The BudTrainer Method™ Lesson #7

When & How to Trim & Cure Hemp

(works with AUTOFLOWERS)

Written by cannabis production expert Henrique Dias - Updated on Sep 20, 2024

In the image, we see a person wearing blue gloves holding a trimmed cannabis bud. The person is wearing a black apron or shirt with the “BudTrainer” logo in the background, making the context related to growing or processing cannabis. The bud appears well-trimmed, with visible trichomes and a reddish tint in the hairs, indicating maturity.

DISCLAIMER:Everything taught and sold by BudTrainer® is to be used strictly for legal purposes. We do not endorse the production of illegal substances and it is your duty to ensure that you are complying with the law. The words "hemp", "cannabis", "weed", and "marijuana" are used interchangeably to refer to the same plant (legal hemp with less than 0.3% THC) for the purposes of this lesson.


Perfecting Your Harvest with Trimming & Curing

Proper trimming ensures that your buds are clean, potent, and ready to enjoy, while careful curing locks in flavor and potency. Rushing through this process can lead to harsh smoke and degraded cannabinoids, but when done right, you’ll be rewarded with smooth, flavorful, and potent cannabis that showcases your hard work. Let’s go through the steps to make sure your harvest is finished with perfection.

Tools & Materials

  1. Plastic tray for trim
  2. Disposable gloves
  3. Trimming scissors
  4. Glass jars
  5. 2-way humidity packs
Essential tools for trimming and curing cannabis: a black tray (1), disposable gloves (2), trimming shears (3), an airtight glass jar (4), and a humidity control packet (5)

How to Trim Cannabis

Ideally, you want to trim your cannabis to the same standards you would like to buy it from the store, and your own visual cue will be your guide. We are very picky about our trimming, so we always make sure our flowers look amazing. Make sure to wear disposable gloves every time you are going to work with your sticky buds. The plant used in this lesson is dried, but the same technique can be used on a wet plant.

A wooden table with a bowl full of trimmed cannabis buds on their stems is placed next to a pair of black pruning shears. To the side, some empty stems lie on the table, indicating that the trimming process is ongoing. The background shows a clean and organized workspace, likely part of a cannabis drying or trimming operation.


Step 1: Cutting Off Branches

If you harvested your plant whole, now is the time to cut it up into branches. For this, we usually like to set aside a tray where we can chop all branches into. If you harvested your plant branch-by-branch, just place the branches into a similar tray.

A person is trimming branches from a cannabis plant using pruning shears. The text on the image reads “CUT ALL BRANCHES OFF MAIN STALK,” indicating this is a step in preparing the plant for drying or curing. The wooden table beneath the hands holds a collection of cannabis branches full of buds, and the focus is on the cutting action being performed with the shears.


Step 2: Cutting Off Buds

After you finish cutting your branches into a tray, it’s time to cut each bud at the base of the branch and separate them into another tray, or pile. We like to further divide them between a “small buds” pile and a “large buds” pile to save the best for last.

Please note: if you are wet trimming and drying your plant branch-by-branch, you can skip this step. However, if you are drying your buds on a drying rack or a net, then you can perform this step as instructed.

A person wearing blue gloves is using pruning shears to cut cannabis buds off a branch. The text on the image says “CUT ALL BUDS OFF EACH BRANCH.” Below, a bowl holds trimmed buds that have already been removed from their branches. This image illustrates the trimming process after harvesting cannabis.


Step 3: Trimming Fan Leaves

Once your buds are all cut away from the branches, trim all larger dry fan leaves by touching the tip of your scissors on the stem of the leaf, sliding the blade all the way to the main stalk, and then cutting the leaf at the very base. Make sure to do this on top of a tray to catch all of the trimmings.

A person wearing blue gloves is using a pair of scissors to trim large fan leaves off a cannabis bud. The text on the image reads “TRIM ALL LARGE FAN LEAVES,” with an arrow pointing to the base of the bud where the trimming occurs. This illustrates a step in the post-harvest process to clean up buds by removing unnecessary large leaves.


Step 4: Manicuring Sugar Leaves

Once you are done cutting all the fan leaves on a branch, it is time to start manicuring (AKA trimming at a precise scale) the sugar leaves that are sticking out of the bud. When cutting sugar leaves, place your trimmers in a position that you can easily open and close at a fast speed, almost like a hair buzzer operating, and cut away.

In this image, a person wearing blue gloves is holding a cannabis bud and using scissors to manicure the sugar leaves. The text on the image reads “MANICURE ALL SUGAR LEAVES,” indicating that this step involves carefully trimming the smaller, resin-covered sugar leaves around the bud to enhance its appearance and quality.


Your Buds Are Going to Look Amazing

After you check off Steps 1, 2, 3, and 4, it means your buds are trimmed, manicured, and looking finished - whatever that happens to be for you. However, this is not all. After trimming, it just means your plant is officially ready for drying (if you are doing a wet trim) or curing (if you are doing a dry trim).

When Is Curing Finished?

Curing usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, and this amount of time depends on how much you dried your plants before. Cannabis can be cured for only 1 week and be ready for consumption, or it can cure for 3 weeks and still need longer to go. In our experience, 2 weeks is the ideal time to cure before consuming.

Since every strain is different, the easiest way to tell is by consuming a small nug after each week, until you are happiest with the experience. We find that “putting it to the test” is the best way to tell when your plants are really ready to go.

P.S. Don't forget to label your jars!

This image displays a close-up of a dense cannabis bud against a completely black background. The bud is frosty with visible trichomes and orange pistils, showcasing its resinous, crystal-covered surface. The lighting accentuates the texture and details of the bud, with the green leaves and orange hairs standing out vividly. The BudTrainer logo is subtly visible in the lower right corner.


You Now Have Some Top-Shelf Buds

Harvesting, drying, trimming, and curing are the most laborious parts of the entire growing process, and while the concepts are simple it is still extremely important to do them right. Now that you have accomplished all 7 steps of the BudTrainer Method™, it’s time to sit back and enjoy your results. 

Learn to Grow Big Buds

And be the first to hear about new articles, product releases, and special events.

About The Author

Henrique Dias with sunglasses on the head and a background of an indoor grow tent filled with cannabis plants inside the BudPots

Henrique, the CEO of BudTrainer®, is a mechanical engineer with a commercial cannabis production post-grad, and is also a former commercial cannabis consultant. 

H takes plant science principles and breaks them down into simple steps for home growers to achieve the same results as the pros and grow the highest-quality cannabis.

The BudTrainer Method™

Continue Learning

The BudTrainer Method™

Lesson #6

How to Harvest & Dry Cannabis

Go to Previous

The BudTrainer Method™

Basics

Cannabis Growing Basics

Go to Next