8 Harvesting Tools Every Cannabis Grower Needs

Planting your cannabis seeds and watching them grow into majestic, abundant plants is an exciting part of the growing process, but nothing beats harvesting. This is a very crucial stage that can make all the difference in the final quality of your weed. We’d like to help you out by offering some recommendations on the best tools for the job.

WHY IS HARVESTING A CRUCIAL STAGE OF CANNABIS CULTIVATION?

After months of growing fantastic cannabis, harvest time has finally arrived. This is no doubt the most exciting moment for every grower, but don’t get carried away and rush things! The thing is, when you take extra care during and after the critical harvesting stage, this can preserve the potency, flavour, and effect of your weed much better. Here are some of the things you should keep in mind:

• Harvesting at the right time

You want to harvest your cannabis at the right time. Cutting too early or too late can result in suboptimal yields. Use reliable harvest methods like the "trichome test" to ensure your plants are ready for the chop.

• Proper drying and curing

The drying and curing stages ensure your weed is free of pathogens and fit for use, and it allows the potency and flavour of your stash to fully develop. If you skimp here, it will negatively affect the quality of your final product.

• Keep your tools clean

Cleanliness is essential when harvesting and trimming; not just to keep your tools in good shape, but to ensure mould and fungus don’t spoil your harvest.

8 ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR HARVESTING CANNABIS

To make things all-out perfect for your cannabis harvest, here are some tools we think every grower should own. With these essentials, you can make sure your weed turns out as great as possible!

NITRILE GLOVES

Harvesting and trimming your weed will quickly turn into a sticky activity, and you don’t want to contaminate your buds with dirt or bacteria. For that reason, disposable gloves are an essential item that every cultivator should have. They keep your hands free of sticky resin and allow you to trim sugar leaves with greater accuracy and ease.

Gloves don’t just come in handy during harvest time. When handling seeds, for example, reduced risk of contamination means your seedlings are less likely to catch diseases or develop fungus. These nitrile gloves are latex-free, so they’re also suitable for growers with allergies.

POCKET MICROSCOPE

Eyeballing when your weed is ready to chop almost guarantees you’ll miss the optimal harvest window. The pros will inspect the trichomes. These change colour as buds mature, indicating the optimal harvest time. When most of the trichomes are cloudy, this is usually the best time to harvest.

The problem is, trichomes are so tiny that you need a pocket microscope or a good loupe to get up close and personal. This pocket microscope has 60–120x magnification and a built-in LED light, perfect for checking in on their progress. It’s lightweight and portable, making it easy to use and great for inspecting plants for pests too!

PRUNING SHEARS

Good pruning shears are another tool every grower needs to have. The Original Bud Cutter is a professional-grade pruning tool that ensures great results with its sharp blades. These shears are essential for getting your buds into shape after harvest, and great for all kinds of other purposes, such as defoliating, topping, etc.

The handgrip, made from PVC, ensures good haptics and makes cutting and trimming a breeze. Use these alongside the nitrile gloves listed above, and you’re good to go! You’ll feel like a master cultivator wielding these, as they allow for precision and efficiency far beyond regular shears.

Dehumidifiers

Although not used in the harvesting process itself, many growers use dehumidifiers directly after, when drying their buds. Those living in moist conditions will have a hard time sufficiently drying their haul without one of these machines. It’s no surprise then that dehumidifiers also come in handy during the growing process to keep humidity under control, especially during the all-important flowering phase. Available in a range of different sizes and price points, a dehumidifier will easily fit inside a drying room to keep conditions favourable. 

Thermometer/Hygrometer

While a dehumidifier will remove moisture from the air, a hygrometer will show you just how humid your drying room is. This will allow you to get an accurate reading at all times. Many hygrometers also have a built-in thermometer so you can monitor the temperature of your space too. Maintaining the ideal temperature and relative humidity of your drying room is a constant game of give and take, but it’s important you give your buds the conditions they need to dry. A thermometer/hygrometer can be sourced for little money, and you’ll never run out of reasons to use it.

DRYING RACK

A budget version of a drying rack usually involves coat hangers that you suspend along the top of your tent or grow room. Or, you could repurpose your grandma’s laundry rack, but that may require some explaining next time granny wants to hang her laundry. So, not exactly the best solution...

An actual drying rack is so much nicer and doesn’t cost the world. You can find simple drying racks that work like hanging baskets with multiple levels—these can hold enough buds to cover a few plants—but you can also find bigger ones, depending on your requirements.

WEED CURING JARS

Interestingly, classic mason jars—yes, the same ones that your granny uses for pickles and jam—are still the best for curing cannabis. This is because mason jars are made from extra-thick glass and come with a heavy lid. The red rubber ring and sturdy wire bracket make it so the jars are 100% airtight for an optimal curing and storage process.

These mason jars “Made in Germany” are available in four different sizes: Small (255ml), Medium (400ml), Large (800ml), and Extra Large (1140ml). And, of course, there are a zillion other things you can use them for aside from storing your weed.

CLEANING WIPES

Cleaning wipes make it easy to keep your tools and work area clean. Plus, they are ideal for getting rid of stubborn resin after harvest. Perfect for sterilising your jars, shears, and a million other things in your grow room.

Cleaning wipes are also the best way to get your bongs, pipes, and vaporizers looking like new! These wipes have two sides: a side for scrubbing and removing debris, and a softer side suited for polishing and touching up. Soaked in 70% alcohol, they do a top job with all kinds of cleaning tasks, yet are safe for many materials including glass, metal, and silicone. They come in a practical box with 30 individually wrapped wipes for easy use.

TAKE HARVESTING CANNABIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Armed with these tools, you can become a master at harvesting. To truly perfect your craft, we recommend reading our blog article on When and How to Harvest Your Cannabis.

Happy growing!

Miguel Antonio Ordoñez

With an AB Mass Media and Communications degree, Miguel Ordoñez is a veteran writer of 13 years and counting and has been covering cannabis-related content since 2017. Continuous, meticulous research along with personal experience has helped him build a deep well of knowledge on the subject.

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