Hi everyone! I’m currently almost at the end of the grow cycle and almost ready to harvest. I’ve been doing some research on whether or not to wet trim or dry trim. I see a ton of mixed answers regarding the methods. Is it really preference, or does wet or dry have pros/cons to either one?
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I do a rough wet trim then do a polished trim when dry. No particular reason other than it seems easier than other methods. The only factor recall being discussed (pro v con) is that the more you leave on when drying, the longer the dry will be.
From a Google search:
Pros of wet trimming
Consider the pros of wet trimming.
- Good for novices: Since the process is easy, wet trimming is ideal for novices, and it doesn’t take much time. Keep in mind, though, that it’s notoriously sticky and messy.
- Saves space: Because all of the foliage has been removed from the plants, wet trimming does not require a large amount of space to store for drying.
- Dries faster: Wet trims also dry faster, which can be viewed as a pro or con depending on who you ask.
- Less risk of mold: Quicker drying times mean less of an opportunity for mold to grow, which is great because mold can ruin a harvest.
- Fluffs the buds: Wet trims also “puff up" the flower as it cures, fluffing up the buds to be more aesthetically appealing to the consumer.
- Machine compatible: Wet trimming is additionally considered compatible with most machine trimmers.
Cons of wet trimming
Consider the cons of wet trimming.
- May reduce quality: Wet trimming may reduce the quality of the final product if it dries up too quickly. The removal of sugar and fan leaves from the plant only speeds up the plant’s drying time.
- Potentially grassy taste: Some growers believe that wet trimming leads to a grassy taste by exposing the plant’s chlorophyll and not allowing the bacteria to naturally break it down, and the more chlorophyll, the harsher the smoke. Fortunately, when it does dry to an ideal moisture level, it’s ready to go straight into a jar.
Pros of dry trimming
Consider the pros of dry trimming.
- Less messy: It’s more time-consuming than wet trimming but doesn’t have to be done all at once. Because the buds aren’t as sticky, dry trimming is generally less messy as well, which makes for a less stressful trimming process overall.
- Better quality: Many cultivators prefer dry trimming because it slows down the drying process of the buds, which produces arguably better quality products. It’s also ideal for more experienced cultivators who have adequate space for large-scale drying.
Cons of dry trimming
Consider the cons of dry trimming.
- Requires space: Since whole plants are hung out to dry before they are trimmed, dry trimming generally requires a significant amount of space to complete.
- Not as easy: Dry trimming isn’t as easy as wet trimming because it requires more precision, time, and care. You need to carefully remove leaves and stems from dry buds without breaking them and dislodging any resin-loaded trichomes. Dry buds are more brittle and must be handled with care so as to avoid damaging delicate trichomes. Preservation of trichomes may be harder when dry trimming; however, it’s not impossible with the right equipment. Dry sugar and fan leaves are more difficult to trim because they curl in on the buds, restricting access to them.
- Dense buds (but not necessarily a bad thing): Dry trim buds are typically dense and have shrunken to their final form, so they may not look as pretty as wet trim buds but can be of superior quality.
- Greater risk of mold: While both techniques run the risk of mold formation, the risk is greater for the dry method, as there is generally more humidity in the drying room that must be closely monitored.
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Nice summary
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When you do this, how many of the fan leaves do you leave on?
I remove all fan leaves before chopping and hanging… then dry trim once the stems are snapping when bent.
Either way works, you’ll figure out what method you prefer after a few runs.
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I take most all of the big fans and hang good sized sections of the plants to dry. If I had space I’d hang them whole. Here’s my last grow as I hung it to dry:
Took about nine days to dry. Stayed very close to 60°/60% in the tent. However you do it this time you’ll know whether to trim more or less depending on dry time.
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All of the fans come off, as well as most sugar leaves.
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After trimming all big fan leaves; when you smoked them, did you notice any changes to the flavor?
No. As long as it takes a week or more to dry it tastes just fine. If it dries quicker than that it can have a negative impact on taste. If you’re worried yours will dry too fast then leave some fans on. Ideally you want a 10-14 day slow dry. In the real world though a week plus seems to work well enough for me.
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Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all your input. Looking forward to harvesting!!
I wet trimmed my first few grows, and then switched to dry trimming after I read an article about why hanging the entire plant is better for proper drying. Although both methods work fine, I definitely prefer dry, and I feel end results smell better.
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I wet trim, because I use a bowl trimmer. I don’t enjoy trimming anymore and doing 4-6 plants is a hasle.
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@Nicky I am at that point… How are the bowl trimmers?
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If you can grow dense buds and don’t mind a bit of waste then they are life savers haha.
Definitely get a bubble hash bag setup to wash all your trim leftovers after they dry.
I still hand trim the top colas, and I take off all the fan leafs by hand then toss it in the trimmer when it’s broken down to bud.
I need to make hash I Have a 1lb bag in the freezer full of fresh frozen, and a 5 gallon bucket full of dry trim, followed by two large mason jars full of my grinder mess and after vape herb (this I’ll use iso for)
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I do a light wet trim and do the finish trimming when dry.
The extent of initial wet trim depends on drying conditions. During winter and fall when temps and humidity levels are down I’ll leave more leaves and hang larger stems. The higher the humidity levels the more I take off.
I feel I get a longer dry doing it this way. I don’t like the idea of breaking down a plant to individual buds or single colas in order to wet trim to a finished condition.
In between the rough wet trim and the finish trim I like to break the stems down further, trim a little more, and then sweat them in a tote for couple more days. This plant dried for 10 days in the tent then sweat for another 4 - 5 days.
Last step is to remove the buds from the stem and final trim
from this
to this
to this
and finally…this
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Wet trimming and then maybe doing a final manicure is typically what i do. For winter harvests when it’s really dry i will sometimes dry trim to lengthen dry time. I don’t think there’s any difference in quality, or either way impedes what will happen.
I find it hard to accept dry trimming is less messy though. The leaves crunch and break everywhere.
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I usually wet trim as well… But do it the hard way… Trim the buds leaving them all on the branch/stem hang them… After reading @MidwestGuy I plan on using the trim brush after dry to finish trim.
Like @Nicky I bubble hash all my trim and larf or make concentrate.
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I’ve only done 4 grows, and I’ve done 2 wet and 2 dry trims, they’re both messy! You’ll figure out what works best for you, don’t sweat it too much (but do sweat your buds 
). My advice is get some nitrile gloves and at least 2-3 pairs of quality scissors. You’ll need some rubbing alcohol for cleaning after. Good luck! 
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It also depends on where you are and the season. I dry and trim differently depending on the season here in Denver. I have no AC so in the summer, when my swamp cooler is on all day the RH% in the house is about 60-70%. During this season I trim it as if it was ready to smoke. But in the winter when the heat is on, the RH% is around 30% so I leave everything on the plant and chop and hang the full plant like beardless pics above. There is no right or wrong way to do it as long as you do the best you can and try to hit the 7-10/14 day dry and the 10-12% internal moisture reading at the budsites.
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