Whether you’re a professional or amateur grower it’s important to know all the aspects of growing cannabis. How you trim cannabis is as important as any other step in growing process. In this article we will try to cover two most popular trimming techniques: wet trimming and dry trimming. How to trim cannabis is entirely up to you, at the end of this guide you will have more in depth understanding to make a better decision.
Since the beginning of time people are arguing over various things surrounding cannabis. Some like to smoke joints, some prefer blunts. Some people love vaping, others love bongs or pipes. How to trim cannabis one of those subjects that growers argue about to this day. Dry vs wet trimming, wet vs dry trimming… there are many arguments that go against and that support these two methods.
About both methods
Before we get into exact methods and which one is better than the other, we should first learn more about what these methods are and familiarize with the process.
Trimming branches after they have just been removed from the plant is called wet trimming. You’re basically removing all unnecessary leaves before proceeding with drying process. Dry trimming is exactly what it sounds like, you’re drying the plants first, along with all the leaves before trimming.
Some people just remove the fan leaves and leave the sugar leaves to dry along with the buds. This method kind of balances between the two. There’s a reason for doing that, but we’ll talk more about that later.
How to trim cannabis: wet method
This method is recommended by most growers, as it is practical method and newbie friendly. When your branches are still fresh it’s easier to remove leaves with the whole leaf stem, It makes it a much faster process. After you remove leaves and stems all you need to worry about is drying out your buds. Remove all your buds from stalk, in most cases mold starts forming in between buds and stalk. This is a sensitive case if your living in a very humid area.
If you’re growing marijuana in large scale, then wet trimming is a way to go. This method is compatible with automated trimming machines. Trimming this way also gives your buds a chance to puff out once they’re drying out. Buds that were trimmed before drying tend to look a bit more appealing, it matters if you’re planning to sell your weed.
How to trim cannabis: dry method
This method is used to slow down drying process. When cannabis is drying like this, fan leaves cover buds making them moist for longer, that prolongs the drying process. While it does have a certain value, making buds taste smoother, it is bit of hassle to trim. Some growers prefer this method even tho it is less efficient. This makes trimming process a bit harder, as it is not that easy to trim dead leaves and reach in for the leaf stems. But if you live in area where you can’t afford to do wet trimming, you’re better off this way, as quality of your smoke should be main priority.
This method makes it harder to remove most of the sugar leaves. Unless you spend hours carefully removing them, they’ll be there. Some people do like the sugar leaves on their buds, it all comes down to your own taste. These type of buds tend to give more pleasant and smoother taste. Because it takes longer for these buds to dry, more chlorophyll fades. This substance makes smoke feel harsh on your throat.
Combining the two
How to trim cannabis for the best results? We believe that both methods are good, but you can combine them and take the best out of each to make it better. For example, you can remove fan leaves along with big sugar leaves and leave the smaller sugar leaves. In this case, the drying process will be slower and you can remove the rest once your buds are dry. This way you can also protect trichomes.
One of the biggest dangers when trimming is damaging trichomes on your buds. After spending so much time growing and caring for this beautiful flower, you don’t want to reduce it’s potency due to rushing or carelessness. Be sure to take your time, be gentle and careful when trimming.
After you’re done trimming, don’t just throw all of the stems and leaves away. There is much you can do with them: cannabis tincture, hash, edibles… Be creative and keep it green.