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.
Now that's out of the way let's get back to the question. Should you harvest everything at once? Or should you clip the plant bud by bud?
My answer is one at a time, but that's based on a small grow operation for personal use. I actually think that its better to harvest the buds one at a time as they mature. In my experience the buds at the top of the plant mature first, but the ones further down mature later.
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.
Each bud develops on a different timeline, so let them go. Also, growth hormone flows to the top of the plant. The top bud grows most and first. They also get biggest.
You can actually manipulate this trait and bend, or espalier the plant. This involves bending the tips down, and results in lower nodes developing more. That's another post.
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, all at once, or bit by bit? You know my answer. Bit by bit gets you better and bigger buds. Only harvest all at once if you have to.
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.
Now that's out of the way let's get back to the question. Should you harvest everything at once? Or should you clip the plant bud by bud?
My answer is one at a time, but that's based on a small grow operation for personal use. I actually think that its better to harvest the buds one at a time as they mature. In my experience the buds at the top of the plant mature first, but the ones further down mature later.
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.
Each bud develops on a different timeline, so let them go. Also, growth hormone flows to the top of the plant. The top bud grows most and first. They also get biggest.
You can actually manipulate this trait and bend, or espalier the plant. This involves bending the tips down, and results in lower nodes developing more. That's another post.
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, all at once, or bit by bit? You know my answer. Bit by bit gets you better and bigger buds. Only harvest all at once if you have to.
About the Author:
Learn about ways to grow marijuana? Castulo Zane knows all about it. If you want to talk marijuana seeds, google www.growyourownstone.com.. Check here for free reprint license: What's the Best Marijuana Harvest Technique?.
