Up within the Mendocino Highlands, harvest usually begins in late September or early October, relying on the cultivar. Some ladies wish to are available early, and a few could stretch it out till early November. Right here at Swami Choose, we had an Ethiopian Sativa one yr that completed after Thanksgiving—not what you need due to the elevated chance of fog, rain or frost that late within the season.
That is the tensest time of yr, as a result of there are nonetheless so many ways in which you possibly can lose some or the entire crop. Within the outdated days, the paranoia was palpable as October arrived. Whereas the crop ripened, day by day that you simply waited to chop elevated the possibilities of getting busted by the cops or being robbed by “marijuana rustlers.”
Potential Threats
We nonetheless have to be vigilant for different threats similar to russet mites, aphids and latent hop syndrome. If the rains begin in September, or the mornings deliver heavy fog, mould and powdery mildew could develop. For the latter, foliar spraying with hydrogen peroxide might help, however the perfect preventative is spraying with a fermentation of horsetail beginning in June.
Frost will also be a risk. The later into October and November the harvest extends, the extra probably a heavy frost will hit, particularly in mountain valleys. Most hardy vegetation can survive one early morning frost if it’s only within the mid-twenties, however two or three frosts will kill many vegetation. Be ready to cowl every plant with frost material and they’re going to survive.
Lately in California and Oregon, outside crops face an extra risk from wildfires, which suggests you might want to have an evacuation plan on your crew, plus a survival plan for the crop. An automatic irrigation system will preserve the ladies alive if you might want to bail.
If the crop will get dusted with white ash from the fires, use a leaf blower to blow it off the leaves after which spray with diluted hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). If the smoke at harvest is dense for days, after slicing and weighing every plant, dip every department in dilute H2O2 after which dip in clear water; then cling to dry outdoors earlier than bringing the branches into the drying room.
Yellow leafing the vegetation is paramount, and on the day earlier than harvest, pull off many of the solar leaves from the vegetation you’ll take. As the times get shorter, preserve slicing again on water, except it’s super-hot, and cease feeding or utilizing compost teas every week to 10 days earlier than harvest.
The Science (and Artwork) of Harvesting Hashish
Assuming that you simply’ve achieved all of the preparations talked about within the earlier article, you now should devise the precise process of harvest. This includes a number of steps:
- Deciding the precise second to chop every plant.
- Whether or not to take the entire plant or make two or three cuttings.
- The best way to transport the reduce vegetation to the drying facility.
- For authorized growers in California, weigh and file the moist weight instantly after slicing.
- The best way to preserve observe of every particular person plant and never lose its Metrc tag.
Each farmer has their methodology of deciding when to chop. We harvest at nighttime— very early within the morning—in order that we end that day’s slicing earlier than first gentle. This ensures the utmost saturation of all of the fragrant compounds within the plant, as a result of they off-gas in the course of the day.
When it’s clear that the “ladies” are shut to reap, as our crew is yellow leafing, I actually ask every plant individually if it’s prepared to come back in. With no judgement preferences as to who needs to be reduce subsequent, I exploit kinesiology (aka muscle testing) to find out who will get reduce the following day.
Sturdy muscle resistance is “Sure” and weak is “No.” I contact a leaf on a plant and ask: “Are you preparedto come back in tomorrow?” Sturdy response. Then I ask once more: “Do you need to come back in tomorrow?” Sturdy response. Then a 3rd time I ask: “Would you relatively keep for a number of extra days?” Weak response. The reply to the primary two inquiries is “Sure!” and to the third is “No!” so I mark that plant for harvest and write down the variety of its mattress on an inventory for the morning’s harvest. If quite the opposite, the solutions are “No,” No,” and “Sure,” then I depart the plant for a later day.
The crew begins at about 5 a.m., donning heat garments and gloves. With head lamps on and clippers in hand, we take the entire plant, full department by full department. That’s, except it’s a really small plant after which we simply reduce and cling the entire thing. The stalk is left within the mattress till springtime.
Harvest Day
Some farmers reduce simply the highest 10 to 12 inches off every department and depart the remaining to mature for an additional week or two. We don’t do this as a result of it’s troublesome to maintain observe of two cuttings at totally different instances to report back to Metrc.
We often reduce about 20 vegetation on every harvest day and reduce for 3 days in a row. To move them to the barn we use a 6×12 foot trailer, which I hook as much as the automotive and park subsequent to the backyard gate the night time prior.
Once we arrive on the backyard within the morning, we break up into two groups. One goes round to the designated vegetation and cuts away the trellises by clipping the nylon zip ties and pulling away the horizontal bamboo sticks. The opposite crew picks the vegetation closest to the backyard gate, cuts away the trellises and proceeds to reap the entire plant. When the primary crew is completed slicing away the trellises on the designated 20 vegetation, they swap over to harvesting additionally.
Transporting the Harvest
We’ve got 20 clear blue tarps, one for every plant. At midnight, the tarp is laid on the bottom subsequent to the chosen plant with the reduce branches gently laid on the tarp. When completed, we use carabiners to hook the tarp grommets collectively to make a big pouch. For authorized growers, the carabiner is the place to connect the blue Metrc tag, which should stick with every plant till it turns into a batch.
The tarp is carried to the trailer, and when full, we drive the trailer to the again of the barn, unload and return for extra. To stop any crushing of the vegetation, we’re cautious to not pile them up too excessive within the trailer.
The carabiner holding the tarp collectively additionally simply goes over the hook on the dimensions for weighing the entire moist plant, required for authorized California cultivators. We connect a 4×6 beam between two bushes, cling the dimensions within the center and use a small ladder to achieve the dimensions. Apart from the load, we word the Metrc quantity, the mattress quantity, and the cultivar of every plant.
Drying Time
After weighing, the tarp is carried into the barn and the vegetation are held on nylon netting hung from the ceiling, and the blue Metrc tag is hooked up to the netting.
By the point the final plant is within the barn, the solar is simply beginning to come up and we head to the home for a hearty breakfast of pancakes or cheese omelets. After breakfast, we return to the backyard and collect up the bamboo trellis sticks to avoid wasting for subsequent yr.
Keep tuned for the following article about correct drying and curing strategies. Blissful Harvest!
