Trimming cannabis is a great way to connect with them. Why trimming marijuana is important? Trimming is a necessary step in the drying process. Basically, you remove all excess, not-useful foliage and save the more valuable buds (although trimmings can be turned into useful things too like shake or to be used in baking!). In this article, we will show you why you need to trim, how to trim the plants and the details of trimming.
Wet vs. dry cannabis trimming
There are two ways of trimming cannabis, and each of them has its pros and cons.
Wet cannabis trimming
Wet trimming is cutting down your weed leaves after the harvest period. Trim your plant’s buds, put them on a drying rack for a few days, and air dry them to a useful point.
Dry cannabis trimming
Dry trimming is cutting down your plant and hanging them on a rack while the buds are still attached to the stems, and then allowing them to dry for days. When your buds are dried appropriately, take the buds off the branches and then trim them down to their use size.
| Way of trimming | Pros | Cons |
|
Wet cannabis trimming
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It is easy to remove branches and leaves during wet trimming as the plant keeps its structural integrity. | Wet trimming will make your hands very sticky. I recommend you wear a pair of gloves. Trichomes will stick on to your fingers so use rubbing alcohol or coconut oil before you start trimming. |
| Wet trimming removes a bulk of the foliage so it can save you a lot of space when drying and is probably useful for people who don’t have a lot of room for drying. | Drying racks can dry cannabis unevenly because airflow cannot enter beneath buds, so if you don’t have a good drying rack (or if you dry your cannabis on a non-porous surface) you may encourage rot. | |
| Wet trimming will also give you a tighter and more beautiful-looking final product. | Drying racks are another cost and you’ll need to find a specific place (like your closet) to hang the rack. | |
| Dry cannabis trimming | In an arid climate, keeping leaves will slow the drying process and will stabilize trichomes and other chemical compounds making your cannabis better quality over time. | Trichomes will be less sticky and messy in the process of dry trimming and so it can be easy to break trichomes. |
| Dry trimming is usually easier and not as sticky as wet trimming. | Drying trimming will take up more space wherever you hang your plants than a drying rack, but luckily not as much as you think. | |
| You can hang your cannabis on coat hangers by their branches, making dry trimming really convenient |
How do I trim cannabis buds?
Whether you use wet trimming or dry trimming, the process of trimming buds is the same.
Step 1: Cut down the plant and cut off branches
Using a solid pair of pruning shears, cut off branches, and break down the plant into smaller pieces.
For dry trimming, you’ll hang the plant for about 3-7 days, prepare for drying now.
For wet trimming, ignore the drying process right now, just jump to step 2.
Step 2: Remove fan leaves
Fan leaves are the large, primary leaves of the plant, with five or seven points.
For dry trimming, you just need to cut off them.
For wet trimming, it is quicker to use your hands to pull them off the plant—you can also use heavy-duty scissors.
Step 3: Buck buds from the branch
Bucking means after fan leaves are off the plant, cut off the buds from those branches. Collect all the branches, stems, and fan leaves, and make sure to compost them later.
Step 4: Trim buds
Lastly, trim the buds. Break down the buds into pieces if they are too big. A giant bud might look pretty but in order to avoid mold we suggest you break them down to dry buds evenly.
When you do the trimming, trim the stem at the bottom of the bud, try not to break down the bud. Remove the leaves from the bottom—these ones look like little bird feet (the sugar leaves). Make sure your scissors are at the right angle, trim off the extra plant matter, and manicure the bud. After finishing trimming, put the buds on a separate tray and keep the trimmings for butter or other uses.
Hand-trimmed vs. Machine-trimmed weed
We all know trimming marijuana is important, but there are two ways of trimming weed, by hand or by machine. As a home grower, you are likely to hand trim. Commercial growers mostly use machine trimmers such as a trimming bowl, because they are more efficient for a large number of buds.
| Pros | Cons | |
| Hand-trimmed marijuana | Cheap and more precise—delicate buds require hand trimming | It’s messy—a lot of rubbing alcohol or coconut oil is needed |
| Show the qualities of each strain by shaping Individual buds | It is time-consuming | |
| Easily find out Issues like mold or insects | You’ll probably need extra help from your buddies | |
| Machine-trimmed marijuana | It is easy | It is hard to be accurate |
| Saves time and energy and, if you are a business or have a lot to trim, it will save you money in the amount of time and labor | Machine trimming can affect potency and flavor by blowing away trichomes | |
| Less messy – machine trimmers can collect trimmings easily and are easy to clean | There will be a chance that stems and seeds can still get into the finished buds |
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
And be sure to check out our other blog posts for useful tips on becoming a great grower!
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