The first place to check for an estimate flowering time is on the strain's packaging/website description.

Most breeders/seedbanks give a flowering duration, usually around 7-8 weeks, and sometimes longer for sativa-dominant strain with some going upwards of 10-12 weeks 🌞

Auto-flowering strains estimates are usually from seed to harvest.

PRO-TIP: start counting flowering days from the moment you see white hair (stigmas), they usually start to show about 1 week after changing the light schedule to bloom.

There is very little chance that the plant be ready to harvest before the strain's estimated flowering time.

Check step 2 to learn what to look for on the plant 👀

Look at the buds and keep track of how the flowers grow and evolve.

As the buds mature, the older stigmas that didn't succeed in catching pollen will dry up and turn brown.
And as the plant gets closer to chop day you'll see more and more sigmas shrivel and change color.

However, this is not a reliable way of being sure you're harvesting at the right time.

Check out the 3rd and final step for the golden rule of harvesting cannabis.

As mentioned in the intro: it's all about trichomes!

The best and most reliable way to know when to harvest is to check the trichomes directly.

Get yourself a jeweler's loupe, handheld/USB microscope and take a closer look 🔬
We use a USB microscope and highly recommend you do the same as you can take pics and videos for future reference 👌

The next sections will show you the 3 different stages of trichome ripeness and the best time to harvest 🪓

You're getting close to the end, don't fuck it up now by harvesting too early 👌

We're all eager to chop and enjoy the fruits of our labour.

But, if you cut too early, the trichomes won't be mature; meaning they'll have very little cannabinoids = you won't get the desired effects.

CLEAR AND TRANSLUCENT = UNRIPE TRICHOMES

Also, during the final flowering weeks the buds will get fatter as they get ready to be harvested.
So, by harvesting early, you're not only ruining the effects but also hurting your yield potential.

Now's the time to monitor them, see how they evolve over the course of the next few weeks 🔍👀

As they mature, the unripe clear and translucent trichomes will become cloudy ☁

Clear & cloudy trichomes have peak THC concentration;

Nice for energy and creativity - get pumped!
but not recommended if you are prone to racing thoughts & anxiety.

CLEAR & CLOUDY TRICHOMES = HEAD HIGH 🤯

What happens next will blow your mind!

As the trichomes mature more, they slowly turn amber colored and darker as the cannabinoids mature🌥

This happens as the THC transforms into CBN which is less intoxicating and more relaxing/calming;

Nice for pain management and sleeping less effective for getting off the couch 😜

AMBER & CLOUDY TRICHOMES = BODY HIGH 🤤

So, when should you harvest?
This comes down to personal preference, check out the next section to figure out your ratio 👌

Now that you know that clear & cloudy trichomes produce a head high while the amber & cloudy trichomes produce a body high; you can harvest when the balance of both suits you best 👌

We recommend waiting for at least all the trichomes to turn clear & cloudy for maximum potency.
The most mature trichomes will turn amber while the last translucent ones get cloudy;
No wasted trichomes left unripe!

From there you can wait more for the THC to transform into CBN for a more calming and relaxing experience.

Experiment with the clear:amber ratio, you can harvest a first batch to start the drying process and leave the rest to mature more.