When it comes to weed, the color can vary dramatically. Some strains are green, some are orange, and others can even be purple or yellow. However, there’s one color that stands out from the rest — brown weed. So why does cannabis turn brown? This guide will help you learn more about this mystery that you’ve probably wondered about before.
Cannabis Cultivation
Cannabis is grown by planting cannabis seeds. These seeds will grow into cannabis plants. The plant will produce flowers, which contain the THC that people use for medicinal and recreational purposes.
However, if the plant is not harvested, the flowers will eventually turn brown and die. This is why weed that has been left out for too long will often turn brown. While brown weed is safe to consume, it may not be as potent as fresh weed. This is because THC degrades over time and loses its efficacy.
However, some people believe that brown weed has a more mellow effect than fresh weed, making it ideal for those who want to relax without getting too high. It can also be cheaper since potency does degrade with age. Some dispensaries have even started selling old weed at reduced prices.
There are many other reasons for the color of your weed turning brown, including improper storage, age of the flower, or even excessive handling. Whatever the reason, one thing remains clear: Brown weed can still give you a good high! And while there’s no guarantee on how potent it’ll be, you can always ask your budtender about any discounts they might offer on older stock.
Additionally, make sure to store your weed in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Keeping away from heat sources like open windows, sunlight, or ovens helps prevent it from going bad too quickly.
What Causes Marijuana Flower To Turn Yellow, Orange, Or Brown
One of the most common questions that cannabis users ask is, ‘why did my weed turn brown?’ It’s a perfectly understandable question since most people are used to seeing green marijuana. While there are many reasons why your weed may have turned brown, there are a few that are more common than others.
Here’s a quick guide to some of the most likely reasons behind your brown weed.
1. Leaving it Out in the Air: Green cannabis flower turns yellow when exposed to air and sunlight for too long. Brown cannabis flower can be from improper curing or storing methods, but often times its due to simply leaving it out in the open air for too long.
Keep your weed stored in an airtight container with as little exposure to oxygen as possible and you should see minimal discoloration.
2. Bugs: If you notice bugs around your cannabis plant then this could be another reason for discoloration. Pests such as aphids can feed on plants and leave their waste which will cause the flowers (and leaves) to turn brown from insects feeding on them over time. More so, certain molds and fungi can grow on the plant matter.
Bugs aren’t always bad for cannabis though! Different bugs eat different parts of the plant so if you’re noticing aphids then you know that your cannabis has enough natural nutrients to attract these pests.
3. Improper Curing Method: How does one cure their weed? What does curing do? Curing is done by drying and letting buds hang upside down until they become brittle enough to break apart easily. Over-cured weed may be harder to smoke because it’s been dried out too much while under-cured pot may still have visible traces of moisture that leads to mold growth during storage.
If your weed is turning orange, brown, or yellowish then it may not have had enough time to properly dry before being put away.
4. Storing Pot In Wrong Area: Sometimes the light might affect how fast our cannabis turns color. For example, in colder climates where light reflects off snow a lot of growers use sunlamps indoors to simulate more daylight hours during winter months and UV rays can also make bud turn brown faster than expected.
Additionally, humid environments also tend to make cannabis flower change colors quicker which means that keeping it in your basement or close to kitchen windows is probably not a good idea unless you want all of your weed turning into something else entirely!
5. Pollution: Cannabis reacts poorly to pollutants including herbicides like glyphosate and pesticide residue from commercial farms. If you have a high level of environmental pollution in your area, your cannabis may react to it and turn brown.
6. Another thing that can lead to cannabis turning brown is the age of the plant. Some strains are known for getting really dark in color when they’re old, whereas other strains stay greener longer. Most strains typically start to turn brown after a year, but some strains can go up to two years and remain mostly green.
If you’re new to growing, be aware that some strains turn brown when they get older. The more popular and well-known strains, such as Sour Diesel and Trainwreck, are generally going to have a shorter lifespan than some of the lesser known strains. And just as a reminder, brown weed is safe to consume even if it’s not as green.
You can usually enjoy your brown cannabis without worrying about whether or not it’s safe for consumption.
How Do I Make My Marijuana Flower Stay Green?
We all know that when cannabis flowers, they turn brown. But why does this happen? Is it safe to consume brown weed? What are the characteristics of good weed?
In general, marijuana can stay green for a longer period of time if you store it in a cool, dry place. Marijuana is still susceptible to degradation from oxygen and light (just like most living things). One thing that helps with both oxygen and light is simply putting your cannabis in an airtight container or baggie before you store it away from the air and sun.
That way, you’ll protect your marijuana as much as possible from losing its green color prematurely. There’s another misconception about brown weed: sometimes people think that means it’s old and not potent. But just because cannabis turns brown doesn’t mean that it’s automatically low quality.
Brown weed is also more likely to have THC crystals than green marijuana—which makes sense because crystals come out of whatever plant material has been exposed to light and heat the longest.
While higher levels of THC might be more desirable, keep in mind that THC crystals can make smoking more harsh on your throat and lungs than smoking un-crystalized weed would be. So, while you may want to smoke brown weed because it will get you high faster and stronger, there may be some drawbacks depending on what your goals are.
If we’re talking about edibles instead of smoking, then yes—brown weed is totally safe to eat! It won’t affect the potency at all. Again, it could taste different or worse than green cannabis depending on who grew it and how long ago they harvested it.
When buying marijuana from someone else or retailing yourself, make sure to look into factors such as cultivation type, cannabinoid profile, etc.—these qualities will help determine whether or not the final product will be worth trying out!
Why Are Some Buds Darker Than Others?
The color of cannabis can indicate its freshness, potency, and overall quality. Cannabis plants produce a variety of pigments as they mature. These pigments are responsible for the colors we see in fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Cannabis is no different. As cannabis plants mature, they produce chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins.
Chlorophyll is a green pigment that is essential for photosynthesis. It is produced in cannabis leaves and helps the plant absorb energy from sunlight. Carotenoids are orange and yellow pigments that give foods like carrots their characteristic color. They also play an important role in photosynthesis.
Anthocyanins are red or purple pigments found in many foods including strawberries, eggplants, beets, grapefruit, and more. They also help protect plants from the sun’s harmful rays. However, cannabis only produces carotenoids and anthocyanins when it is exposed to light.
If a bud has been grown in darkness or grown indoors without any natural light exposure, then it will have dark green foliage but dark-colored calyxes with little to no visible coloration. A lack of these pigments does not affect the healthiness or effects of the bud; however, lighter colored calyxes are often associated with higher quality products because they represent better harvesting techniques by growers.
While this association doesn’t necessarily hold true across the board, it does tend to correlate in most cases. Buds with deeper colors typically taste sweeter and smell stronger than lighter shades. Darker hues are typically indicative of an abundance of THC (up to 20%) while lighter greens generally contain less THC (approximately 10%).
Therefore, darker shades are typically associated with potency over other factors such as flavor or aroma. Additionally, there may be additional flavonoids present that contribute to enhanced psychoactive properties which result in a stoned effect known as couch lock.
You’ll want to keep in mind that brown weed isn’t always bad. However, depending on the shade you may experience certain affects.
Remember: Don’t make assumptions based on the color alone.
Is Brown Weed Safe To Smoke?
Brown cannabis is often considered to be an inferior product. But, brown weed isn’t necessarily bad and it’s not necessarily good.
Brown weed can be just as potent as green marijuana and it can also be impotent. So, how do you know if brown cannabis is safe to consume?
The best way to ensure that you’re getting a good quality product is to buy from a reputable source. If you want to know whether or not your brown weed is safe to consume, look at its color. If you’re unsure about why your weed is brown, consider asking your budtender for some assistance.
Brown Weed Color
Brown weed should have a dark hue with hints of green and orange. Some strains will have red and purple hues as well. If the color doesn’t look like this, then it could be poor quality or it could be contaminated with mold or mildew.
Brown weed that has been contaminated with mold or mildew should never be smoked because it can make you seriously ill or even kill you!
Does Brown Weed Mean It’s Old?
Weed that is discolored brown can sometimes mean that it is old and stale. But it’s not always the case. For example, if you keep your weed in a jar or baggie, it will become dry and brittle over time. When this happens, the herb will start to turn brown or even black.
So how do you know if your weed is actually old or just needs some moisture? The best way to tell is by the smell and taste. If your weed smells like hay or straw and tastes bland, then chances are it has lost some of its potency and isn’t as fresh as it used to be.
However, if you’ve stored your cannabis properly in an airtight container with a desiccant pack or vacuum sealer, then there’s a good chance that browning won’t be an issue for you at all.
Key Takeaways
Weed turns brown for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are due to the age of the weed, while others are because of how the weed was stored. However, brown weed is generally safe to consume.
There are also many characteristics of good weed, such as a pleasant smell and a sticky texture. Brown weed can be high quality, but it all depends on what factors caused it to turn brown in the first place.
