Weed is great, but sometimes you may buy a batch that’s only “okay” as far as quality. It’s usually not bad, unless something has gone wrong, but it’s still not good. Mediocre bud is almost more disappointing than running out of weed, because you know what it could have been. If you were the one growing the cannabis, this is even worse, because you know its quality is your responsibility.
So, how do you grow top shelf bud?
The trick you need to grow good weed is taking proper care of your plants. There are several things to keep in mind to get the best bud quality, it’s not only about your grow room conditions.
Good Strains
The first and most important aspect of getting good bud is to choose a good cannabis strain. You can pamper your plants all you like, but if you’re growing ditch weed, it’ll taste like ditch weed. Your plants need to have the genes that will result in good weed or you’ll get nowhere unfortunately.
You should also select your strains for the specific effects that you want. That means deciding whether you want CBD-heavy or THC-heavy weed before you even put plants in the ground. Indica and Sativa strains have different highs, so gathering some cannabis strain knowledge up front will help you in the long run.
Good Light
Once you have the right plants, you absolutely must take care of them. Bud growth is stimulated by light. The brighter the light and the more buds exposed to light, the bigger your buds. The rule of thumb is that you give each plant at least 150 watts of light. You can also train your plants to grow in ways that expose more buds to the light. This helps every node fulfill its potential, and bumps up your harvest.
Harvest Carefully
Cannabis usually appears ready to harvest before it has actually fulfilled its potential. Just because a plant is covered in sparkling trichomes doesn’t mean it’s ready. The clue is in the color. Cannabis flowers are covered in little white hairs. You’ll know that your plant is ready for harvest when at least half of those little hairs have turned brown. The highest THC content is found in buds harvested when about 70% of the hairs are brown, while the highest CBN content is found when 90% of the hairs are brown.
If you’re really not sure, you can get a magnifying glass to look more closely. This’ll let you examine the trichomes up close. If the trichomes are clear, your plant isn’t ready to harvest yet. Once the trichomes are cloudy, you’re in the right place for THC harvest. Amber trichomes is a sign that CBN has reached its peak.
Dry Slowly
If you dry your bud out too quickly, you can hurt its flavor and intensity. Quick-dried weed is usually harsh and unpleasant when consumed. Your bud should dry slowly, over the course of 5-10 days – the longer the better. When you harvest, leave more plant matter attached to the bud to slow down the rate of drying.
Curing your weed is also important for developing top shelf bud. Sealing your weed in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks will help get rid of unpleasant flavors. Open the jars for a few minutes a day to “burp” the buds. This prevents mold from growing and helps remove the last traces of moisture.
Really great weed is one of life’s true pleasures. If you want to grow good bud, you start with good plants and take care of them carefully. The more often you grow weed, the better your product will be, as you’ll develop a knack for problem-solving common grow problems. Every harvest is a learning experience, and the pride you feel from really high-quality homegrown Kush is second to none.