# Sticky

> Sticky describes resin-rich flower that clings to fingers and scissors, a sign of heavy trichome cover and well-preserved resin.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sticky.html
- Also written: sticky icky, stickiness, resinous, gooey
- 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"

Sticky describes flower that leaves resin on [fingers](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/leaflet.md), gloves and scissors. It comes from heavy coverage of glandular [trichomes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome.md) and from resin that has not been oxidised or knocked off.

## In practice

[Wet trimming](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/wet-trim.md) is famously sticky: scissors gum up within minutes and need cleaning with alcohol. Dry flower that stays sticky after a proper dry and cure is usually resin-rich and well handled. Over-dried or old flower loses stickiness as resin hardens and aroma [fades](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/senescence.md).

Excessively soft, spongy or damp-feeling buds are a different thing: that is too much moisture, and a mould risk. Check moisture by the [stem snap](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stem-snap-test.md) and by an equilibrated hygrometer reading in a sealed jar, not by how sticky it feels.

## Don't confuse with

- **Wet or spongy**: under-dried flower, which can mould in the jar.
- **Frosty**: how resin [looks](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bag-appeal.md); sticky is how it feels.

## Related terms

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

## Read more

- [Drying cannabis: the 60/60 method and water activity](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/drying.md)