Wet trimming vs. dry trimming...what’s the difference?

After months of hard work, it’s finally time to harvest your plants. But, your work is hardly over once you’re done cutting them down. In fact, the next phase of drying and curing can ultimately determine the final quality of your cannabis product. 

First thing’s first, you’ve got to cut the unnecessary weight. By removing the leaves from your crop that don’t carry any beneficial cannabinoids, or terpenes. And the age-old question among cannabis growers still remains...is it better to trim plants when they are wet or dry? 

Let’s review the differences between wet and dry trimming, so you can determine which will work best for your grow operation. 

Wet Trimming

Wet trimming is completed before your hemp or marijuana is hung to dry or cure. Because the plant is still holding water after feeding, the leaves are full of moisture, or ‘wet’. 

Trimming immediately after taking down your cannabis plant, has its’ advantages. Many growers choose to wet trim, due to the following benefits -

• Trichome saver. When wet, the ‘sticky icky’ part of the plant, or trichomes that carry THC, CBD and beneficial terpenes have a better chance of remaining intact on your plant while trimming. Although, being extra sticky can make the job a bigger mess. 
• Avoid mold. If you’re worried about your space for drying, or humidity levels, then cutting out as much moisture as possible, can help cut down the risks of molds.
• Faster results. Wet trimming is typically easier and faster than dry trimming, since the sugar leaves you’re trying to remove, haven’t yet dried or curled. It can also lead to speedier drying times, too. 
• Fatter buds. Drying without additional moisture or weight on the plant stalks, allow the individual nugs or buds to puff up while drying out. 

Dry Trimming

Dry trimming, as you can guess, is performed after your plant has hung and dried completely. Harvested cannabis plants typically dry in 10 days - 2 weeks, in ideal conditions . 

Once dried, you’ll be removing any non-coated sugar leaves, that can make smoking more harsh. And the leaves without trichomes, provide no additional benefits, either. A few advantages to dry trimming include - 

• May increase terpenes. When plants dry too fast like after a wet trim, they can become prone to terpene loss. Letting your bud dry slow, can increase the flavor or potency. 
• More manicured nugs. Most growers like to handle their bud with extra care, and prefer to shape the look of their end product. Since your nugs are dried and ready to go, dry trimming is ideal for those who do.
• Smoother smoke. The longer your crop dries, the more chlorophyll can escape. This natural plant compound can affect the taste and harshness of your final bud. 
• Less mess. Because the resin or sticky coated trichomes harden as they cure overtime, the dry method of trimming creates less of a mess. 

Wet or dry...Trim-Daddy can help 

Luckily, the Trim-Daddy can trim your plants wet or dry. Eliminating many of the cons of either trimming choice. The tool allows you to care for your bud, with handheld capability... but with the speed like no scissors (or hands) can offer. If you haven’t upgraded your trimming game yet, check out our 2nd generation model now, or watch the Trim-Daddy at work.