Trichomes are the set of white crystalline hairs that are not always immediately visible to the naked eye.
To determine the quality of your CBD flower you will need to assess whether those tiny crystals on the plant are intact or if they have been machine cut and sawn.
In fact, the best quality legal cannabis should be strictly hand-cut.
It is in the trichomes that you will find your THC and CBD.
In addition to producing these cannabinoids, which determine the potency and properties of a flower, trichomes also produce resin.
But that’s not all! They are also responsible for storing essential oils and terpenes, special compounds that give CBD flowers their aroma and flavor.
So, if your CBD hemp flowers are densely packed with ripe trichomes and have a “sugary” appearance
You are almost certainly holding a potent, high-quality Cannabis in your hands.
The quantity of trichomes is proportional to the quality of legal hemp flowers.
In the world of legal hemp, in order to get quality crops from which to make CBD oil, hashish and fragrant inflorescences, it is important to know exactly the right time to harvest.
If you get the timing wrong when you start cutting the buds, you risk ruining months and months of effort.
If the world of legal cannabis fascinates you and you want to know more about one of the crucial moments in the work of cannabis growers, here you can read about how to know when trichomes are ripe and why it is important to know.
When it comes to cannabis (both illegal and CBD cannabis)
One of the words you’ve probably heard mentioned most often is “trichomes.”
But what does trichomes mean? And what are trichomes?
They are small stems with a mushroom-shaped end that mainly cover the inflorescences and leaves of the plant.
Although the word trichomes comes from the Greek and means “growth of hairs” one should not confuse these components with pistils, much longer filaments visible to the naked eye in the flowering stage.
Now you are probably wondering how to observe trichomes, since we wrote earlier that they are invisible.
In order to see them you need to use a microscope or a magnifying glass (also using a good camera and zooming).
But despite their small size, these little filaments are really very important!
Why?
First of all the trichomes are responsible for the production of resin, cannabinoids and terpenes, all substances and aromas of cannabis that make it so popular in many different areas and from which legal hashish, CBD etc. are made.
Trichomes also play a decisive role in plant protection due to the production of these substances:
the resin protects against harmful UV rays, wind and attacks by insects and pests,ù
But also the scent of terpenes discourages attacks by rodents and various insects.
In addition, they are able to offer canapiculturists some fundamental information about the characteristics of the inflorescences!
Let’s see how mature or developing trichomes communicate with the canapiculturists, they can be considered real communicators of cannabis plants.
In addition to having a decisive role in the health of the plant, these small filaments that apparently resemble the effect of frost, based on the appearance they assume, can give plant breeders indications about the state of ripening of the inflorescences, the type of cannabinoids developed and the quantity (in an indicative way).
Like many other plants and plant appendages, they rely on color to signal when their biochemical activities are complete.
Or more precisely, cannabis and hemp growers follow the progress of trichome “factories”
based on their color changes, timing their harvesting activity to ensure maximum yield in quantity and quality.
If this sounds absurd, below you can better understand why it is important to recognize mature trichomes.
- Trichomes.
When trichomes are still young, examining them with a magnifying glass they appear transparent and translucent. At this stage the hemp has not yet produced enough cannabinoids and terpenes, so harvesting the buds at this stage would be a mistake. - Opid and milky.
But as the trichomes mature and begin to produce cannabinoids, their appearance changes as well: they go from transparent and shiny to opaque, they also take on a whitish coloration.
At this stage in light cannabis crops a high concentration of CBD develops, in illicit weed plants THC prevails. - Ambers.
When you start dealing with the first amber trichomes you can finally talk about trichomes ready for harvest. At this stage trichomes have undergone a further change, therefore they start to produce a series of substances with a more calming and sedative effect and less “energizing” and “euphorizing”.
They are also ready to be harvested.
In most cases the ideal time for harvesting is when the trichomes are ripe, but not totally amber.
Harvesting buds and ” sugar leaves” covered in mixed trichomes allows you to get a well-balanced mix of cannabinoids, terpenes and aromas.
This is why recognizing mature trichomes is critical.
When these little resin-producing hairs are still developing
The flowers are still unscented and the cannabinoids are also scarce or poorly balanced.
In addition to this, it should be noted that some cannabis genetics possess trichomes that apparently do not mature, because they remain white. In reality this is a peculiarity, but to give an indication of the correct maturity of the flowers there are also the pistils
Long filaments that become amber when they mature.
Now you know the importance of mature trichomes.
If you have ever come across very fragrant hemp light inflorescences, it means that they were picked at the right time, when the trichomes were ripe enough.
On the other hand, when you happen to smell an unscented inflorescence
It means that it was harvested too early or too late.
In short, the ripeness of the trichomes can really make a difference.