Cutting cannabis: before or after drying?

Cutting cannabis: before or after drying?

Cutting cannabis: before or after drying?

Cutting cannabis is inherent to the cultivation process. It is essential to achieve healthy plants and high yields. For some growers, trimming is a pleasant activity, as it is a good way to get to know the cannabis plant better and to relax with the not too demanding work. On the other hand, for some growers, pruning is a boring and monotonous task that they would prefer to avoid.

In this article you will learn how to prune cannabis properly. Including whether it is better to cut before or after drying, how to go about cutting and what to do with the leftover clippings afterwards.

What is trimming?

Trimming consists of removing the excess sugar leaves from the cannabis plant's canes. In short, you cut off all the excess plant growth from the plant that is not the buds.

Why cut cannabis plants?

Pruning is essential when growing cannabis. Here are the three main reasons why:

Better appearance

Pruning gives your cannabis a more aesthetic look, as trimmed buds are necessary to give your grown plant a strong and attractive appearance.

Incidence of trichomes

By removing the leaves , you get better access to the parts of the plant where the most trichomesare found . The highest concentration of trichomes is on the canes and much less on the surrounding leaves.

Finer smoke

By removing the fan and sugar leaves, you get rid of the parts of the plant that could be causing the pungent smoke. Cutting off these excess parts will result in a much milder product.

When to cut cannabis?

There are two methods of cutting cannabis. Either before drying or after drying. Growers use both methods, so it is impossible to say which is better or worse. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Cutting cannabis before drying

Pre-drying cutting, or wet cutting, involves cutting the cannabis sticks immediately after they are harvested and before they are dried. This method is considered more efficient and is also more suitable for beginner growers.

Advantages of cutting cannabis sticks before drying

  • Thisis the ideal method for first-time growers because it is very easy, simple and does not take too much time.
  • Easier to remove the sugar leaves.
  • Faster drying. Wet cuttings dry much faster, thus greatly reducing the risk of mould.
  • Trichomes do not break as much. They are not as fragile and sensitive as with dry cutting.
  • Preservation of terpenes. The sticks are more sticky, which means that the trichomes do not break.
  • There is no need to find a place to hang the plants to dry.

Disadvantages of cutting cannabis before drying

  • Cutting before drying is very sticky.
  • Quality may be reduced. If dried too quickly, the quality of the final product may be compromised.

Cutting hemp after drying

An alternative to cutting before drying is cutting after drying, or dry cutting. This method involves cutting the hemp buds after they have dried completely. The plant is first cut and hung up to dry for a few days. Once dry, the individual branches are then cut into smaller pieces.

Advantages of cutting cannabis after drying

  • Less mess than wet cutting.
  • Theflowers dry more slowly and thus retain a higher terpene content.

Disadvantages of cutting cannabis after drying

  • Takes up more space as the whole plant has to be hung to dry.
  • Accumulation of moisture in the sugar leaves. This can then result in theformation of mould.
  • Trichomes are much more fragile and prone to damage.
  • More difficult than wet pruning. It requires more precision, time and care.

How to cut cannabis before drying: a step-by-step guide

To cut cannabis you will need:

  • Scissors,
  • gloves,
  • a clean area,
  • a container for the sticks,
  • a comfortable chair,
  • alcohol,
  • appropriate clothing,
  • plenty of patience.

Once you have prepared all the necessary tools, it's time to cut. Below you will find a quick guide to cutting before drying your cannabis, describing the whole process step by step.

Step 1: Remove the stem and branches

Start by using a pair of scissors to cut off the main stem. Once you have done this, cut off the individual cannabis branches as well. Break the plant down into smaller parts. This is because it is easier to work with smaller parts of the plant than if you were to leave it whole when cutting.

Step 2: Remove the fan leaves

Next, remove all the fan leaves. These are the leaves that are characteristic of cannabis, usually with five or seven spikes. The quickest way is to carefully tear them off with your hands, but you can also cut them off with scissors.

Step 3: Remove the buds from the branches

After you have stripped the plant of its fan-shaped leaves, cut the individual canes from the branches. Place these in a bowl or on a tray.

Step 4: Cut the sugar leaves from the sticks

Once you've cut the sticks , it's time to get rid of the smaller sugar leaves that are growing out of them. The goal is to cut off anything that isn't completely covered in trichomes. Use smaller scissors and try to remove all the excess leaves, being careful not to damage the cannabis buds. Trim the stem from the bottom of the bud as close to the bud as possible, but take care not to disturb the bud, and then any small leaves. Remember to also cut off the orange and red pistils as close to the stalk as possible. The pistils have almost no trichomes. Place the cut stalk on a separate tray or dish.

Step 5: Properly store the cut stamens

Once all the sticks have been cut, it is important to store them properly for the final ripening process. It is recommended touse airtight jars to store them .

Cutting cannabis with a machine

If you are a home grower, you will probably cut it by hand, however, there are some people who invest in machine cutters to get rid of the monotonous work. Hair clippers are available indifferent sizes, shapes and price ranges. With the increasing demand for cannabis, machine clippers have proven to be a very suitable option for many large-scale growers. Although this method of trimming is quick and practical, it is important to remember that machine trimmers can damage the cannabis plant much more than you would expect. Cannabis clippers can cut too much, and thus deprive the plant of many valuable trichomes. While clippers can save time, you have to decide if you can live with the trade-off.

Tips on how to use the leftovers from cutting cannabis

Whether youprefer to cut after or before drying, or whether you cut manually or automatically, one thing is for sure, you will be left with a lot of plant residue after cutting. The place where you have piled the residue will be full of stems and fan-shaped and sugary leaves. There are many ways to deal with the trimmings. For example:

To be able to use the knowledge you have gained about cannabis cutting in practice, you first need to grow the plant. Get cannabis seeds with up to 1% THC and try growing them yourself.

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