Short answer
Take off the big fan leaves at harvest. Then cut or brush the sugar leaves back to the outline of the bud, either wet on harvest day or dry once the small stems snap after 7–14 days. Wet versus dry is preference (House position). Use small, sharp scissors, gloves and a tray, and keep the trim. Grower practice: no independent study compares the two methods.
Why
Trimming changes how the bud dries. Sugar leaves left on act as a jacket and slow the dry, which helps in a dry room, where a fast dry costs volatile monoterpenes [1]. Trimming wet speeds drying, which helps in a humid room where mould is the bigger risk. Both have to reach water activity 0.55–0.65 by the end [2].
Resin gets in the way. Wet buds are sticky and gum up scissors. Dry sugar leaves are crisp and brush off easily, at the cost of a few more trichome heads knocked loose. The founder, who has trimmed hundreds of pounds by hand, prefers dry trim for that reason.
Timing and conditions vary. Commercial growers report a range of drying and trimming set-ups [3], and there is no single right answer. Choose the method that suits your room and your hands.
The numbers
| Wet trim | Dry trim | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Harvest day | After 7–14 days, once stems snap |
| Drying speed | Faster | Slower |
| Best room | Humid, high mould risk | Dry, buds crisp easily |
| Hands | Sticky, slower | Easier at volume |
| Trichome loss | Slightly less | Slightly more (collects in the trim) |
Verdict: pick the method that suits your room's humidity. Both make excellent flower.
What to do
- Remove the large fan leaves at the chop.
- Wet trim: cut the sugar leaves back while the buds are fresh, then dry them on a rack or hanging.
- Dry trim: hang the branches untrimmed, then trim once the stems snap and before jarring.
- Hold buds by the stem and turn them as you cut. Don't squeeze the bud.
- Work over a fine screen or tray to catch the trichomes. Clean the scissors with alcohol.
- Bag the trim and keep it cold for hash or edibles.
Common mistakes
- Blunt scissors that tear the bud.
- Squeezing buds to steady them.
- Trimming in a warm, bright room.
- Throwing the trim away.
Related
- Full article: Drying cannabis
- Answers: whole plant or branches? · fan leaves vs sugar leaves · drying in the tent
- Terms: dry trim · wet trim · sugar trim
