How Do I Make My Trichomes Bigger?

How Do I Make My Trichomes Bigger?

Trichomes give your plant the richness it nurtures through the flowering process. When the plant begins to flower, you will notice the mushroom-like crystals covering the flower; behold, that’s the gem you’re toiling for. The bigger, the richer, making giant trichomes a dream of every grower.

 

According to a study by the University of British Columbia, the frostier the flower, the richer the buds in cannabinoids and fragrance. The study cements the reasons why growers hunt trichomes like the treasures they are. There are many ways to boost the production of trichomes, but before we delve deeper into that, let’s find out why you should care about trichomes.

Functions of Trichomes

How Do I Make My Trichomes Bigger

Trichomes—the frosty hairs that swathe your buds and cover some parts of the leaves do more than the growers credit it for. First, the trichomes protect the plant against predators and small pests.

 

The cannabis plant, in preparation to survive anywhere life plants it, comes equipped to weather the storms of the jungle. Predators like deer and sap-sacking insects might eat the buds before they mature. The trichomes are the plant’s secret weapon to wave the predators away.

 

You might love the weed’s fragrance, but other animals and insects hate it. And if an animal consumes the leaves, the psychotic effects tell it not to try it a second time— thanks to the THC content in the trichomes.

 

It’s a plus that the trichomes have a bitter taste. Moths and bugs also have a layer of sticky mushroom-like crystals to contend with before reaching the buds. Trichomes provide the shield of armor necessary for the plant’s protection against environmental threats.

 

Trichomes also protect the buds from UV rays which affect the taste and potency of your buds. The sticky crystals cover every part of the buds, protecting it, and when the buds are dried, the trichomes form dry sift.

 

Most importantly, the trichomes give your buds their distinct fragrance and psychotic effects.

 

Besides the benefits of the trichomes for the plant, you can also use kief immediately after harvest. You can use them for making hash and edibles. The trichomes are at their richest when fresh. You won’t need to dry and cure them as you do with buds. Thus, it allows you to get the top-cream rich in essential oils that usually get degraded when the weed is dried.

How Do I Make My Trichomes Bigger?

You can make your trichomes bigger by altering grow room conditions and subjecting the plant to little stress threatening its life. Since the trichomes are defense machines, stressing the plant summons massive production of the trichomes to come to the rescue.

Here are more tips to make your trichomes bigger;

Use High-Intensity Lights

How Do I Make My Trichomes Bigger
Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay

During flowering, cannabis plants make more trichomes when they are exposed to bright lights, like the HPS grow lights. The stronger lights encourage optimum photosynthetic activities, hastening the growth of the trichomes.

Exposing the Plant To UV-B

This is a trick to summon the plant’s defenses against UV rays. When the plat is exposed to the UV-B light spectrum, it produces more trichomes to protect its buds from the damaging rays. The plant will use the trichomes as you would a sunscreen— only in this case, getting the trichomes is the end goal.

 

To use this trick, you will use the Metal Halide grow lights to expose your plant to the UV-B light spectrum. Do this when you’re coming close to the harvest— 2 weeks to harvesting is a good time.

Stress the Plant Through Training

Most of the tips here are geared towards threatening the plant’s life so that it summons the trichomes as a defense. You can improve trichome production through advanced cannabis training methods like supercropping. This method doesn’t come without risks. Any advanced high-stress training at the flowering stage can hurt your efforts as you risk re-vegging the plant instead.

 

The safer option of stressing the plant to improve trichome production is to alter grow room conditions. By keeping humidity below 30% RH and temperatures below 26°C, you trigger the optimum production of trichomes. Since the temperature is low, you won’t lose the terpenes to vaporization— making your trichomes fatter and richer.

 

Improving trichome production by altering the environmental factors is less invasive, and so you don’t risk exerting debilitating stress on your plants. You also won’t need any specialized tools. You’ll only need dehumidifiers and air conditioners— and you already have these!

Choose Strains That Produce More Trichomes

Before you begin stressing your plant, you can start by choosing the right strains for trichome production. It makes no sense to start with the wrong strains. If you want trichome-rich buds, go for strains that yield more trichomes. Some of the strains known for producing a lot of trichomes include Critical Hog, Tahoe OG, and Gorilla Glue.

 

Choosing the strains that naturally form the rich field of crystals makes it easier to get the most trichomes without trying much. If you’re a beginner grower, you can start and stop with choosing the right strains. Any advanced training methods can derail your plant’s growth.

Use Trichome-Boosting Nutrients

Many products in the market claim to increase the number of trichomes on the buds. However, most of them aren’t sure bets—very few products with proven effectiveness. Check with other growers to know which ones they recommend. We haven’t used any of them, and so we can’t recommend any of them.

 

In conclusion, everyone loves their buds covered in frosty crystals. The gleaming treasures protect your plants and enrich your buds. You can try the above tips to produce them in large numbers— each bigger and richer.