Observing The Trichomes with the Naked Eye

Let’s take to the senses: smell, taste, touch, sound, and of course visual inspection, and do just that. 

Most growers of cannabis have a common goal in mind, to produce quality cannabis, havingflower densely packed withstickyresinous trichomes. Trichomesare the hair-like outgrowths found on several plants. 

Trichomes of the Cannabis plant have been divided into two types, namelyglandular andnon-glandular. Glandular Trichomes are special in the fact that they have secretory glands, or cells that secret resin as the cannabis plant matures. This is where thecannabinoids,terpenes,flavonoids, and other essential oilsare produced.

In cannabis there are 3 glandular forms of trichomes; Bulbous, Capitate-Sessile, an Capitate-Stalked. There is also 1 Non-Glandular form of trichome; Cystolithic(Cystolith hairs).
 

QualityFlower will be covered in trichomes that sparkle like crystals.

Trichome density is relatively easily to spot with the naked eye, however, if you’re looking to monitor trichome development, as most growers do, we recommend using a magnifying glass, microscope, or jeweler’s loop. Many dispensaries are currently using a container with a built in microscope, such as Smokus Focus, to narrow in on the fine details of their flower.  

In contrast, lower-grade Cannabis will lack trichome coverage. Unfortunately, trichome loss/evaporation can also occur throughimproperstorage of Cannabis after harvest and while on the shelf at a dispensary.

A Closer Look at Trichome Color

Taking a closer look atthedevelopment of trichomes,althoughcoloration can vary between strains and maturity, the gland color will vary with ripeness of the individual THC glands. Most strains start from transparent, to milky, to amber, andgradually become opaque when THC levels have peaked and are beginning to diminish. Regardless of the initial color of the resin head, with careful observation you should be able to see a change in coloration as maturity levels off.

Stay tuned for the next feature in our series, on how to detect quality flower by using your senses. It only makes sense!