What Can Growers Do with Sugar Leaves?
Lots of people are concerned about whether they should trim sugar leaves or leave them to grow mature? They will probably find it out in this article.
This article comprises many sections to explain what exactly you can do with the sugar leaves.
Yes, we know there are also tons of questions asked regarding cannabis sugar leaves that need to be highlighted as well.
The most common question that comes from the people is whether or not they can smoke cannabis sugar leaves?
The explanation is quite a bit different and tricky regarding different situations. We’ll discuss this further in the article.
But first, you have to understand what exactly sugar leaves are in the cannabis industry and how it impacts the business level.
Many people might have different opinions towards sugar leaves but must agree on making them useful from a business perspective.
What Are Sugar Leaves?
So, our main concern is what exactly are the sugar leaves?
Sugar leaves are tiny little leaves that grow together with other sugar leaves, holding cannabis buds together. In the cannabis industry, sugar leaves with a high amount of trichomes that wrapped the leaves with the appearance of sugar-like leaves.
Sugar leaves usually come out of cannabis colas during the flowering stage.
The process of forming colas begins slowly within the cannabis plant during the initial stages of flowering. Within 14 to 28 days, buds started to develop, and thus sugar leaves begin to form. The properties of trichomes are almost the same in both (Colas & sugar leaves).
Trichomes are responsible for the sticky feel and crystal shine to the cannabis plant surface. This is mostly due to the high concentrations of trichomes that put stickiness to the plant surface.
Trichomes are also responsible for producing cannabinoids and terpenes. On a lighter note, fan leaves are also possessed with trichomes but less concentration than sugar leaves.
Sugar Leaves Vs. Fan Leaves
So, how would you differentiate between sugar leaves and fan leaves?
There’s no rocket science in finding the difference between them. It is easier to identify by naked eyes.
Sometimes, it would be problematic for new growers as they don’t have considerable knowledge of the cannabis plant. So, their priority is to gain some momentum before going further into practical life.
Above, we’ve already explained sugar leaves on how they look and which properties they possessed. Let us remind you that both sugar and fan leave almost share the same properties except for the concentrations of trichomes.
Sugar leaves have a high concentration of trichomes, whereas fan leaves possess fewer trichomes (less potent).
Apart from concentration, fan leaves look different as compared to sugar leaves.
Fan leaves are large and multi-fingered leaves on the cannabis plant. Sugar leaves are more hidden or protected, with only tips peeking through, very close to buds.
If you think fan leaves are just for show, then you are wrong.
Fan leaves works as a tool that collects sunlight as much as possible to support photosynthesis. Not only that, fan leaves are the only source for understanding your plant’s health.
Most fan leaves are mostly situated at the bottom of the plant; any water, nutrients, or humidity will display on the fan leaves first.
So, it’s essential to keep the fan leaves during the vegetative stage to cheer up the healthy environment. Many growers trim the fan leaves during the flowering phase to amplify the airflow and harden the buds system.
Are Sugar Leaves Smokable?
Here comes the most frequent and obvious question asked on the sugar leaves. Unfortunately, there is no absolute answer to this question.
The choice is up to the growers whether they want to leave them for extra weight or trim them to make them smokable.
On a short note, yes, sugar leaves are acceptable to smoke.
Generally, you would expect much harsher smoke with less flavor and will not have a good effect on your throat. Sugar leaves are less potent than buds or flowers, and they are best to make cannabis concentrates used in pre-rolls.
If you still choose to smoke, leave the leaves on the buds and grind them with flowers. In this way, you’ll enhance the quality and volume of smoke without having an unpleasant experience.
If you’re still thinking about smoking sugar leaves, there are some pros and cons of using sugar leaves for smoking are as follows:
Pros of Smoking Sugar Leaves
● Apart from smoking, cannabis sugar leaves give an attractive and charming look to your plant. Because of the shiny tiny crystals that put extra charm to your plant.
● If you’re using cannabis for the commercial level, leave the sugar leaves on the plants as they will provide excessive weight to your plant.
● Keeping sugar leaves on the cannabis plant will slow down the drying process after cultivation. This will help the growers to get a good taste of or smell on their plants. The excellent taste and smell often get lost in the fast-drying process, so it’s better to keep the sugar leaves intact to make sure your plant doesn’t lose the scent.
● It is also possible to pack the sugar leaves with high THC levels, and wasting would be a crime.
Cons of Smoking Sugar Leaves
Anything with benefits also brings some disadvantages as well. Here we have some drawbacks of smoking sugar leaves.
● As we already know, smoking sugar leaves will give a harsher experience and can be unpleasant to your mouth and throat.
● At the same time, you are affecting the flavors of your cannabis flowers.
● Sugar leaves are less potent than buds or flowers; mixing them together means the leaves will weaken the potency of the final product.
So, as you can see, the pros and cons of smoking sugar leaves, experienced by growers so far. Nonetheless, it’s never easy to say which approach is better; everyone has their personal opinions and preferences.
What Can You Do with Sugar Leaves?
So far, we’ve outlined some essential aspects of sugar leaves and the differences from fan leaves.
Now, it’s time to advances towards more depth of sugar leaves.
Being a grower, you’ve realized how important sugar leaves are for your business. It’s time to move forth and see what you can do with the sugar leaves?
The decision to use sugar leaves depends upon the number of cannabis plants you have.
As we already mentioned, some commercial growers use them to increase the weight of the cannabis plant. The point we are making is that using sugar leaves is dependent on personal preferences. You cannot force someone to use them for just smoking purposes.
If your decision is up against smoking sugar leaves, here are other things you can do with them:
● You can make concentrates and extracts.
● With cannabis trim, you can also enhance your meals and drinks.
● Sugar leaves can also be used to make cannabutter and other edibles.
● You can also create homemade herbs.
● Grind them to make some kief tea.
Well, these were some alternative uses for sugar leaves. Now, let’s see how you would collect and use them?
How to Collect Sugar Leaves?
Collecting the cannabis sugar leaves is just as simple as harvesting the buds.
Since the leaves are small in size, you’ll have to disburse extra time and power for trimming them one by one. That’s why most growers let them stay on the buds to gain excess weight.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that the amount of obtaining sugar leaves from a single cannabis plant will be small.
For storing, Ziplock bags or air-tight containers are the best way to keep them safe for later use.
How to Use Sugar Leaves?
You’ve collected the sugar leaves, and now you’re wondering how and where to use them?
Well, sugar leaves can be used to make different cannabis products.
Cannabis products heavily rely on trichomes. Trichomes may differ from one strain to another. That’s why it’s crucial to understand which product you will make with a particular strain.
In particular, a stain like Green Crack may not generate many trichomes as compared to Gorilla Glue.
The quality and quantity of trichomes may affect your final results.
Occasionally, cannabis plants with immense buds don’t make many sugar leaves, while those with smaller buds produce more sugar leaves.
If you’re planning to make edible with sugar leaves, make sure to decarboxylate the sugar leaves before using them as ingredients. By doing so, you’ll get active THC and CBD.
Here are some common ways to make use of the sugar leaves:
1. Edible
Many growers usually use cannabis buds to make them edible. If you’re short of buds, sugar leaves are the best substitute. Even so, you have to collect many sugar leaves as compared to buds.
Making brownies with cannabis flowers is easy, even though you can replace the flowers with sugar leaves as well.
For example, if your recipe for making brownies is 50 grams of flowers, use 50g of sugar leaves as an alternative to flowers. For a much stronger option, use 50g buds and 25g of sugar leaves.
2. Cannabutter
Cannabutter is the widespread use of cannabis among many growers. Not only it has a more substantial effect than smoking cannabis, but it also lasts longer.
Many people use fan leaves to make tea; mixing with sugar leaves makes it more potent. Don’t overdo the process as edible are much stronger than smoking sugar leaves.
3. Kief
Kief is nothing, just a powdery substance that you’ll find after grinding the sugar leaves. Before making kief make sure you’ve dried all of your leaves. After the drying process, grind them and save them for later use.
4. Vaporizer
Many growers don’t recommend using sugar leaves for smoking. Although you can use them, smoking leaves will generate harsher smoke that can irritate your mouth and throat.
To overcome the harsher taste, you can trim the sugar leaves and vaporize them using a vaporizer.
Sugar Leaves FAQ
So far, we’ve covered almost everything related to sugar leaves. Here we’ve few questions that are frequently asked by growers:
Do Sugar Leaves Carry Sugar in them?
Sugar leaves are tiny little leaves that grow out of your buds during the flowering stage.
They are called “Sugar Leaves” because they are covered with shiny trichomes that look like sugar.
Can I get high by Smoking Sugar Leaves?
Sugar leaves are less potent as compared to buds as they have less amount of THC. But still, sugar leaves have much amount of THC to make you high.
Anything you’re breathing in with THC will get you high.
Should I throw away Sugar Leaves after cutting them off?
If you want to make use of every investment you’ve made, make sure to collect and utilize them.
You can use them for edibles and other products. We’ve already mentioned some of the uses of sugar leaves.
How do you dry Sugar Leaves?
The best way to dry sugar leaves is to leave them on the colas of the plant instead of cutting or trimming them.
Don’t worry about the curing process; your plant will do it all together.
Should I trim Sugar Leaves?
Well, there is no obvious answer to this question.
Some growers leave the sugar leaves on colas to dry naturally, and some prefer to trim the leaves while the leaves are still wet.
Many growers believe sugar leaves are less potent and should be trimmed off before buds get dried. Trimming off sugar leaves will make buds look better and taste less harsh.
So, these were a few questions that the people frequently asked. Remember, these answers are based on personal experience and judgment. In some scenarios, you might not find aid with these answers. So, always do what you think is good for you.
