# Frosty

> Frosty describes flower densely covered in glandular trichomes, so it looks sugared or snow-dusted; it signals resin coverage, not exact potency.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/frosty.html
- Also written: frost, frosted, frosty buds, caked, covered
- Glossary category: Grower slang and culture
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Frosty (or "frost") describes buds so densely coated in glandular [trichomes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome.md) that they look white, sugared or dusted with snow. The visible "frost" is mostly [capitate-stalked trichome](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/capitate-stalked-trichome.md) heads, where [cannabinoids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) and [terpenes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) are made and stored.

## In practice

Frost is genetic first, then growing conditions, then handling. Good light, healthy late-flower feeding and gentle handling at harvest keep it on the bud; rough trimming, compression and warm storage knock it off or degrade it. Growers inspect trichomes with a 60x loupe to judge ripeness by head colour (clear, cloudy, amber), not by how frosty the bud [looks](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bag-appeal.md) from a distance.

[Sugar leaves](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sugar-leaf.md) can be frostier than the buds look, which is why they are often kept for hash rather than discarded.

## Don't confuse with

- **Potency**: frosty flower is not always strong; trichome density, head size and resin chemistry all vary.
- **Mould**: white fuzzy or powdery patches ([powdery mildew](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/powdery-mildew.md), [botrytis](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/botrytis.md)) are not frost. Look with a loupe: trichomes are glassy stalks with round heads.

## Related terms

[Trichome](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome.md), [Bag appeal](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bag-appeal.md), [Sticky](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sticky.md)

## Read more

- [Trichome ripeness: clear, cloudy, amber, and what the evidence says](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/trichome-ripeness.md)