Trimming you weed is an essential part of harvesting. While it may seem daunting, the process itself is simple. Do not skip this step as that will result in a harsh smoke due to the chlorophyll found in the leaves.
Why You Should Trim Your Buds
1) It provides a better overall appearance – buds will look neat and tidy, while also highlighting the colours and frostiness of the buds
2) Trimmed buds have a better smell – untrimmed buds have a “planty” hay smell when stored in a container for too long
3) It produces a smoother smoke – leaves cause a harsh smoke due to the chlorophyll found in the extra plant matter
4) Gram for gram, trimmed buds have a higher THC concentration – sugar leaves may have trichomes but the THC percentage on these leaves is significantly lower in THC concentration
Supplies For Cannabis Trimming
-Pruning Shears
-Pruning Snips
-Disposable thin latex medical gloves
-3 large trays or containers (to store your branches, trimmings, and finished buds)
-Rubbing alcohol (for cleaning)
-Rag (for cleaning)
How To Trim Your Cannabis
1) Set up your weed-trimming area
A kitchen table or large coffee table should suffice. We recommend some form of passive entertainment, like music, or a show you’ve already seen. And if you have a larger batch to trim, make sure you are comfortable!
2) Put on your clean latex gloves
Trimming can be done without them, but the mess is not worth it. The resin will have you constantly washing your hands, thus interrupting the workflow. If you want to extract every bit of THC, you can set your used gloves aside and scrape off the resin and add it to your next joint.
3) Cut off a branch
Some cannabis plant branches will be thick, so pruning shears are recommended. Avoid cross contamination by getting a pair that is exclusively for trimming weed and always keep them clean.
4) Remove the large fan leaves
Fan leaves can usually be snapped off at the stems with just a bit of pressure. Using your fingers to remove fan leaves will have you coming in contact with a lot of resin so you may want to just snip them off instead.
5) Cut off the sugar leaves
Once the fan leaves have been removed, you will see smaller sugar leaves. Use your smaller pruning snips for this task. The goal is to trim the sugar leaves so that they are flush with the bud itself. Avoid going any further as you may damage your bud and cause it to crumble. When your pruning snips get too sticky, clean them with rubbing alcohol and a rag.
Simple right? There is no need to feel anxious about trimming your cannabis, but if you find it isn’t your cup of tea, weed dispensaries and weed delivery services, like High Society 416, have you covered!