Dry trimming
Trimming your plants is a time consuming job, mostly because you have to be very careful with your buds. But it’s the last step before you can finally start smoking your own grown marijuana.
That’s if you trim your marijuana dry, because some people prefer to trim the plants wet. The goal of trimming is to remove the buds from all of the leaves and stems. These are not suitable for smoking, but don’t throw them out just yet, because you can do fun stuff with them.
In this course I’ll teach you what you need to trim your marijuana, how to trim it and of course I’ll give you some fun tips.
Don’t want to read. Please watch the video instead.
Dry or wet trimming
From the time you let a marijuana plant flower, it takes a certain period before it’s ready to be harvested. This varies a bit for each type, but it generally comes down to this:
I prefer dry trimming. Wet trimming is a bit faster and doesn’t take as much room during drying, but those are the only advantages in my opinion.
During drying, starch and sugars are converted and chlorophyll is broken down. The plant will use all of its energy to develop the buds in a final attempt to reproduce. If you dry your plants in their entirety, all energy that is still present will flow to the buds.
The leaves will curl around the buds and will protect them a bit by doing so. And you’ll simply end up with a better quality product. That’s why I prefer dry trimming. But if you prefer wet trimming, read the article How to trim wet marijuana?
Shopping list
Supplies for trimming marijuana plants
- Scissors
- Surgical gloves
- Old clothes/span>
- Tray
- Folding chair
- Bin or cardboard box
Always use small scissors with a sharp tip and large handles. The sharp tip is needed to cut off all small leaves between the buds. And we prefer large handles because your fingers could start to hurt otherwise.
Your buds are currently very sticky, so it’s a good idea to wear gloves. I always use those white or black, latex surgical gloves. You can still move your hands freely, without them becoming sticky. The THC that accumulates on your fingertips can be saved and rolled into a ball of hash. Smoking this is delicious.
Always use old clothes when trimming, because of the very strong smell. Don’t wash the clothes you wore when trimming together with other clothes, because they would start to smell as well. You’ll have to wash the clothes at least twice to get the stench out.
Since the marijuana is very sticky, it’s best to wear something with long sleeves and long pants. If not, your arms and legs will become sticky and itchy.
Download my free marijuana grow guide for more growing tips.
I always put a tray on my lap to catch the cutting waste and to collect the buds I trim. It’s not only tidy and orderly, but the cutting waste also has value. It’s best not to smoke it, but you can make hash from it or bake a cake with it. It’s a fun part of a birthday party ?
Don’t use your nice dining room chairs for cutting, because they’ll become crazy sticky and smelly. You can still clean plastic or wood, but cleaning fabrics is a nightmare. Just buy a cheap folding chair you use specially for cutting.
Use a plastic bin or a cardboard box to put your buds in. Use multiple bins if you have too much
How to trim
You preferably trim your marijuana in your growing room, because it has a carbon filter against the smell. If you don’t have too much weed and your neighbors don’t mind, you can also just do it in the living room. Just know that everything will start to smell like weed and will get sticky.
Trimming marijuana is actually super easy. It just takes a long time and you have to do it neatly. These are the steps to follow;
1 Take a plant and cut off all secondary branches
2 Take a secondary branch and cut off all buds
3 Take a bud and trim off all leaves that are sticking out of the bud
4 Take a bud, crumble some weed into a pipe and take a hit
Now you’re ready to do the rest ?
How long does it take
Trimming marijuana is a precise and time consuming job. I always weigh the results after a day of cutting to see what the yield of the day is. It differs a bit for each type, but I trim about 3.5 ounces an hour. That’s about 2 large plants that were grown in 6.5 gallon pots
But sometimes, inexperienced friends help me. They trim about 0.9 to 1.8 ounces an hour. I never care about the quantity, as long as the marijuana is nicely trimmed and there are no leaves attached to the bud. So, as a grower who’s just starting, you’ll have some hours of work to do cutting your marijuana ?
If you notice any of these changes, immediately grab a pair of pruning shears and start harvesting your plants.
What to do with the cutting waste?
The large leaves barely contain any THC, but all small leaves around the buds are usually covered in it. Make sure you keep these leaves, so you can make hash from it later. You can also make weed butter from it to make all sorts of pies, cookies and muffins.
Tips for the trimming process
Make sure you have some nice music on while trimming. Put on some old track suit and know it’s going to get dirty. Make sure you have enough to eat and drink in the house, because you can’t just leave the house to get a sub. Even a shower won’t get the weed smell off you.
Scrape some hash off your scissors and gloves now and then and roll it into a ball. It’s delicious to smoke these balls, but they’re very strong. This is almost pure THC.
