It’s challenging to determine the ideal cannabis harvest window. A batch of flowers picked too early will be flavourless and weak. If you wait too long, you’ll get overripe buds, which is the same problem but on the other side of the spectrum.

How do you choose the best moment to reap the rewards of your labour? by keeping an eye on the plant and being aware of the mature marijuana plant’s telltale signs.

Don’t let your buds age past their prime by joining us for an overview of the cannabis ripening process.

The maturation of marijuana buds

The buds and resin production is exciting during the cannabis plant’s flowering stage. Additionally, it’s a delicate time that calls for extreme caution to prevent stress and weed plants that are overripe or underripe.

Typically, marijuana takes 7 to 12 weeks to bloom. The exact figure depends on the surroundings, the amount of sunlight, and the strain you’ve chosen. Around week seven, you will probably notice ripeness signals if you grow from indica seeds. Sativa landraces could finish in 13–15 weeks.

What occurs between the first buds and fully mature cannabis is as follows:

• By week four, plants are fully bloomed. At the internodes, buds appear.
• The crop is no longer stretching by week six. Previously delicate flowers started to thicken.
• Colas begin to mature in the eighth week. Shortly after, the pistils start to turn brown.
• After week eight, resin takes centre stage. The odour intensifies and permeates the entire room.
• Then, in weeks nine or ten, 10% of the trichomes are amber, the orange pistils curl inward, and the surface is covered in resin. All other conditions result in overripe buds; these three indicate ideal ripeness.

Typical indications of overripe weed buds

Cannabis harvesting requires a great deal of observation and some educated guesswork. If you know where to look, your crop will tell you when it is past its prime. Here are some of the overripe marijuana’s most typical symptoms.

The general health of the weed plant

A growth spurt is one of the initial indicators of the flowering stage. Your plant develops numerous bud sites as this phase continues. After a few weeks, it stops producing most of its fan leaves and loses its chlorophyll content.

Late blooming has lost its vibrant greenery, but the plant is still in good health. When you get to the stadium of overripe weed, your crops look brittle, dry, and brown.

Trichome colour

Cannabis trichomes serve as cannabinoid production facilities. These glands produce resin rich in THC, CBD, and terpenes, giving flowers their alluring appearance and aroma.

As a plant matures, its resin takes on an amber hue to reflect changes in its chemical makeup. At the height of their ripeness, only about 10% of the trichomes are amber; the remainder is milky white and cloudy. Trichomes on overripe buds are entirely brown, with some veering towards black.

The smell

As cannabis matures, terpenes accumulate in resin heads, where they produce a potent aroma. Your garden is fragrant during harvest time and nearly impossible to mask without a carbon filter.

Trichomes past their prime smell slightly fermented and seem past their prime. Expected scents like fruit, skunk, or pine become a little weaker. This sickly note can be eliminated, and some flavour profiles can be restored through proper drying and curing.

Bud appearance

Yellow-orange flowers become mature. They are covered in sugar leaves and have a lot of crystalline trichomes.

The flowers’ expected faded green and orange is replaced by brown due to ageing. They not only change hues but also seem small and shrivelled. If flowering lasts too long, the stems become brittle and bend, and the colas hang off to the side.

Note: Overripe outdoor buds may turn purple or blue as the days get shorter and colder.

What happens if harvest is put off too long?

You are now aware of the appearance of overripe cannabis buds. But what do they suggest for your yield?

Depending on how far the maturation process proceeds, various potential outcomes exist. It can be as minor as having a less robust supply or as disastrous as destroying an entire batch!

Overripe buds can still be used in most cases, but they are definitely past their prime. Potency, bag aesthetics, and smoke quality could be better. Water loss from the colas lowers yield weight and volume.

The quality of the crop also affects the outcome. When you purchase cannabis seeds from a reputable seed bank like Mediseed Man, you get plants that can withstand prolonged flowering and other stresses. 

Can I smoke from buds that are too ripe?

You recognise that you have a batch of overripe buds on your hands as you read the telltale signs. Are you about to waste your time and effort cultivating?

Not always—it all depends on how far gone they are.

Generally speaking, discard any specimens with brown or mouldy leaves. They will emit a foul aftertaste and thick, harsh smoke. While degrading marijuana is not toxic, it is hardly a flavorful experience.

You may continue to use marijuana if

• The sugar leaves still have some green colour.
• The colour of overripe trichomes has not changed.
• The smell is faint but not sickly or particularly offensive.

In this case, the difference between early-harvested and overripe buds is minimal. Although unimpressive, the experience is not harmful.

Remain particularly mindful of drying and curing. After all, you want to protect the terpenes and remaining cannabinoids.

THC deteriorates with time and transforms into the sedative and non-psychoactive compound CBN. In addition to having weaker effects, overripe cannabis may cause you to feel incredibly sleepy. Eating it is okay, but save the ganja for late at night.

Say goodbye to overripe marijuana.

Cannabis buds that are too ripe are not the end of the world. The majority of them are still smokeable, despite their diminished power. Additionally, they impart to you some essential knowledge regarding weed plants.

Learn the telltale signs of maturation and use that knowledge along with the anticipated flowering period for your strain. You’ll consistently hit the harvest window if you remain vigilant during ripening the last few weeks.

Why not put the theory into practice now that you have it? To purchase high-quality Australian seeds, stop by our store here at Mediseed Man. Watch this space for more guides on cannabis-related topics on our blog.