# Harvest window

> The span of days, often one to two weeks, in which a cannabis plant is ripe enough to cut, judged mainly by trichome head colour and bud development.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/harvest-window.html
- Also written: harvest time, harvest timing, when to harvest, ripeness window, harvest point
- Glossary category: Harvest, drying and curing · Evidence: Grower practice
- 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"

The harvest window is the period during which a crop is ready to cut. For cannabis it opens once most [trichome heads](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome-heads.md) have turned cloudy and [bracts](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bract.md) have swollen, and closes as heads go increasingly amber and the plant starts to decline. On many cultivars that window lasts about one to two weeks; breeder flowering times are only a starting estimate.

## In practice

GenetixBay's guidance (Grower practice, house position): harvest timing is a matter of preference. Aim for a nice mix: a few clear heads, mostly cloudy, some amber. Check heads on bracts, not [sugar leaves](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sugar-leaf.md), and sample several buds, top and lower, over several days.

Other signs that support the call:
- bracts visibly swollen and tight;
- most stigmas darkened and receded;
- new [pistil](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pistil.md) production slowed;
- natural fade in fan leaves.

Large plants often ripen top-down. Some growers take the [top colas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cola.md) first and give lower buds a few extra days.

Don't change the feed or lights to "finish" the plant. Keep feeding ([taper nitrogen](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/nitrogen-taper.md)) and keep the lights on until you chop.

## Don't confuse with

- **Flowering time**: a breeder estimate in weeks; the window is what the plant shows.
- **Trichome ripeness**: the main indicator of the window, not the window itself.
- **Chop**: the act of cutting.

## Myth check

[Darkness before harvest](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/darkness-before-harvest.md) and pre-harvest flushing do not improve the crop (Myth). See [the flush debate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/flush-debate.md) and [Mythbusters](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/mythbusters.md).

## Related terms

[Trichome ripeness](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome-ripeness.md), [Jeweler's loupe](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/jewelers-loupe.md), [Pistil](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pistil.md), [Chop](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chop.md), [Flowering stage](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/flowering-stage.md)

## Read more

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

## Sources

1. Punja ZK, Sutton DB, Kim T. 2023. Glandular trichome development, morphology, and maturation are influenced by plant age and genotype in high THC-containing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescences. Journal of Cannabis Research 5:12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-023-00178-9
2. Livingston SJ, Quilichini TD, Booth JK, et al. 2020. Cannabis glandular trichomes alter morphology and metabolite content during flower maturation. The Plant Journal 101(1):37-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14516