by Nebula Haze
The moment has arrived! Your cannabis buds are finally ready to harvest and you’re ready to start the cannabis drying process. You’ve decided to trim the leaves off your cannabis buds because you know trimming helps buds look better, smoke better, and taste better.
But should you trim your cannabis buds before or after drying them? Often called “wet trimming” vs “dry trimming” in the cannabis grow community. Does it even make a difference when you trim your cannabis buds? Let me clear it up for you today. By the end of this tutorial, you will know exactly the difference between wet trim vs dry trim, including the pros and cons of each. Let’s go!
Dry Trim (before and after) – Cannabis buds were dried first before getting trimmed.
Wet Trim (before and after) – Cannabis buds are trimmed as soon as they’re harvested.
“Wet Trim” vs “Dry Trim” – Should Cannabis Growers Trim Buds Before or After Drying?
When I first started growing cannabis, I didn’t know anything about trimming. I knew you could do it before or after drying buds, but I didn’t know the pros and cons of each method. From reading online, I could see that growers successfully use both methods, so there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to trim your buds. As long as you’re happy with the results, you did a good trimming job.
But what do cannabis cultivation experts say about timing when it comes to trimming buds?
A beautiful trimming job. This cannabis job received a “dry trim”.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to trimming cannabis:
Trim before drying (“wet trim”)
Some growers trim their cannabis buds before drying them.
Pros
- Best If Humidity is High – Cannabis leaves are mostly made of water, and they give off a lot of moisture as they dry. Trimming means fewer leaves, which adds less humidity overall to the drying space. For reference, it’s getting too humid for drying buds above 60% RH in the dry space.*
- Buds Dry Faster – Overly leafy plants can add a surprising amount of moisture to the surrounding area. If buds are drying too slowly, trimming extra leaves can help buds dry faster.
- Helps Prevent Mold – In humid conditions (or when there is no air movement), leaves can cause wet spots. Mold loves to grow on wet buds. Trimming off extra leaves before drying can help prevent that.
* Up to 70% RH can be okay if the temperature is below 70°F/20°C, because mold doesn’t like cool temperatures. But most growers should aim for under 60% while drying.
Cons
- Not Optimal If Humidity is Low – Without the protection from cannabis leaves, buds in dry air conditions tend to dry out unevenly
- Buds May Dry Too Fast – In dry air, buds may dry too fast, which can prevent them from curing properly later.
Freshly harvested buds that haven’t been dried yet, about to be wet trimmed.
Trim after drying (“dry trim”)
Some growers trim their cannabis after buds have already dried.
Pros
- Best Choice in Low Humidity – Low humidity (below 50% RH or so) tends to make buds dry unevenly and too fast. Keeping leaves until after buds have dried can help raise the overall humidity in the drying space.
- Buds Tend to Dry Slower and More Evenly – The extra leaves adds moisture to the air and create humid pockets around buds to help them dry more evenly. These buds tend to smoke better, and improve more from the curing process.
- Some Growers Find it Easier to Trim Dry Buds – If buds are fully and completely dried first, it’s typically faster to trim them. Since the leaves are dry and crispy, you can brush a lot of them off.
Note: Unless it is extremely dry (under 35% RH), you should remove at least some of the big leaves on a leafy plant. If your plant is a bundle of leaves it will get wet and make the buds wet for too long. If you’re not sure, leave the fan leaves on, and check on the drying plants after 24 hours of drying. If the plants seem super wet, remove the excess fan leaves and let the buds continue drying.
Cons
- Not Suitable if Humidity is High – If it’s high humidity in the drying space, it’s crucial to at least remove all the big fan leaves protect buds from mold. Even if you don’t give your buds a full trim, removing the fan leaves helps keep excess moisture out of the dry space.
- Some Growers Find it More Difficult to Trim Buds – Some growers find it more difficult to dry trim buds and get a neat, manicured appearance. This is worst if the buds are still a bit underdried. If you’re going to dry trim your buds, it’s important to let them be fully dried before trimming. For example if the buds come off with strings when you try to pluck them off the stem, this is a sign there is still moisture inside and the buds should be allowed to dry for a bit longer.
Buds that were dried first before trimming, about to be dry trimmed.
If buds are dried first before trimming, sometimes it can be difficult to remove all the leaves.
When deciding whether to trim your cannabis wet or dry, think about your grow environment and what you want from your buds. If your area is very humid, wet trimming can help avoid mold and gets your buds ready faster. But if the humidity is moderate, and especially it’s really dry where you grow, dry trimming might be better because it lets your buds dry out more slowly and evenly, resulting in better quality. The best choice depends on your situation and preference. I highly recommend trying both ways to see what works best for you.
Check out what growers say about dry trim vs wet trim.
Why are they called “wet trim” and “dry trim”?
Trimming your cannabis before drying is known as a “wet trim” because the leaves still contain all their moisture during the trimming process. Trimming after the cannabis buds have already dried is known as a “dry trim” since your buds and leaves will already be completely dry before you trim off the leaves.
Most cannabis growers will at least remove all or most of the big fan leaves with their fingers before drying, though some growers will hang the whole plant upside down without any type of trim whatsoever.
Wet Trim Example (fully trimmed before drying) – All leaves are removed before buds are allowed to dry. These buds are still full of moisture.
Dry Trim Example (light trim before drying) – Only the biggest leaves were removed before the buds were dried. Most leaves are still there for the dry process.
Dry Trim Example (no trim before drying) – Full branches were hung without any trimming. Not even fan leaves were removed before drying.
Here are some examples of buds from plants where I trimmed half the buds before, and half after. I wanted to help you see what difference it made. It’s really kind of different depending on each strain and your drying conditions.
Notes on the test of dry trim vs wet trim:
- The untrimmed cannabis buds took 0.5 to 3 days longer to dry. The leafier the plant, the longer it added to the total dry time.
- The biggest difference is I noticed the “dry trim” buds seem noticeably more dense/uniform. Drying with the leaves on seems to help them “tighten up” and seem more solid.
- The dry vs wet trim buds smell a bit differently, but all smell good. Neither seems particularly stronger or better as far as smell.
- I noticed that the “dry trim” buds often seem browner as if they’ve been curing for a while. The effect was most pronounced on the leafiest plants. Perhaps the additional water content causes some processes to go faster at the micro level?
- As far as comparing taste/smoothness/potency. In blind tests with cannabis enthusiasts, I’ve gotten mixed results. Some people prefer the smell or smoothness of the buds one way, while others like the exact opposite. It doesn’t seem to follow any particular pattern that I can tell. I truly think it’s a matter of personal preference, and also varies from strain to strain.
Buds drying with their leaves on.
In practice, I’ve seen a huge variation between growers as far as when they trim. Some cannabis growers trim plants immediately after harvest, some trim partway through drying, some wait to trim until after buds are totally dry, and some never trim at all. It can also vary with the local weather and even the particular plant. For example, if I had an extremely leafy plant and the humidity was high right as I was harvesting, I may opt to trim that plant before drying to prevent the chance of mold, even though I might normally prefer to trim after buds dry.
In the end, nothing beats trying both options for yourself. Next cannabis harvest, trim some buds before drying and some after drying. See what you like best!
Ready to get trimming?
Learn how to trim your cannabis buds like a pro!
Conclusion: Dry Trim vs Wet Trim
Let me sum up today’s tutorial on dry trimming vs wet trimming cannabis buds after harvest.
Trim before drying (“wet trim”) when…
- You’re worried about mold
- You have high humidity (above 60% RH)
- There is poor air circulation and little air movement
- There’s a lot of buds drying in a small space
- Buds are taking too long to dry
Freshly harvested buds that haven’t been dried yet, about to be wet trimmed.
Trim after drying (“dry trim”) when…
- You’re not worried about mold.
- You have low humidity (below 45% RH)
- You want buds to be “tighter” or more dense
- You want buds to dry more slowly
Buds that were dried first before trimming, about to be dry trimmed.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about trimming cannabis.
Read the full tutorial on how to trim cannabis buds.
Why do growers trim cannabis buds in the first place?
- “Top Shelf” Appearance – Trimmed buds are often considered higher quality. Most buds are completely manicured (or at least somewhat trimmed) when you see them in magazines, at the dispensary, and online. This is the appearance we’ve come to associate with “good weed” and so untrimmed buds may look less appealing to some people.
- Better Smell – Buds that are trimmed before being going into jars tend to gain a stronger “weed” smell over time. On the flip side, untrimmed buds sometimes take on a “planty” hay smell if they’re stored in an airtight container for too long with all their leaves intact (several weeks to months).
- Easier on Your Throat – Leaves are more “harsh” on your throat/lungs than flowers when vaping or smoking. Trimming off extra leaf matter makes buds more “smooth” to smoke or vaporize by removing unnecessary leafy matter.
- Higher THC Concentration – Buds from modern strains can be 20-30+% THC by dry weight, while leaves have much lower THC (1-4%, depending on strain). Even trichome-encrusted sugar leaves have a significantly lower concentration of THC and other cannabinoids than the flowers. That means trimmed buds tend to have higher levels of THC gram-for-gram, so you can smoke or vape less to get the same effects.
Many growers want trimmed buds but don’t want to waste any THC, so they process their trim to extract the THC in the leaves separately. You have endless options for getting the good stuff out of your leaves and other trim. My favorite ways to extract THC from leaves include making dry ice hash, weed butter or canna caps. I sprinkle dry ice hash on top of bowls to skyrocket their potency, I use butter for edibles, and I love canna caps for the ability to easily dose edibles on the go.
An example of well-trimmed cannabis buds. You can barely see any leaves.
Untrimmed cannabis buds with leaves intact – pic by psychonaught
What Other Cannabis Growers Say – Dry Trim vs Wet Trim
I thought you might be interested in learning what we’ve heard from growers in our cannabis grow forum on this topic. It’s often nice to hear multiple opinions from different experienced growers.
Pro Wet Trim
- “Trimming when wet (just picked buds) is easier!” ~Sylvester
- “Wet trimming always. Easier to get all the sugar leaves before they dry and curl into the bud.” ~CaptainWiese91
- “Wet trim. I got tired of seeing beautiful, tiny crystals go flying everywhere when dry trimming.” ~YYCannabis
- “I think wet trimmed buds look way better than buds that have been dry trimmed with half of all the sugar leaf stems in the bud still.” ~CaptainWiese91
- “Wet trim, I leave about 40% of the sugar leaves so it dries slower.” ~Ace1973
Pro Dry Trim
- “I feel like dry trimming is better for me. I like to get as much of the leaf off as possible and it feels easier that way. I also like that it takes a little more time to dry. I got a bowl leaf trimmer that works pretty good on bigger buds, and a Cannabrush for everything else. Both cut off a lot of time on my meticulous trimming. And if I over dry it I just soak a stem (or a few) in water for a little while and it goes in the jar too until it’s around 64-65%. That eliminates the Boveda packs that some say makes the weed taste different. I never noticed personally, but I stopped using them anyway.” ~dphipps1020
- “As a person making a living from growing dank buds and selling them at a high price just for the quality; I personally have found that wet trimming diminishes the bud quality and smell. It dries not just quickly but the wrong way. It dries up from all the open tissue connected by the plants circulatory system. Meaning the branch looses water way too quickly. You need that moisture reservoir to keep the buds from drying to quickly. The same goes with trichomes. Leaves make a moisture cocoon that protects terpenes and trichomes from evaporating and drying the outer layer of the trichomes so quickly that it rips open and the trichome oxidizes and the terps fly out. Gotta mention I got full control of my drying room and keep at 60% rh 22-24C.” ~9fingerleafs
- “I live in the desert super low rh and leaving the leaves on while drying helps hold some moisture in. The leaves form over the buds after a few hours like a cocoon and I lay them out on stackable sweater drying racks (old days we used window screens) with a cover over them to trap more moisture.” ~MeEasy
Depends
- “If its low humidity dry trim and if high humidity wet trim.” ~LemonBuzz
I hope that helped give you some ideas of what works for other cannabis growers depending on their goals and environment. Contact us if you have experience to share!
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