How to Not Waste Any Parts of Your Cannabis Plants

Maybe you’re limited on your stash because of medical marijuana laws, or you simply want to save money. Whatever the reason, making the most of every part of your cannabis plant is your goal.

Sure, the buds and flowers are the premium parts. They’re where the cannabinoids cluster and your THC and CBD are centralized in them. However, all those leftover crumbs and trimmings that you might have swept into the garbage are usable, too.

You don’t want to use your crumbs (called “shake,”) and trimmings in a joint. There’s too much excess plant matter in them that can make inhaling the mixture a bit harsh. Most of the potent bits are in the bud, so your trim and shake aren’t going to be a high-quality smoke, either. Still, there are plenty of other things you can do with these leftover bits.

Ready to increase your stash’s longevity and skip the waste? Check out these tips to power up your cannabis trimmings and shake.

1. Make a Concentrate

Did you know the cultivators purposely collect trimmings and make a hefty profit from them? Concentrates and extracts are made from trimmings, so a plant harvester can effectively double their earnings from one plant.

You don’t have to be a professional to do the same thing. Using the trimmings from your flower, finely grind them into a joint-like powder, then follow the instructions to make your favorite concentrate or extract.

2. Spice Up Your Meal

Thinking about bringing weed to your kitchen, but not sure how to do it quite yet? It doesn’t take a master chef to use cannabis as a spice or garnish. 

All you need to do is learn how to decarb your trim. Decarboxylation is the heating process that takes out the bitter taste from the weed. You can decarb in the oven or microwave. Once you’ve done this part, the rest is easy.

Take your trimmings and sprinkle them on your pasta, salad, and meats. Mix it into butter, oil, or flour, and use that ingredient to make your favorite recipes.

You can even add the trimmings to a beverage, like milk, juice, or coffee, for an extra cannabis infusion.

3. Feel Better With Topicals

Are your joints and muscles achy? Get rid of those sore spots with a topical CBD salve or cream.

In the stores, high-quality versions of these products can be pricey. Create your own version of them at home with your leftover shake and trimmings. 

Start by decarbing the plant pieces, then grind them into a fine powder. This activates the nutrients that help reduce inflammation and pain.

Add the ground powder to an oil extract, then include any extra vitamins, essential oils, or nutrients that you want to include. A common easy add-on ingredient is Vitamin E. 

Other possibilities are nutrients like jojoba or coconut oil, Vitamin D, and Vitamin C. To thicken the oil into a salve, combine it with beeswax. To make it more lotion-like, mix it with cocoa or shea butter.

4. Enrich Your Soil

Composting has quickly taken root in households across the world. As people try to help reduce environmental damage, garden and trash composting is a regular thing.

Using your trimmings in your garden compost enriches the soil and feeds any plants you’re trying to grow. The stems, leaves, and stalks have the lowest cannabinoid content, but they’re high in nitrogen and low in carbon. These are all factors that create the ideal growing environment for plants.

Since the CBD component is negligible, you don’t have to be concerned about feeding your fruits and veggies cannabis trimmings. Once it breaks down into the soil, the essential nutrients are fed to the plants, and the cannabinoids aren’t strong enough to impact them. 

The only thing you might notice is that your cannabis-fed plants are stronger, healthier, and more robust than their non-weed-fertilized counterparts. Regarding your garden, cannabis trimmings are one ‘weed’ that makes a positive difference.

Conclusion

The next time you pull out your cannabis stash, don’t scrape the weed waste into the trash. Save it in a container and store it where you can keep adding the trimmings and shake to it. When you have enough, use your leftovers to make any of these products.