CBD is more popular than ever, which means more people are growing hemp flowers for CBD than ever before. If you’re harvesting hemp for CBD production, ensure your yield is strong and potent with our tips!

Test Early and Often

The key to harvesting hemp for ideal CBD production is knowing when the flower is at its peak maturity to yield the richest and most potent levels of CBD. Many factors determine when the hemp flower is ready for harvest—nutrient levels in the soil, environmental conditions—so you should treat each crop individually.

There are general timeframes and guidelines for when a hemp crop is ready for harvest. Still, the only way to ensure maximum CBD production and maturity is to test early and often. Let’s learn how to verify the maturity of hemp flowers.

How To Test Buds for Ripe CBD Production: Trichome Analysis

The best and most accurate test for hemp flower maturity is trichome analysis. The trichomes are the tiny hairs that grow on the hemp flower—they start as translucent but eventually change color as the plant ripens.

Use a microscope or magnifying glass to look at the trichomes on your hemp flower. If they’re still clear, they’re too young for harvest—but if the trichomes are a milky white or golden yellow, they’re at the ideal maturity for harvest.

Pro Tip: The trichomes may also have a brownish hue—another sign of maturity. Once the trichomes turn amber, however, the CBD quality degrades.

Store and Cure Hemp Harvest for Maximum CBD Production

Your job isn’t done after harvesting the ripe hemp flower. There are two options after harvest—dry trimming or wet trimming.

We recommend dry trimming or “curing” because it enhances the hemp flower’s potency, flavors, and aroma. Store the hemp harvest in a climate-controlled area (approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit is best) that’s well-ventilated. Hold the harvest for about one to two months, allowing the hemp to dry and enhance its CBD profile.

Increase Efficiency With Sorting Equipment

After the hemp is cured and ready for trimming and sorting, you may consider some equipment to increase your operation’s efficiency. Cutting and sorting by hand is time-consuming and meticulous, especially if you’ve got a large operation and harvest.

A bud separator, however, can cut down your operation’s trimming and sorting time to a fraction of what it was by hand without sacrificing quality. Our sorters accurately organize the buds into distinct sizes without vibration or moving parts, so there’s no damage to your bud harvest.