What's the consensus? Trim fresh at harvest or trim after drying?

[jddrews]

Hello all! I'm approaching my first harvest and was wondering if most folks trim around the buds prior to drying or is there any benefit/preference to trimming after the buds are dry (pre-curing, obviously).

I've seen some state that drying the entire plant is preferable to cutting branches and drying the plant in pieces.

Thanks!

 

[Robert Celt]

TBH jd, I wash my bud after cutting and then trim after the water has had a chance to run off. Gets rid of all kinds of nasties you don't realize are in there and makes trimming super easy

 

[jddrews]

Thanks, Celt! I just read the "bud washing" thread and I think it's something I'm going to try. I've already noticed a lot of dirt, etc when looking through the scope, and have been wondering on my own if there was a good way to wash the buds. Now I know!

 

[tucker99]

Bringing this to the top because I don't think the question was answered. If you don't do bud-washing, Does it make a difference if you trim the bud before or after drying?

 

[JBUptown]

Just my opinion and practice, but I trim before drying, I find easier to get all the little leaflets off than if left to dry, curl and stick to the bud. Not a recommendation, but it's what I do. As with anything horticultural at home, it's whatever you like. Try it both ways and find your own preference. I have read about this reason and that reason to trim wet or dry, but I can't tell the difference if trimmed at either stage, other than ease of leaflet removal.

Best of Buds

JB

 

[tucker99]

Thanks, that seems to be what everyone is doing. What does everyone do with the sticky residue that builds up on your hands/gloves. Seems to good to waste.

Just my opinion and practice, but I trim before drying, I find easier to get all the little leaflets off than if left to dry, curl and stick to the bud. Not a recommendation, but it's what I do. As with anything horticultural at home, it's whatever you like. Try it both ways and find your own preference. I have read about this reason and that reason to trim wet or dry, but I can't tell the difference if trimmed at either stage, other than ease of leaflet removal.

Best of Buds

JB

 

[Emilya Green]

I also trim at harvest because of course the goal is to get a good even drying and curing. To streamline that process, I have found that it is best to attempt to at least take the top off of every leaf, and my general rule is that I trim down to the trichomes and open up each leaf at end to stop transpiration and to hasten even drying throughout the branch.

Besides that, once the leaves start to dry and curl up around the bud, it is much harder and takes much more time at that point to trim. Also, as these leaves wrap around the bud, wet spots tend to form, that moving air in the drying room can't get to. They might dry a little slower that way, but I also think it is easier to have mold problems that way too.

The sticky mess on fingers and tools... We carefully rub this off of our fingers and tools and make little balls of what we call, finger hash. It is pretty good stuff once it dries, and of course, waste not, want not, and all that.

 

[tucker99]

Thanks Emilya. Finger hash sounds great! Is it less sticky when balled-up and dried? How do you keep the finger-hash-balls from sticking to each other when stored? What is the best surface to use when trimming? I imagine there's a good bit of residue dropped.

 

[ShiggityFlip]

I cut all fan leaves but leave the sugar leaves attached to the buds, then a few days later I trim those off as well or just leave them on if they are particularly frosty. I find it to be pretty when the buds have sugar leaves attached that are bristling with trichomes. When I take a cured bud out of the jar these are the first leaves to get trimmed off and vaporized.

 

[Emilya Green]

Thanks Emilya. Finger hash sounds great! Is it less sticky when balled-up and dried? How do you keep the finger-hash-balls from sticking to each other when stored? What is the best surface to use when trimming? I imagine there's a good bit of residue dropped.

yes, lot less sticky after it dries and we try to stick them all together to store them in my little stash box. I have a cheap throw rug that I spread out for the trimming party and then don't worry that everything tends to hit the floor. I sweep the leftovers into my compost bin and roll the rug up for next time... mess instantly disappears.

 

[whtelk]

fresh

 

[Lord Hydros]

I like to hang them with every last leaf intact. I find that I don't need to even use scissors after I dry it. I just use my fingers and all the unwanted leaves seem to be crispy while the bud is ready to jar. But i've also had the same results with trimming at harvest. I guess if I think the strain is too leafy, I'll trim at harvest. If not, I "finger trim" after the dry/cure process.

 

[ShiggityFlip]

I like to hang them with every last leaf intact. I find that I don't need to even use scissors after I dry it. I just use my fingers and all the unwanted leaves seem to be crispy while the bud is ready to jar. But i've also had the same results with trimming at harvest. I guess if I think the strain is too leafy, I'll trim at harvest. If not, I "finger trim" after the dry/cure process.

Back in the old days when I had outdoor plants this was our method of choice due to the sheer mass of plant matter. It's fun and the hash you scrape off your fingers is the bomb.

 

[MassMedMan]

I dry trim. I trim big fans week prior to harvest. Then I wash, hang to dry, and then they go in a drying rack I have. My goal is to go ten days before I touch them after. Well, I flip each day in the rack, but no trimming for ten days. Environmental conditions change from harvest to harvest so nothing is set in stone, bit a week minimum. The reason is I like to protect my buds and the trichromes by leaving the leaves to kinda wrap the buds and protect what's there. Just my way,, I've tried a lot. I think I finally settled on this method from Jose Cervantes book, and Doc Bud promotes that method.

Good luck, happy harvesting!!

 

[whtelk]

MMMmmmm scissor hash.

 

[Conradino23]

Leaving the buds with sugar leaves make for slower and more even drying which is what you're after if you grow your own pot. Terpenes preserve better as oxidation is slowed down.

 

[JBUptown]

Hi Coradino23,

Hope the Sativa god is having a good New Year?

A question ... Do you trim your buds after dry and before cure?
Personally I don't care if my buds look retail worthy or not, they are for me only so it doesn't matter if they are centerfold material.

Best Of Buds

JB

 

[Conradino23]

I trim most of the fan leaves you know these big ones and sticking out, but I leave the rest when I can. I started from wet trimming though but I saw the difference with one crop treated bot way. You have to make sure you don't bring gray mold into the drying room cause that can hurt your ass. I think bag appeal has more to do with genetics than with style of growing or trimming. Good hybrids will always stand out if they were bred specifically for this reason, but I think it's a secondary thing or maybe I'm old school cause I still think the way she gets you high is the most important thing

 

[Camo420Grow]

I agree conradino.

 

[ShiggityFlip]

The older I get the less I trim. The sugar leaves protect the buds nicely and they are covered in trichs. So why get rid of them? I would rather spend the time smoking and growing. Trimming is something I prefer to minimize. Plus I feel like it is beautiful when trich covered sugar leaves wrap around a bud.