Should you harvest the whole marijuana plant at once? Or, should you harvest the buds one at a time? What’s the best practice?
Let’s get something straight on the legality of this issue. Growing marijuana, and therefore harvesting it, is legal in many places. It’s legal for medical purposes in Canada. It’s also legal under state law in many US states. In Alaska the state constitution provides protection for growing up to 24 plants. You are also allowed, by law, to possess 4 ounces of marijuana under certain conditions without penalty.
So, back to the question. Should you harvest the whole plant at once? Or do it one bud at a time?
I say clip the colas one by one. The ones at the top of the plant mature first and grow biggest. However, if you leave the ones down below a little longer they’ll also get bigger. This technique is based, of course, on a smaller, indoor garden.
Why would you do otherwise? If you’ve got a big crop it might make sense to do it all at once. If you’re growing outside in a hard to reach area the same thing may apply.
There could be other reasons. Weather or season may make a complete harvest worthwhile. If you’ve got a hidden grow and you’re afraid someone has discovered it you might be better safe than sorry. If mold sets in you should harvest everything before damage spreads.
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.
Let each bud develop on it’s own time. Cannabis concentrates it’s growth hormone on the highest tips of the plant. This means that the top buds grow and mature first. They will also be the biggest.
This trait can be utilized to change how the plant grows. Bending the top below the rest of the pplant will encourage lower nodes to develop bigger buds. That’s a different subject.
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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