Magnifying Glasses and Microscopes

Why do I Need a Microscope?

Even though it may not seem like it, microscopes can actually be incredibly helpful when it comes to growing cannabis.

• They can be used to check trichome maturity: this is incredibly important when it comes to harvesting at the exact right time.
• Use them to check the leaves looking for eggs and insects: looking at them closer allows you to easily identify insect infestations in cannabis plants and better defend them.
• They’re the ideal way to show off your flowers at your coffee shop, dispensary, club or simply to analyse your own flowers. There should always be a microscope at a grower get together.

What are Bud Microscopes?

This type of particular microscope used to inspect flowers and leaves are usually portable. They have a LED light so that they can be used at night outdoors or with your grow lights off. This is an affordable and extremely necessary tool for your grow.

What are Trichomes?

As we were saying above, one of the most useful things about microscopes is that you can observe your plants’ trichomes, which are epidermic cells that are found on the surface of your cannabis flowers and leaves.

Trichomes contain the cannabinoids and terpenes that cause psychoactive and therapeutic effects in cannabis. You’ll be able to see how they change colour under the microscope, and this is the best way to figure out the best time to harvest.

Types of Trichomes

From germination onwards, cannabis plants produce trichomes to defend themselves from insects, as well as fighting off dehydration, extreme temperatures etc. Trichomes can be found in different forms:

• Simple trichomes: they look like little hairs.
• Cytolytic trichomes: similar to simple trichomes, larger in size.
• Sessile glandular trichomes: they’re round, and they produce cannabinoids and terpenes, and are 25 microns in size.
• Sessile antral trichomes: they’re similar to the glandular ones, but are larger in size, up to 80 microns.
• Bulbous trichomes: these may have simple or multiple tips, they’re small, between 10 and 20 microns.
• Slim glandular trichomes: this is where most cannabinoids and terpenes from your cannabis plants are found. This type of trichome can be found mostly on flowers and can be up to 100 microns in size. These are the trichomes you need to check on in order to determine plant maturity.

How to Check Cannabis Maturity Using Trichomes

The colour of the slim glandular trichomes should indicate how mature your flowers are. As your plants produce cannabinoids and terpenes, they accumulate in the tips of the trichomes, which change colour. During the beginning stages, trichomes are see through, and as they mature they begin to go a milky white colour and them amber. The highest concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes occurs when most of the trichomes are milky white and a few of them are amber; this is when you should harvest.

• If you harvest early: you’ll obtain a more active effect but it will be less powerful and have less flavour.
• If you harvest too late: you’ll obtain a more sedating effect but it’ll be less strong and have less flavour.
• Harvesting at the exact right time: this allows for the best flavour and most potent effect of each strain grown.

If you want to obtain a more active or sedating effect, at La Huerta Grow Shop we recommend choosing a strain with the desired effect such as TNT Kush, and harvesting at the right time.

What Microscope to Choose

Our catalogue has different portable high quality microscopes designed to observe your cannabis flowers.

• The Mini LED 45x Microscope is a 45x microscope, and it’s perfect for analysing trichomes in your cannabis plants, as it allows you to observe them together and easily tell how mature a wide range of resin glands are. Alongside the iPhone adaptor, you can see the images on your phone, and even take pictures and record video.
• The 100x LED Microscope is more versatile, as you can see a wide range as well as identify possible insect infestations.
• The 160x 200x LED Microscope allows you to adjust the focux from 160 to 200. You can use it to check trichome maturity and detect even the smallest insects such as broad mites. These microscopes show a smaller amount of trichomes, so we recommend checking out a few different buds in order to test plant maturity.

We’ve recently added the Ready to Harvest and More than Ready to Harvest packs to our catalogue. These packs come with a microscope, scissors and a drying rack, as well as a free grinder and plastic baggie for storing flowers. These packs are the best way to prep for harvesting.

If you have any questions regarding microscopes or when you should harvest your cannabis plants, get in touch with our team of professionals at La Huerta Grow Shop; we’re here to help!