When it comes to the changes and maturity of trichomes, understanding the different stages of development is essential. Also, chemical factors such as transcription proteins and hormones influence their development. All these factors affect changes in trichomes before and after harvest.

Do trichomes still mature and change after harvest? Trichomes change after you chop them. They do not necessarily mature or ripen; instead, they experience colour change as they begin to degrade. However, in some cases, their colour changes to amber, which may mean they are still maturing.

The colour change is one of the most important indicators of the maturity of trichomes. It indicates the growth stage of the trichomes and if or when it is ready for harvest. Colour changes are also the significant changes you see after harvest. As the plant dries up, they lose their original colour due to degradation.

Do Trichomes Develop After Harvest?

The development of trichomes is in three stages according to the colour of their crystal buds. In the first few days or weeks, they have a transparent or colourless look. You will notice glass-like fragments on your plant.

A few weeks after the first stage, they go into their second development and change into a milky colour. Trichome buds change from clear to cloudy. At this stage, trichomes are getting close to maturity.

After about a week, trichomes move from milky white to a brownish yellow or amber colour, depending on some physical and chemical factors. In THC plants, this indicates the breaking down of the THC compounds.

There are different strains of plants, and they may not follow the traditional maturity or developmental stage. In some plants, you may not see the milky colour at the expected week. Sometimes, you need to use a microscope to check if the trichomes have turned milky and have shades of amber.

In cases like this, trichomes experience colour change after harvest. Trichomes may turn amber after harvest. This colour change may be a continuation of their development after harvest or a degradation process. 

Do Trichomes Change During Curing?

Trichomes change during curing. However, it experiences more of a chemical change. Firstly, during the development of trichomes, not all THC is psychoactive. Most THC is in their psychoactive form when they turn milky, but sometimes not all buds are in their full potency.

Curing doesn’t increase the amount of trichome, and it also doesn’t lead to the growth of additional THC. All those are affected by the strain of the plant, environmental conditions, growing techniques, and other physical and chemical factors. 

Curing, however, helps to activate the non-psychoactive THC. Most times, it’s not an automatic process. You have to cure the trichomes properly. The trichomes are dried adequately with the right amount of temperature and duration, then curing takes place. 

Taking your time to cure the trichomes will give the THC adequate time to become psychoactive. That is the significant change that occurs during curing.

Can You Harvest Clear Trichomes?

It is not a good idea to harvest clear trichomes. When the trichome buds are crystal clear, it means they are just getting close to their concentration levels. They are not ready for harvesting. The clear and transparent look is the first noticeable development stage.  

At this stage, the trichomes are producing resins, and most of the constituent THC are not fully active. Clear Trichomes are not fully potent and, if harvested, will affect the yield’s THC levels and therefore, potency.

Sometimes, while the trichome is going through the next development stage, a clear trichome is still produced by the plant. Production of new clear trichomes can be an indicator of healthy plant growth. However, it is not advisable to harvest only clear trichomes.

What Does A Trichome Look Like When It’s Ready To Harvest?

There is always a constant debate about whether to harvest trichomes when milky or when they all turn amber. When trichomes are milky or cloudy, they are in their second colour stage of development. There is still a third stage which is when they are amber.

It means a Trichome fully develops at the third colour change. If you conclude with that, it means you should harvest when trichomes are amber. Also, other research explains that when Trichomes turn brown or amber, their potency decreases. 

The best time to harvest a Trichome is when most of your Trichomes are milky-white with a small percentage of amber. Leaving the Trichomes to stay for long periods will affect their psychoactive reaction. If you want to harvest, the perfect look to watch out for is at least 70 percent milky crystals and the remaining percent yellowish-brown or amber.

Do Trichomes Degrade?

Trichomes are susceptible to degradation. It is why a high level of care and expertise is important when tending and harvesting trichomes. Harvesting or disconnecting most plants from the root will result in gradual degradation.

A lot of factors cause degradation in trichomes; one is heat and light. Overexposure to high temperature will lead to rapid loss of moisture which affects trichomes negatively. It is why you must not rush when drying trichomes.  It would help if you dried the plants slowly before curing.

Also over handling and crushing trichomes contribute to their degradation. Apart from overexposure to light, heat, moisture, and agitation, time is a factor. 

Not harvesting the trichomes on time will lead to degradation. Timely harvesting, proper handling, drying, and curing may increase the life span of trichomes, but after some time, natural degradation occurs.

How Long Does It Take For Trichomes To Change Color?

When it comes to trichomes or plants generally, a lot of things affect changes and development. The duration of colour change depends on a lot of factors. Some of them include; strain or species of the plant, genetics, environmental conditions, growing techniques, location, and other chemical properties of the plant.

As a result, all trichomes may not change at the same time. However, there is a general duration for colour change. The transition between clear to milky may happen between 5-10 days. It can also take up to 2-3 weeks. Also, depending on the factors above, the transition from milky to amber may happen faster, slower, or take the same amount of time.

Conclusion

Apart from their psychoactive importance, trichomes play a crucial role in plant defence. It is important to know what to look for when growing and harvesting them. Also, understanding their development, colour changes, and other indicators will help to get a potent yield.