Beginner’s guide to harvesting homegrown marijuana in Colorado – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

If you joined us in the spring to learn how to grow your own cannabis at home, you know by now that cultivating beautifully buddy plants is only half the experience.

Fall is known as Croptober among commercial outdoor growers because it’s that special time of year when marijuana is ready for harvest. The same goes for homegrown plants.

Boulder resident Sean Roby has been growing cannabis both commercially and at home for the better part of three decades. While the exact time for harvest varies by strain, he said the magic window for most is early- to mid-October. But there are other telltale signs to look for, such as an amber color in the trichomes, which are typically viewable with some sort of magnifying glass.

“Generally, when you look at the flower you’re going to see that the hairs that were all white have now started turning red or orange or amber,” Roby said. “It’s just really crisp and hard to the touch and pulsing with resin.”

Longmont home grower Ben Owens agrees, saying he looks for a color similar to the amber in “Jurassic Park.” Another way Owens knows his plants are ready for harvest is that the leaves start turning yellow, which signifies the buds’ growth is depleting nutrients from the plants.

The weather where you live may also play into the timeline for harvest. Owens said to get those crops down before the first freeze or risk damaging the buds.

Owens works as a guide for The GrowHort, which teaches people the basics of hobby…