The cannabis industry is facing a dilemma: machine trimming or hand trimming? Which is better? The answer to this question depends on a wide range of factors, including the amount of time and money spent, what kind of product output people are looking for, and whether or not your business will be able to handle the extra weight of all that flower.
In most cases, machine trimming is a more efficient way to trim cannabis buds and results in less waste. Read on for a deeper explanation of how machine trimming preserves more cannabis and how it can benefit your business!
Faster and More Efficient Trimming
Let’s face it: a machine can trim buds much faster and more efficiently than human hands ever could. Machines use a continuous motion to cut or tumble buds from their stems, while hand trimming takes time and skill to get the job done right. The continuous cutting motion of the machine—or rolling motion, in the case of tumble trimmers—means you can trim pounds of buds in just a few hours, which would take one person days to accomplish by hand.
Machine trimming also makes it easier and faster for cannabis growers to perform extraction processes since more of the flower is left intact. With less waste and more product to work with, you’re sure to get a much higher yield when using an extraction recovery pump and other extraction equipment.
Higher Quantities of Quality Product
While hand trimming may be more accurate overall, machine trimming will provide you with more product in a smaller time frame. Plus, with technology advancing at a rapid rate, previous concerns about mangled or wasted product are becoming a thing of the past! High-end machine trimmers are able to maintain their efficiency while being gentler on bud, preserving trichomes and leaving you with huge batches of high-quality flower that could rival hand-trimmed products any day.
By opting for machine trimming, you get to preserve more of the product while saving time and money, which is crucial for large- and small-scale growers alike!
Easier to Maintain Product Consistency
Another reason machine trimming is preferred over hand trimming, especially by large-scale commercial growers, is because it’s easier to maintain consistency in the product. With a machine doing all of the work for you, there are no inconsistencies with different workers cutting at varying rates or results.
In a highly competitive market where even a few percentage points in consistency can be the difference between market success and failure, these benefits are very significant. Growers who want to ensure the highest quality and most consistent product possible will want to invest in a good machine trimming system for their product.
Dry or Wet Trimming?
The debate between dry and wet trimming is one that goes back just as far as the debate of hand or machine trimming. Many growers feel passionate about the trimming method they use, but the truth is that both have their pros and cons. Let’s take a look at some of the key differences between the two methods:
- Dry Trimming – This is the more traditional method of trimming cannabis, and it involves using a machine to remove the leaves from the buds. One of the benefits of this method is that it’s very precise, resulting in a cleaner product. However, because the buds are dried before they’re trimmed, there is a risk of losing some of the product in the process.
- Wet Trimming – The wet trimming method relies on a water bath to keep humidity high, which is great for keeping buds from drying out while removing leaves and other parts that don’t have any active cannabinoids. However, because these plants are not dried before being trimmed, it can be more difficult to get a precise cut or better results with tumble machines.
So, which is better? The truth is, it depends on your specific situation. If you’re looking for a cleaner product with less waste, then dry machine trimming might be the best option for you. However, wet machine trimming is the way to go if you want to preserve as much of the product as possible.
Machine Trimming: Is It Right for You?
Machine trimming is a great option for cannabis producers of all sizes. It allows you to get precise results while preserving more of the product, and it’s an important step in ensuring that your final product is of the highest quality.
