Is It Best To Clip Buds One At A Time or All At Once?
What's the best approach to marijuana harvesting? Take one bud at a time? Or harvest everything all at once?
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.
So, back to the question. Should you harvest the whole plant at once? Or do it one bud at a time?
I say clip the colas one by one. The ones at the top of the plant mature first and grow biggest. However, if you leave the ones down below a little longer they'll also get bigger. This technique is based, of course, on a smaller, indoor garden.
There are reasons to harvest all at once. If your garden is remote and time is an issue then you have to do what you have to do. Or, if you're growing a big crop you probably need to be efficient.
Other things could influence your harvest plan. Cold or wet weather my force you to harvest an outdoor garden. Fear of discovery could do the same thing. A mold of bug infestation may make immediate harvest of everything a salvage operation.
If you don't have to, then wait. The budding process is a process, and it takes time. It doesn't happen all at once, and not all buds develop at the same pace. When you see them start to dry up and the hairs turn red, clip them.
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.
That means, of course, that you don't want to just clip off the top bud at it's base. Take the bud and all of the plant between it and the next bud down. There are two advantages to this. First, you leave some stem that helps with curing. Second, you divert the plant's energy to the next bud in line.
So, should you harvest cannabis all at once? My answer is only if you have to. Otherwise harvest each bud when it's ready. You'll be happier with the results and you'll get more bud.
Do you like to read about how do you grow marijuana? Castulo Zane knows all about it. If you want to talk marijuana seeds, or other marijuana topics, google him or growyourownstone.com.. Free reprint available from: Is It Best To Clip Buds One At A Time or All At Once?.
