Having spent months fostering your cannabis plant to maturity, the next step for you to take is to harvest your cannabis plant. Part of this process involves “trimming” the plant – essentially cutting the leaves off your buds.
Why do growers trim their harvested buds in the first place?
One reason why growers trim their buds is for presentation. Most cannabis pictures you find online or in magazines are partially or completely trimmed. Untrimmed buds aren’t as aesthetically pleasant to the eye.
In addition, low THC concentration is also one of the major reasons growers trim their harvested cannabis plants.
When to trim your Cannabis
There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to trimming a cannabis plant. Some prefer to trim their cannabis buds before drying them, which is acknowledged as the “wet trim” method because marijuana leaves are still moist.
Some growers, on the other hand, prefer to trim their cannabis buds after being dried, which is referred to as “dry trim” because the buds have been dried before trimming.
How to trim your cannabis buds
After deciding whether to “wet trim” your weed buds or to “dry trim” them, the next step for you to take is to get the necessary tools that will make the trimming process convenient for you.
- A comfortable space: The first thing to do is to find the most conducive space to carry out your trimming process. It would be best if you stayed away from places with excess particles or dust. Also, you must consider picking a cool place with adequate light.
- Cannabis Trimming Scissors or a Trimming Machine: Depending on how much work you’re willing to do, trimming with scissors can be very time consuming whereas trimming machines can help reduce your workload significantly.
Depending on how many cannabis plants you’re dealing with, a machine is a very effective way to clean your buds. We suggest one of the following bud trimmers:
- The EZTRIM Wander Trimmer: The EZTRIM Wander Trimmer provides scissors trim quality with 60 – 80 per cent time savings over hand trimming.
- Trimbag Premium Dry Trimmer: The Trimbag dry trimmer trims using mild resistance to preserve natural contours of plant material. This lightweight and portable bag are designed for easy trimming on plants around your home.
- iPower GLTRIMBOWL19L 19-Inch Leaf Bowl Trimmer: This iPower trimmer comes with a removable handle for convenient storage, and removable grille for easy service. It is essential in making oils, hash, potpourris and aromatherapy products.
- Tenwell 18inch Stand Automatic Trimmer: This automatic trimmer has three sharp stainless blades, saves time and more precious cut.
What else you’ll need for weed trimming:
- A Clean Surface and Tray: As a grower, you might want to use a tray, because trimming plates are more comfortable to transport if there is a need for transportation.
- Disposable rubber gloves
- Rag (for cleaning)
Now that we are equipped with the necessary tools to make the trimming process convenient, Let’s get started.
Step 1: Set Up Your Trimming Area
When setting up the trimming area, it is advisable to give yourself sufficient room. The room space is essential as it allows you to stay in a comfortable position while the trimming process takes place. You should use a tarp or tape down some garbage bags as there will likely be some extra “stuff” floating around.
Step 2: Put on Your Gloves
This trimming process can be a sticky job so you should use gloves. Gloves will also help prevent lingering odours on your hands and may also serve as a protective layer in case any accidents occur.
Step 3: Get rid of the Fan Leaves
The branches of the harvested cannabis are primarily shielded in fan leaves; these are large leaves that do not possess trichomes on them. So, the best thing to do if you want a great result is to get rid of them before drying your marijuana. Using a trim machine would be useful during this step.
Step 4: Cut the Cannabis Buds from the Branch
Most people may consider using scissors for the trimming; Unfortunately, scissors may not work here because some branches on your marijuana plant might be too thick for the scissors. A sturdy pair of pruning shears is recommended for this process. With the shear, you can easily trim off the thickest branches off the cannabis plant.
Step 5: Remove the Sugar Leaves
After the fan leaves have been removed, you will now be able to see the smaller leaves penetrating out of the cannabis bud. While removing the sugar leaves, try not to cut the real bud, but get rid of as many cannabis small leaves as possible.
Happy trimming!