Trichomes are the resin glands that enrich your weed. They contain the terpenes and cannabinoids that determine your cannabis experience. As the cannabis plant matures, the trichomes will go from clear to amber, signaling the appropriate time to harvest your weed.
Every grower should understand cannabis trichome development to know when to harvest at peak potency.
One of the crucial lessons you can ever learn as a novice grower is the art of harvesting at the right time. Harvesting either too early or late will reduce the taste and potency of your buds.
Thankfully, trichomes change color to signal when you should be harvesting.
Your buds will ripen as long as you leave them attached. Thus, you must keep a close eye on the signals it shows— the colors of the trichomes. Your weed quality will be influenced by how well you time your harvest.
Your trichomes first will be clear, then cloudy white, and eventually turn from cloudy to amber— the point most people believe is the best for weed you intend to get high on. Cannabis trichomes at their clear stage aren’t yet ripe enough for harvesting, while at amber, the trichomes might be going off track— thus low on THC, the cannabinoid that gets you high.
Past amber, your buds are too ripened, and the trichomes begin to degrade.
How Long Does It Take For Trichomes To Go From Clear To Amber?
The duration it takes trichomes to change from clear to amber depends on the strain. Most strains will take 4–5 weeks for clear trichomes to turn amber. Other strains, especially the Indica and hybrids, take longer to turn amber.
Different Stages of Trichome Development and What They Tell You
There are four stages of trichome development, and you need to know what each stage tells you about your plant’s readiness for harvest. Trichomes mature with the buds. Thus, as the buds ripen, their chemical compositions change. This change affects the potency and taste of your buds.
The plant uses the color changes of the buds to give you visual clues on when to harvest your cannabis— based on the effects you want from your buds.
A recreational user desires a particular high from the buds. Thus, he harvests when the THC concentration is at its peak.
A patient seeking relief from whatever ailment will need the buds richer in CBD content. These users harvest their plants at different times to get the proper cannabinoid concentrations from their buds.
Here are the four stages of trichomes and what the trichome color changes tell you about harvesting;
Clear Trichomes
Clear trichomes can be spotted on your plants 3–4 weeks into the flowering stage. They’ll be coating your flowers, and if you examine them with a lens, you might also spot them on the leaves.
They will be the tiny clear heads, like morning dew on a blade of grass, ushering the bud-enriching process.
The clear trichomes are remarkable because everything begins here, but you shouldn’t harvest here. The buds are just starting to ripen, the cannabinoid concentrations aren’t matured yet, and you won’t get the high you’re looking for here.
I’ve read on forums and even shared with friends who’ve harvested their buds too early; they all agree there’s nothing in clear trichomes. Harvesting early gives you nothing but clear resin. From here, the clear trichomes will change to cloudy or milky.
Cloudy-White Trichomes
Cloudy trichomes, which others term milky trichomes, indicate peak THC concentrations in the buds. THC, the cannabinoid that recreational users want, is potentiated here. You can harvest here; just wait until 70% of the trichomes are cloudy-white.
Sativa growers prefer to harvest here to get the desired effects from their high. Here, the THC levels peak while the CBD is at its lowest. A recreational user will enjoy the harvest because the high will be energizing and mellow.
Past this stage, the THC begins to degrade as CBD concentrations surge, leading to a couchlock high. No productive stoner wants a couchlock high in the middle of the week.
Indica growers, on the other hand, prefer to wait till the next stage of trichome development to get the sedating effects.
If you’re looking for peak THC, studies have shown that the best time to harvest your plants is when most of them have turned cloudy white and yet to turn amber. The best stage to harvest for peak THC potency is when you have 70% cloudy trichomes.
Amber Trichomes
Amber trichomes is a buzz phrase in the cannabis growing industry. Everybody wants to know when their trichomes are turning amber. The problem is the misinformation that amber colored trichomes signal the perfect time to harvest. This isn’t always true.
Indica crops can be harvested here because they generally give you the couchlock effects for which Indica strains are loved.
But if you want THC, you should harvest before or at first signs of amber because THC begins to degrade when the trichomes start turning amber.
For medical cannabis users seeking the healing potency of CBD, harvest when the trichomes are 50 -70 percent amber.
Dark Trichomes
When you take too long to harvest your cannabis plants after they turn amber, they will turn dark. The dark trichomes indicate loss of essential cannabinoids— a degradation.
If you’re on Sativa crops and growing for THC, I’m sorry to notify you that you have successfully lost the peak of harvest. Even for Indica-dominant strains, waiting past the amber stage is counterproductive.
If you have to make an impromptu journey, it’s better to harvest a little early than wait until most trichomes are darkening.
Even CBD begins to degrade past the amber trichomes. Thus, avoid dark trichomes. Don’t flower cannabis plants for too long.
So, What’s The Right Time To Harvest?
The right time to harvest depends on the strain you’re growing and the effects you want from your buds. For Sativa-dominant strains, harvest when 70% of the trichomes are cloudy white. THC, the psychoactive component, is at its peak when the trichomes are cloudy white, and you will enjoy an energetic, mellow high.
If you’re growing Indica-dominant strains, harvest when 50%-70% of the trichomes are amber. At this stage, the buds will give a couchlock, relaxing high. CBD is at its peak here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cannabis trichomes will mature at around 8 to 10 weeks from the beginning of the flowering stage. This can change due to plant genetics, growing conditions, and environmental factors. Some strains take shorter, like 5 weeks, while for others the trichomes will mature after week 12.
The amount of trichomes that should be amber before you harvest depends on the effects you desire from your weed. Harvest when less than 20% of trichomes have turned amber for an energetic and uplifting high since this is when you get peak THC potency. If you desire a more sedating, relaxing high, wait until you have 50% amber trichomes, CBD will peak at this stage.
Cannabis trichomes mostly start turning amber around week 7 to 8. However, this is not cast in stone as some strains can have their trichomes as early as week 5, while others past week 10. The cannabis strain and growing conditions will determine the week the trichomes will turn amber.
No, not all trichomes will turn amber when mature. Most stains will have trichomes turning from clear to cloudy and then to amber before they’re harvested. However, not all trichomes turn amber due to variations in plant genetics and growing conditions.
The time it takes for trichomes to change colors vary. It will take about two weeks for trichomes to turn amber after being cloudy. The stage is a crucial one because it determines the perfect time for the effect you want. At cloudy, you can harvest for peak THC, but you’ll need to wait a little until more have turned amber to harvest at peak CBD.