How to Pinch and Prune Your Way to a Successful Cannabis Crop (2024)

FAQs

How many times do you pinch cannabis plants? ›

The amount of weed you actually pinch off your plants with FIMing is very small. All you need to do is pinch or cut off the tips of the leaves of the newest growth on the new stalk that hasn't yet begun to stretch out. As with topping, you should wait to FIM your plants until they have 3-5 nodes.

Early and consistent pinching will build the most productive stock plants. Pruning, also referred to as a hard pinch, removes much more of the plant than a soft pinch. Pruning can help redirect the plant's energy, but it's more often done to reduce the size of a plant.

Regularly trimming the dead ends encourages new growth. The same goes for pruning marijuana plants. Removes damaged growth and promotes better airflow and light exposure: Removing the dead foliage and excess fan leaves and keeping the plant trim promotes healthier growth.

Light intensity

To some degree, more light translates to fatter buds and higher yields (you'll need to pay attention to the distance between your grow light and plants or your plant may suffer from light burn). Increasing light intensity is the most effective way to fatten up buds.

Usually, growers trim the fan leaves weeks before harvest, which is a period that leads to senescence, a phase in the plant cycle when the larger leaves start fading away. It is safe to start removing these dying leaves and continue until harvest. However, the main trimming processes commence after harvest.

Cultivators should not prune more than 1/3 of the fan leaves on a cannabis plant in any given pruning session. Also, pruning sessions should be limited. Ideally, cultivators should only have to do bulk pruning once or twice on a cannabis plant.

Generally, a plant will get topped 1-3 times during its life.

You want at least two nodes on the final cutting, so pick a branch that is healthy and long enough. A sturdy clone will lead to a sturdy plant. Cut the clone off the mother, cutting above the node on the mother plant.

Cannabis plants have a finite amount of energy. As a grower, you'll want to help them direct energy to the areas producing the best possible bud. As it turns out, lollipopping is one of the best ways to do just that.

Wet trimming is when the cannabis harvest is trimmed before drying it. This means you cut the leaves off right away after you harvest the buds. Dry trimming is when you cut the plant down and hang it to dry for a few days, leaves and all, before you begin trimming.

Do taller cannabis plants yield more? ›

The vegetative stage of growth determines a weed plant's final size. Once it begins flowering, the energy goes from growing upwards and outwards to produce buds. So the longer a plant vegetates, the larger the final yield can be, in general.

But the longer you wait, the more highly intoxicating and sedative your flower will become. This is especially true for indica strains, but even sativa strains can become sedating. Additionally, if you extend the flowering stage too long before harvesting, THC will begin to degrade.

Increasing the amount of CO₂ in your grow room can help you grow bigger, denser buds. By doing so, you'll help plants photosynthesise faster and encourage them to take up more nutrients and water.

General Hydroponic KoolBloom

Available as Liquid KoolBloom or Dry KoolBloom, this additive is widely regarded as the best bud hardener out there.

You don't want to use liquid nutrients every time you water—use them every other watering, or two waterings on, one off. It depends on the complexity of your soil and the health of your plants. Too many nutrients will damage your plants. Giving weed plants the proper amount of nutrients requires careful monitoring.

You can remove fan leaves during flowering in much the same way you do during veg. Prune away large leaves that are overshadowing bud sites, as well as dead or dying fan leaves. One thing to keep in mind is that you should prune in intervals, giving at least a couple weeks between each session.

Should you remove fan leaves? Yes, removing or pruning some fan leaves is a necessary step when cultivating cannabis healthy plants. When fan leaves become too large or abundant, they block the light and airflow to parts of the plant that can hinder trichome and cannabinoid production.

In these cases the low temperature at the end of flowering has affected the plants, provoking a very notable color change and an increased trichome concentration on the buds.

PRUNING YOUR CANNABIS. Firstly, pruning must only ever take place during the vegetative stage of growth. If you prune during flowering, you will be reducing the amount of energy available to your cannabis plants during bud production, which in turn will result in smaller buds.

Should you trim big cannabis leaves? ›

Removing big branches and leaves

Pruning the larger branches and leaves promotes instant airflow by creating space. It also allows light to reach more of the plant.

After sprouting, it is recommended to water frequently - 2 times a day. But the amount of water should be small - about 200 ml. The fact is that at this time, the root system of marijuana is still very poorly developed and simply cannot extract moisture from the soil.

It is recommended that you wait until your plants have at least four nodes before topping them, and most growers recommend topping the plant above the sixth node.

Dry trimming is the process of pruning cannabis buds after they're dried but before they're cured. In dry trimming, freshly harvested branches are hung upside down in a drying room for around 10 to 14 days until the ideal level of moisture is achieved.

Most growers know the most significant flowers (buds) will grow when sun exposure and airflow are optimal. Knowing that, it makes perfect sense to start your pruning at the lower branches of the plant. Begin at the innermost part of each lower branch, where buds may form but will never get large or dense.

The node is where leaves, buds and shoots emerge from the stem. You should always cut just above a node, as this prevents 'die back' and therefore disease. Also, by cutting above a node you can manipulate new stems, leaves or flowers to form in a desired direction, as nodes form on different sides of a stem.

The vegetative stage in Cannabis plants may last from 3 to 16 weeks, or even more in outdoor crops. Most growers vegetate their indoor plants for 4-8 weeks, depending on the desired plant size. Cannabis plants are usually able to start flowering from the 4th week of the vegetative stage.

You see, during the growing cycle, your plants store excess amounts of nutrients, salts and other compounds. If you don't allow the plants a chance to dispose of these surplus compounds by flushing them before harvest, your final product will be much harsher and more bitter tasting.

Flushing can and should be done at many times throughout your grow. With our feed schedule, we recommend growers flush with pHed water every third feeding. Additionally, you may need to flush your plant if any nutrient lockout occurs due to an excess build up of nutrients in your growing medium.

By flushing your cannabis plants before harvest you can avoid a harsh and unsatisfying end-product. If cannabis plants are not properly flushed, the minerals and nutrients used during the cultivation process are still present. Flushing removes all nutrients and improves the overall quality of your bud.

How do you trim bud like a pro? ›

Pruning increases your crop yield in multiple ways. It eliminates the buds that aren't going to thrive and allows the plant to focus the energy that it would have spent growing them elsewhere. It also gives your plant more space to let natural light in and reach the good leaves.

An average-skilled cannabis trimmer can process at least 300 grams per day, which would yield them 30-50 grams of nugget, or $80-$200. So long as you're working with quality product and have connections, you may be better taking the product, as you could turn around and unload it for up to $10-$20 a gram.

Get enough light – High-intensity lighting is one of the primary reasons that hydroponics growers can produce such big yields compared to traditional gardening. Because light is just as important as food to your plants, you want to make sure you're using the strongest, brightest lights possible.

Magnesium is important for healthy cannabis plants because it helps with light absorption to produce more flowers or buds. Iron and manganese are also useful in helping cannabis plants produce chlorophyll so they'll have more energy to grow bigger buds.

Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus may be the three main nutrients that your cannabis plants need. However, they also need other nutrients like: Magnesium: This nutrient is crucial in photosynthesis. It helps stabilize plant cell walls too.

It is best to harvest cannabis plants in the early morning hours or before your lights turn on. When the time is right, many cannabis growers simply chop the entire plant down at once.

Harvesting based on pistils

If most pistils are white, the marijuana isn't ripe enough for harvest and the bud is still lacking a lot of weight and THC. If all pistils are brown/red, you're actually too late, and the quality of your marijuana will rapidly drop.

Week 5: Buds Grow More and More

This is a good sign that the plant is in full flowering mode. The odor will be very strong at this point. Some of the plant's white pistil hairs may turn into a darker amber or brownish color. Meanwhile, the trichomes of the plant may be becoming opaque as well.

These airy flowers are often the result of suboptimal growing conditions, a lack of light, or nutrient deficiency. Fluffy buds don't only look less appetising, but you'll need to use more of your harvest every time you roll a blunt or hit a bowl.

How do I make my buds crispy? ›

BROWN BAGS AND COMPUTER FANS. Simple brown paper bags, like the kind you get from the bakery, are perfect for drying buds. Especially popcorn buds. If you place a handful or two of freshly manicured smaller nuggets into a paper bag and leave them to dry for 2–3 days your halfway there.

Buds seem to fatten the best when they get plenty of light and fresh air. You've already taken care of light, but you should also ensure your plants get excellent airflow. Air circulation helps control humidity, prevent wet spots, and moves air through the plant and around the buds.

Feeding a plant nitrogen while it is vegging creates a healthy, vibrant plant at a young age that will grow rapidly, which leads to increased yields. Once your plant switches to flowering, decrease your nitrogen levels and increase phosphorus levels to help the buds fully develop and become dense.

Stop Watering 1-3 Days Before Harvest – After flushing, in the final days of harvest, you can further stress your plants by stopping watering. You want to allow the plant to start to wilt just a small amount, because then the plant “thinks” it is dying and as a last-ditch effort, it will increase resin development.

As a general rule, most pinchable plants benefit from one or two good sessions per growing season. Pinch back fall-blooming perennials, such as asters and chrysanthemums, every several weeks, but stop by the 4th of July so they have enough time to produce their signature autumn colors.

Most cannabis strains stretch for around the first 2 weeks of flowering. Some stretchy strains will continue to stretch into the 3rd or even 4th week of bloom. Sativa strains will stretch more than indicas. A sativa may double or even triple her height during bloom whereas an indica may increase her height by 50%-100%.

Know where to pinch.

Plants grow buds at the base of each leaf, just above the point where the leaf connects to the stem. This is called a node. The stem between each pair of leaves on a plant is called the internode. To stimulate these buds to open and form new branches, remove the growth just above the leaves.

Pinching is a form of pruning. You can do it with no other tool than your fingertips and fingernails, although if you have a lot of pinching to do, clean scissors or shears will save your manicure. By “pinching,” I mean actually removing the new tender growth at the end of a stem.

A pinch method is a form of self-acupressure. In theory, you pinch yourself, and it instantly resets your blood sugar. The idea has circulated fairly widely in complementary medicine circles and among people who are looking for easy ways to control their blood sugar.

Flushing involves giving your cannabis plants straight pHed water instead of a nutrient solution. Flushing can and should be done at many times throughout your grow. With our feed schedule, we recommend growers flush with pHed water every third feeding.

How do you thicken plant stems? ›

If you notice that the trichomes fell off, you let the plant grow too long and most of the cannabinoids are gone meaning you won't get the THC or CBD effects and will have to start over with a new batch. Trichomes turn from cloudy white to brown once THC begins to weaken.

You should only start thinking about harvesting buds after your cannabis plant has been flowering for at least six weeks. On average, cannabis is mature after around eight weeks of flowering, but the duration to maturity varies from strain to strain.

THE FINAL 2 WEEKS OF FLOWERING. If you grow strains with an average flowering time, the majority of bud development will occur by the 6th week of bloom. In the last two weeks, the buds will mostly be ripening and not really growing much more in size.