back in the day it was thought that THC would drip from the stem into the bud thru gravity while drying and hanging up side down---reality is it is all about space management, and keeping the trim quality at its best---

I see, i don't make hash yet so i just give the trim away to a friend for cookies.
Thank you for elaborating my dear.

Orange I may give a looks e over, like pick off any obvious misses or a leaf just hanging before placing in jars. Otherwise those small sugar leaves I leave on to protect the bud from abuse. But there again, I am not selling to a dispensary or anyone else but myself, so when it comes to enjoying the herb if I need to pick an occasional leave out when cleaning some up, that is what I do....I just do not like to handle the buds a whole lot till I am smoking them

orangesunshine said:

dman---how do you dry your manicured wet buds

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I hang it, but i hang it because it is convenient and they hook on a string easily, :hubba:

Sugar leaf trimmings go straight into a grocery bag and into the freezer for bubble latter when i get enough to run a batch.

i like to hang

Yup hangem and givem air

BWD

Here ya go Orange




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Thanks for all the replies ladies n gents. Looks like I'm gonna trim a few of the fan leaves off 2 days prior, and put them in the dark for those 2 days. Then chop the limbs off one by one to trim, before hanging up em to dry. Unless there's any input out there that might change my mind.



OK, i give up. How do I reattach pictures that I've already posted and actually have the images show up?

I also trim like Dman and Rosebud. I find it torture to try and trim a dry plant.

I would really forget the dark period. If you want them to go 2 days longer, let them do their 2 days in the light. There is not one bit of scientific anything anywhere that shows that the plant benefits in any way by 2 days of dark. While I do not believe that it harms them, I truly do not see how it could be of any benefit at all.

You cannot reattach pics that you have already posted unless you alter them in some way.