Wet Trim VS Dry Trim of Cannabis
Due to the rapid changes in the legalization of the status of cannabis around the world, it’s not surprising that it’s more popular to what it was a few years ago.
More people are encouraged to grow their plant; thus, Cannabis cultivation has also grown popular. Just like cannabis use, cultivating it also grown very popular since a lot of users have realized that rather than purchasing their supply costing them more money, it would be more convenient for them to grow their weed.
However, because of its popularity, cannabis cultivation has created a friendly debate about the differences and the advantages between wet trim and dry trim. Thus there is the Wet Trim VS Dry Trim of cannabis plants.
Cannabis Cultivation: Wet Trim VS Dry Trim, which one is better?
Trimming is a crucial part of the process of growing cannabis. It will help your cannabis to grow fully mature. It will get rid of your plant, the fan leaves, and the excess sugar leaves that improves the overall quality of the plant.
When the flowers of the cannabis plant grow fully mature, these are required to be trimmed. There are two main methods of this process, wet and dry trimming.
However, those that are new to cannabis cultivation still have that million-dollar question in their heads. Do you trim your plant wet or dry? The truth is, both are great for your cannabis plant. However, there are pros and cons, and a lot of people speaking out about this matter.
So, this is the perfect time for you to learn about the difference between wet trim and dry trim to finally put this debate to rest.
Wet Trimming a Cannabis Plant
First off, let’s know what’s wet trimming first. We trimming is the process of trimming the cannabis flowers from the plant while it is still fresh (wet), which is before the plant is dried completely for manufacturing purposes. Wet trimming has its benefits, most notably, faster reproduction. Wet trimming is not entirely required in cannabis cultivation, but rather a personal preference for growers compared to dry trimming.
The advantage of using the wet trimming method is that cultivators are not needed to wait for their harvested plants to dry off, which saves them a lot of time. This also means that the trimmed cannabis flowers are shaped perpendicularly to make it easy for the cultivator to remove it using a pair of scissors. Also, wet trimming has a benefit to the sugar leaves that are close to the flowers as it won’t adhere to the latter’s material and quality. In many cases, using a trim machine needs the plant to be dried first, while in some cases, wet trimming can be done excellently by hand using only a pair of scissors or a pruning tool for gardening. However, some use hedge trimmers that can be utilized for faster trimming process even though this is not commonly practiced.
Pros of Using Wet Trimming to your Cannabis Plant
1. Faster drying process
Wet trimming lessens the moisture in the foliage that is attached to the plant’s flowers that speed up the drying process naturally. This is very helpful for cultivators that have a humid climate in which they are trying to eliminate the presence of molds in their plants as they need to keep their processes moving quickly.
2. Saves up a lot of space
Wet trimming helps indoor cultivators save a lot of space. Once all the excess greenery is removed, such as excess stalks, branches, and stems, leaving only the buds, it will give you a lot of growing space to add more plants.
3. It preserves the THC and CBD content of the plant
Since wet trimming requires fresh cannabis plants such as intact trichomes, buds, and flowers, the THC-filled glands that are the psychoactive substance of cannabis that gets you high will remain on the plant. If this is handled through wet trimming, the stickiness of the trichomes will help itself to remain better connected to the main plant that is very helpful in preserving the THC content.
4. A very easy method to do
Wet trimming is highly recommended for novice cultivators because it will give them an easy way to navigate their scissors in the buds to remove all the excess leaves and stems before they dry and curl it inwards.
Cons of Using Wet Trimming
1. It’s a messy process
Since you’re doing this process to a fresh cannabis plant, except that the resinous and sticky substance from the trichomes will stick to your hands. Many cultivators always place a bottle of rubbing alcohol or any cleaning substance and a rag to constantly clean their hands and their tools from the sticky resin substance. A lot are also using latex gloves for the mess.
2. It takes a lot of work
Although wet trimming is an easy task to make, however, it takes a lot of work from harvesting the plant to the trimming process. Depending on how much energy your body has to get you going, wet trimming requires a lot of work, patience, and time, but these all depend on how much the plant you have to be trimmed.
Dry Trimming a Cannabis Plant
A lot of cultivators believe that dry trimming a cannabis plant takes care of the plant even more. While it’s a lesser efficient way compared to wet trimming, there’s been an argument that this one is the more effective trimming process in a lot of cases. Thus it’s practiced by many.
A lot of cultivators that practice dry trimming believe that this prevents the buds that they harvested to dry faster. This makes their buds look appealing and has a more potent smoke, which allows them to dry it out in the plant’s very own time. The larger the leaves, it will coat the buds with humidity until the entire branch can be prepared to be smoked.
It is difficult to trim dead and completely dried leaves; however, if the cultivator’s natural environment does not enable them to practice wet trimming, then dry trimming it is their only way. The quality of the cannabis is always prioritized in dry trimming than the extra effort the cultivator has to put into it. Dry trimming also prevents the cultivator from removing the excess sugar leaves that are already dried up and are stuck on to the buds. Unless they spend more time carefully all of the excess sugar leaves, they will just leave it there. However, some people prefer to have leaves on their THC-coated buds. It depends on the personal preference of the user as this won’t entirely affect the overall quality of the plant.
Many consumers out there prefer the milder smoke that is produced by the buds, which has the leaves on it still attached. Dry trimming makes the smoking experience smoother since it has a milder high compared to wet trimming, which has pure buds and trichomes to produce a more potent and strong smoke. The more time spent in drying the harvested cannabis plant, the more chlorophyll will be removed from it. The chlorophyll found in cannabis provides the plant a very harsh and an herby smell and taste to the buds that many users do not entirely enjoy.
Some dry trimming techniques involve drying the freshly harvested plant straight after it was harvested and cut down. Once the flowers are completely dried, and the stems can easily be snapped within ten days to two weeks, it will be easier for the cultivator to clip off the materials that are not needed, especially those the ones that won’t give the user the high.
Pros of using dry trimming to your cannabis plant
1. It keeps more leaves
Although the leaves do not contain a high concentration of THC, dry trimming allows it to stick and stay on the buds. Dry trimming keeps more leaves that initially increases the humidity surrounding the flowers that can help in slowing down the drying process. In a very hot climate, which dries the plants quicker can cause terpene loss that affects the quality of the plant.
2. It’s not as messy as wet trimming
Since the trichomes are dried and hardened, it reduces the amount of the resinous substance from the trichomes, which makes the trimming process less messy.
Cons of Dry Trimming
1. It’s prone to breakage
Since the trichomes are less sticky and a lot less dense, the dried trichomes are very prone to breakage because it’s already turned brittle. It needs some more careful process in handling the harvested crops to preserve the trichomes where the THC is mostly concentrated.
2. It needs more space
Dry trimming needs more space compared to wet trimming because of hanging the harvested plants and flowers that need a considerable amount of space.
Conclusion
So, what is it going to be? Which do you prefer between Wet Trim VS Dry Trim? It would be easy to realize for you that wet trimming and dry trimming relies on personal preference, and not entirely a requirement. Both methods can be applied effectively depending on the growing environment of the cannabis plant.
