Ways to Increase Trichome Production

Although the cannabis plant is a hardy beast, paying attention to its health is important to produce a healthy plant with high levels of Trichomes. Trichomes are a sticky gooey substance produced by the cannabis plant during the flowering stage and are responsible for the strength of the psychedelic effect obtained from ingesting cannabis.

This substance also offers a self-defense mechanism that protects it from the sun’s UV rays as well as insects, bugs, fungi, and ensures the plant grows properly. The beneficial side effect of this production is, the more Trichomes the plant has, the healthier and more potent your cannabis plant will be. These Trichomes also have additional benefits to improve smell and flavor.

There are a variety of different options to help the plant produce more Trichomes. Should you have the option of choosing a specific gene or strain, this will stand you in good stead as having a good genetic background is almost half the battle won. Good genes that produce an abundance of Trichomes are the goal in this case. A few good strains to consider would be, Lemon Shining Silver Haze or Chemdawg, both of which are relatively easy to grow.

Growing Environment

Once your genetic makeup is all sorted, lighting would be the next best element to pay attention to. The environment that your plant grows in is a major contributing factor, as without a suitable amount of light, being it artificial or from sunlight, the plant cannot produce sufficient Trichomes and your yield will fail. So potentially the best-growing environment will have maximum sunlight and living in the tropics or equatorial areas is ideal. Unfortunately, not all of us live there, so adjustments need to be made for different growing environments around the world.

If you’re growing indoors, the use of appropriate LED lighting will still have a dramatic impact on the Trichome production on your plant, even though they do not have the UV-B light, which the sun produces. If the only source of light is LED then it is important to continually monitor your plant’s health, as ongoing exposure to this light can cause the plant to stress a little, which is okay, as a mild amount of stress triggers the production of Trichomes, which makes for a better harvest. However high-grade stress can damage the plant, so make sure to keep a reasonable degree of lighting.

There are a few other factors that can be considered when trying to up the Trichome production in cannabis plants, these are temperature and humidity. This is a viable consideration if you have the ability to fully control the environment at all stages, by mildly stressing the plants with elevated levels of humidity to around 30% and keeping the temperature at about 26°C should greatly increase Trichome levels. Higher temperature levels could also negatively impact the Trichome potency. By regularly smelling your plants is a good indication if the temperature is correct, as strange aromas may suggest that the levels are too high.

Timing the Harvest

Planning your harvest is also an important aspect to consider, as there are various stages to look out for to determine the correct time to harvest your buds. Ideally, this is during the last few weeks of the flowering stage. At this point, one needs to pay close attention to the color of the Trichomes, as there are a few tell-tale signs that will help determine when to harvest. Unfortunately, these changes cannot be seen with the naked eye and a magnifying glass needs to be used. Trichomes tend to change in their appearance and color as they near the correct time of harvest.

At the first stage, the Trichomes will be more translucent than white, more time needs to be given to allow them to start taking on a milky white appearance. This is still not time to harvest as they still need to change from milky white to cloudy white. The decision to start harvesting is at this stage, however, one can still wait to get the optimum effects by allowing the Trichomes to start turning an amber color.  This is by far the best time to harvest to get maximum effects, however, the yield may not be as good.

The process of getting the best possible Trichome production from your cannabis plant can be a challenging one, but with perseverance and patience, it is achievable. If you stick to certain guidelines and pay close attention, you will have a happy plant that will reward your efforts.