Basics · 4 min read

Cannabis grow & harvest

Anatomy of a cannabis flower, and what happens after harvest: drying, trimming and curing, plus cola, bud, nug, shake, kief and hash explained.

Anatomy of a cannabis flower

Meet the structures that make up the flower.

• Pistil & stigmas — the pistil is the female reproductive structure. Its visible, hairlike stigmas catch pollen; these are often called “pistils.”
• Bracts — small, teardrop-shaped structures around the female flowers. Their surfaces are covered in resin glands.
• Trichomes & resin — tiny glands give flower its frosty appearance. They produce and store resin containing cannabinoids and terpenes.
• Calyx — a common cannabis term for the teardrop-shaped bract, which surrounds the female flower.

Why do the hairs change color?

As flowers mature, pale stigmas often darken to orange, red, or brown. Color alone does not establish maturity or THC potency.

After harvest: drying

After harvest, cannabis plants or branches are often hung upside down to dry. Drying removes moisture and helps prepare the flower for curing.

Trimming cannabis

• Hand trimming — each bud is meticulously trimmed by hand, removing excess leaves with careful attention to detail.
• Machine trimming — machines trim excess leaves from larger batches of flower.

Curing cannabis

After drying, flower rests in containers under controlled conditions, allowing moisture to even out and its aroma and flavor to develop.

Cola vs. bud vs. nug

• Cola — a large cluster of buds, often at the top. A plant can have one main cola or several, depending on how it is grown.
• Bud — the flower of the cannabis plant.
• Nug — a chunk of dried flower. Bud and nug are often used interchangeably.

Shake, kief and hash

• Shake — small pieces of flower that break away during handling. May include leaf and stem.
• Kief — loose resin glands, called trichomes, that separate from cannabis flower.
• Blonde hash — pressed cannabis resin with a lighter, golden-brown appearance.
• Traditional hash — cannabis resin traditionally shaped by hand into balls or other forms.

Questions? Our knowledgeable staff can answer your questions and help you find the products that fit your needs and preferences. Browse flower in stock or see indica, sativa and hybrid.

For adults 21+. Please consume responsibly.