Some growers harvest as soon as pistils start to turn red. Others wait until the pistils are almost completely red and the resin of the plant is dark. To find out where you stand on this matter, harvest some of your plants early and some late. Then decide for yourself which suits your style as a grower.
If you wait later, you risk reducing the effectiveness of the active ingredients. Be sure to measure your time carefully. After all the hard work done by vegetables and flowers, the time has finally come – Harvest. The live harvest concept is one that hydroponics are particularly suitable for.
Because plants with intact roots can be removed from the system quickly and efficiently, growers harvest lettuce, vegetables, and herbs by pulling them out of the system and selling them without cutting them. The main advantage of this method is the extended shelf life, as the moist roots continue to feed the plant. Products sold this way are usually packaged in clam shells or individually to protect other products from contact with the roots and nutrient solution. A head of hydroponic lettuce grows from seed to harvest in 35 days, making it a good first crop for new hydroponic gardeners.
Planting a selection of lettuce varieties allows the gardener to harvest a daily selection for a salad. For commercial production, hydroponic lettuce is usually harvested with the roots. This improves the shelf life of the plant. For self-production, it may be beneficial to remove a few leaves at a time so that the remaining plant can continue to grow.
So if you want to get stoned easily, pick your crop when the trichomes are clear. If you need a good hit with lightheadedness, pluck them when the trichomes are cloudy. And if you need a hard-stoned sesh, harvest your cannabis when 80% of the trichomes have turned amber brown. Along with the excellent taste and appearance, plants that are best suited for hydroponics have certain characteristics.
Regardless of the type of hydroponic system, seeds are usually sown in soilless plugs that are designed to hold the growing plant throughout the harvest cycle. You’ll need secateurs, trimming shears, a bag for waste such as old nutrient medium or dead leaves, and a way to hang the harvested plants. There is no conclusive evidence on the nutritional quality of hydroponically grown products compared to soil-grown products. And last but not least, breeding and selection are important to ensure varieties thrive in hydroponic conditions.
Hydroponic systems can be installed almost anywhere and can be scaled from hundreds of acres to hundreds of inches, depending on the grower’s needs. Depending on the type of system used and its design, hydroponic production may be more ergonomic than standard on-site production. A big difference between liquid and substrate hydroponic systems is that substrate systems usually require one emitter per plant to deliver the nutrient solution to the roots. At the University of Nevada, Reno, hydroponically grown strawberries and raspberries were compared to their ground-grown counterparts.
More research is needed to determine the best practices for hydroponic strawberry and raspberry crop production Whether a grower’s everyday values include environmental, fiscal, or social responsibility, hydroponics offers some important practical benefits. Each medium has advantages and disadvantages, and the choice will reflect availability, cost, quality and type of hydroponic system used. Now that you know how to grow your green friends hydroponically, it’s time to learn how to harvest cannabis and have the greatest strain ever.
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