Pruning Cannabis the Right Way

Growing cannabis plants is a rewarding and fulfilling work people come around, especially for growers who smoke their cannabis grow. Growing cannabis plant does necessarily mean that you’ll just plant the seed and wait for it to fully mature, that’s not the case. Most cannabis farmers do lots of stuff to achieve the full potential of their growth. To achieve that, pruning is needed. That’s why in this article, we’ll teach you the basics and importance of pruning cannabis the right way.

There are certain things you need to do to achieve a favorable outcome once the harvest season is done, and that is pruning. Pruning is the act of cutting excess plant matters from the plant itself. There are certain factors why pruning is needed to achieve great yields. Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered! Read down below

What is Pruning?

As we’ve mentioned earlier, pruning is the act of cutting excess parts of the plant – this can be also called grooming. Pruning for Marijuana is clearing parts of branches and leaves to give way for sunlight to penetrate inside the plant as most parts of the cannabis plant inside are covered with these. As we all know, sunlight is needed for the overall health of the plant.

Also, pruning is like cutting dead leaves that also allow the cannabis plant to breathe peacefully since it isn’t constricting with all its unnecessary branches and leaves. One great thing about pruning cannabis plants is to give more nutrition for parts of the plant that have no sunlight access. It also helps distinguish new buds that needed protection and nutrients from the sun as well.

This means that pruning is paving the way for new buds and leaves to form abundantly and leaving all those dying leaves behind. Besides, pruning cannabis plants give them a better appearance and overall quality of life.

However, pruning isn’t compulsory: rather, it is the choice of growers and farmers to make. Pruning requires in-depth knowledge about what you are doing and everything in between. You can’t just simply cut whatever and wherever you want. There’s always science to it. That’s why pruning isn’t highly recommended for beginners as mistakes may often occur than progress. It is important to ask for tips and advice from experienced growers when you want to prune your plant.

For beginners, it is better to leave the plant alone rather than risk damaging the entire plant. Besides, nothing will happen to the plant if you don’t prune it. It will live on its own without pruning. Pruning is just a decision growers make to achieve their desirable yields that are jam-packed with THC content.

When is the Appropriate Time to Prune Marijuana Plants?

Not only do you need proper knowledge of pruning Marijuana plants but also knowing when is the right time to prune them. One common signal that it is the time to prune them is when they get thicker or bushier. This phase often starts during the second or third week of their growth phase. Sativa plants are known to grow much quicker compared to Indica plants. However, one feature about Sativa is that they tend to stretch quite a bit and have thinly-shaped leaves and outstretched branches.

Indica plants are known to be rigorously meticulous when pruning. Indica tends to grow wide leaves that are short, stocky, and vigorous. One piece of advice when growing marijuana plants, do not prune during the second week of their flowering phase. Pruning during this period will only stress the plant and will affect your overall yield. So, to avoid stressing the plants out, make a specific schedule to follow the right time and proper procedure to prune them.

Marijuana Pruning Guide

Aside from cutting dead leaves out, it is also important to prune specific parts of the plant. The primary goal of pruning the plant is to create proper airflow and sunlight exposure inside the plant. For the most part, stems and branches placed lower inside the plant are the best candidates to prune. It is because they don’t get too much sunlight anyways, pruning them could give way to other leaves and branches to grow. It is also advisable to cut off new shoots to give way for them to grow new stalks. That’s why you should put importance on the proper pruning cannabis the right way.

Before pruning, be sure to have every cutting materials needed. One of the best products to cut cannabis leaves and branches are scissors and a sharp cutter. Always make sure that your materials are sharp enough to produce clean-cut and easily slash away leaves and branches. Cleaner cuts tend to heal faster. Before you start pruning, be sure to sanitize your equipment to avoid infecting plants.

Next, the ideal targets to be cut first are the biggest branches you could find in the plant as they tend to cover sunlight and air the most. It may look like you are wasting cannabis plants but you are doing the right thing. Always take time cutting them and avoid hasty cuttings as you may cut new leaves and branches.

Then, the next best targets for cutting are those leaves in the middle. Branches in the middle aren’t as powerful as compared to the top. It is better to just get rid of them. Now when every wide leaf is cut, you can have a clear view of dead or dying leaves. When you spot one, cut them too!

You can also try a method for pruning, which is topping. The idea is to cut the central shoots at the top to make way for additional shoots and twigs. When topping, be sure to cut only the newest shoots to minimize the initial damage done to the plant. When a plant is severely damaged because of improper cutting, the plant puts its effort into healing itself rather than focus on growing.

Another technique is fimming, the idea is cutting two-thirds of the newest shoots. Although this might give slight damage to your cannabis plants, it will make way for more shoots to grow in a matter of days, around 4 to 5 days and the plant will recover from fimming. One drawback of fimming is that it won’t get tall as you would’ve liked but their leaves would get wider and bushier. Fimming is common to Indica plants as they are known to be short and stocky.

With these three steps, pruning, fimming, topping, you can have a better overall output of your yield. Training yourself to properly prune your plants will give you better yields for your future growth. These techniques are quite labor-intensive but it will reward you with high-quality yields and you can easily get the most out of your plant.

It would also be great to monitor your plant if you are just planning to plant a few, keeping them monitored should give you a good idea for the best spots to prune. Just a reminder, don’t prune big fan leaves because they are the primary producers of sugar for the entire plant, they are essential parts of the plants to keep them healthy. There’s one thing to remember about pruning, pruning will inevitably cause damage to your plants, but they can recover from it. that’s why you should avoid over-pruning or pruning bad spots of the plant.

Can I smoke Pruned Marijuana Leaves?

You can smoke them. However, if you are looking to get stoned and high, they are not the ideal choice because they lack THC. One of the primary purposes of smoking cannabis is to get high and stoned, if you are on the hunt for that, then throw away your prunes. They don’t contain insurmountable amounts of cannabis one would expect.

What Happens to Your Plant After Pruning Marijuana?

One of the best things you can do to your cannabis plants after pruning is to sprinkle them with water. This is the limit the initial damage from pruning, keeping them hydrated at all times could make them recover quickly. Also, you can add organic solutions that are rich in vitamins and nutrients, plants tend to heal faster when treated with these.

Your plants may need recovery once they are pruned. So, you may need patience and give them plenty of time to recover. Besides, you’ll need them at their peak to achieve your desired yield.

Tips on Pruning Cannabis the Right Way

Here are some general guidelines and helpful tips when pruning cannabis before and after. Always keep them in mind when pruning.

• Ensure that the impotent branches and base are removed and pruned. Never use blunt scissors or rusty scissors, you’ll only cause further damage when you try one. It is the best option to have the conventional sharp scissors when pruning.
• There will be days that your plants exude dying and yellowish leaves, be sure to cut them right away even if it’s not the appropriate time to prune them. This will give way for sunlight and airflow for the plants inside. Don’t wait for the dying leaves to fall off, cut them right away.
• Always check and observe your cannabis plants once you are done pruning. Check them from time to time to see if they are recovering from the damage you have done.
• Most importantly, never prune the plants once they start flowering. You’ll only cause harm than good. It will just stress the plant out and won’t focus on growing. Instead, it will focus on healing itself.

Conclusion

When you want better overall control of your plant, you should try these methods of keeping your plant fresh and healthy. If you want to achieve the best yield you could have, then try asking for advice and notes from experienced veterans to avoid damaging or causing trauma to the plant.

Pruning cannabis the right way should provide you plenty of potential looking forward. Although cannabis growing is quite labor-intensive especially when you are solo-growing, your hard work should pay off in the end after all! Happy growing!