For those deciding whether to trim wet or dry buds, here’s an argument from the dry side. Dry trimming has become the preference of many growers. Some companies have even taken note of this inclination and made this their focus. Companies like Greenbroz and Triminator have developed dry-only automatic trimming machines.
With that in mind, why do many growers like dry trimming?
Advantages of Dry Trimming
Many growers say dry trimming produces better quality, as it preserves terpenes. Terpene preservations ensure that each bud delivered to the dispensary, and ultimately to the customers, is of the highest quality. Remember that terpenes are responsible for the flavor profile and are what sets each strain apart. Having flavorful terpenes allow for a pleasing experience with cannabis.
Dry trimming also allows you to pace the process. In wet trimming, buds must be trimmed immediately after harvest. You can save on work hours if you pace the processing schedule so that your team can rest and work on other aspects, including ensuring proper drying practices to get the best quality. At the same time, dry trimming allows you to control drying speed.
Another reason to consider dry trimming is the cleanup. Cleaning up after a wet trim means a lot of sticky resin besides the trimmings. Dry trimming is less messy as you don’t need to handle sticky resin after cleaning. Doing so also allows you to use the trims for other products, such as edibles.
Dry trimming also means getting a more consistent weight. Often, a dried bud reaches its maximum shrinking point when dried. Once you trim them, you already know the quantity you can deliver to dispensaries.
You can also reduce mishandling when dry trimming; when wet or fresh, buds tend to be softer and can cause misshaping. By drying the buds before trimming, you can reduce the risk of mishandling to maintain the quality of the buds. Dry trimming is also ideal for places with low humidity. In this case, you’d want to dry your buds slower to get the best result.
Disadvantages of Dry Trimming
Now, dry trimming isn’t for everybody. For one, it’s not recommended for beginners. Buds tend to be more delicate when preventing damaging trichomes while trimming. Leaves also tend to curl into the buds when dry. There’s also that risk of molds forming due to the increased humidity, but this can be remedied by closely monitoring the buds during the process.
It’s best to gain experience in good practices for bud trimming before exploring or shifting to dry trimming.
Conclusion
Dry trimming is all about ensuring better quality control. While wet trimming has benefits, dry trimming forces growers to provide better quality, given how fragile dry buds are. But dry trimming isn’t at all that challenging, considering the developments in trimming technology. With automated dry trimmers today, you can get good results as these trimmers were designed to handle the most fragile buds. That said, shifting to dry trimming may give you some challenges, but you can easily hurdle them in the name of better quality products.
