Harvest Management¶

Harvest management guides you from recognising harvest maturity through documenting the harvest batch to quality assessment. An integrated safety system automatically checks whether active pest control treatments block the harvest.

Prerequisites¶

• At least one plant in the "Harvest" phase or approaching it (flowering phase)
• All active pest control treatments must have completed their pre-harvest interval

Recognising Harvest Maturity¶

Kamerplanter shows a maturity forecast for each plant based on days spent in the flowering phase and Growing Degree Days (GDD). This forecast is a guideline — the actual decision is yours as the grower.

Maturity Indicators by Plant Type¶

Flower heads (e.g. cannabis, hops): - Trichome colour under a loupe: milky white = peak compound content, amber = declining - Pistil colouring: > 70 % brown / orange - Calyx swelling: fully developed

Fruiting vegetables (tomato, pepper, cucumber): - Colour change from green to the variety's final colour - Slight give when pressed gently - Glossy skin

Root vegetables (potato, carrot): - More than 80 % dead foliage - Hard, non-scrapable skin - Variety-typical size reached

Leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach): - Firm head formation in heading varieties - Crisp texture, no bitter taste - Harvest before bolting

Pre-Harvest Interval Check (IPM Safety Gate)¶

The pre-harvest interval is the minimum waiting period after applying a plant protection product before the plant may be harvested. These intervals are legally regulated and stored in Kamerplanter per treatment agent.

Example: You applied a product with a 14-day PHI on 1 March. The earliest possible harvest date is 15 March. If you try to create a harvest batch on 10 March, an error message appears.

More on pre-harvest intervals: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Creating a Harvest Batch¶

Step 1: Start the Harvest¶

1. Open the plant or planting run under Plants or Runs.
2. Click Start Harvest or Create Harvest Batch.
3. The system automatically checks all pre-harvest intervals. If a treatment is still within its interval, a message appears.

Step 2: Enter Harvest Details¶

Harvest methods: - Full harvest: The entire plant is harvested. The plant moves to "Completed" status afterwards. - Partial harvest (staggered): Only part is harvested (e.g. top buds first). The plant remains active for further harvests.

Step 3: Quality Assessment (optional)¶

Enter an optional quality rating:

Additional fields (depending on plant type): - Aroma intensity (1–10) - Visual rating (1–10) - Remarks (e.g. "No pest damage", "Slight botrytis on one branch tip")

Documenting the Drying Phase¶

After harvest, many crops (e.g. herbs, cannabis) go through a drying phase. You can track this in Kamerplanter:

1. Open the harvest batch under Harvest.
2. Click Start Drying Phase.
3. Enter start weight, target moisture, and storage conditions.
4. Regularly record the current dry weight — Kamerplanter calculates drying progress.

Optimal drying conditions (guidelines for herbs and cannabis): - Temperature: 18–22 °C - Humidity: 45–55 % rH - Duration: 7–14 days

Yield Metrics and Analysis¶

After completing a harvest batch, Kamerplanter calculates automatically:

• Dry weight (after entering the final weight)
• Drying loss (% weight loss through drying)
• Yield per m² (g/m², based on growing area)
• Yield per plant (g/plant)
• Yield per day in the flowering phase

These metrics help you improve your growing technique across multiple cycles.

Pre-Harvest Protocols¶

Flush Phase¶

Some growers perform a flush before harvest to wash excess salts from the substrate. Kamerplanter offers this protocol as an option.

1. Open the plant.
2. Click Start Flush Protocol.
3. The system recommends a flush duration based on substrate.
4. During flushing you receive watering tasks with plain pH-adjusted water.

More on flush protocols: Fertilization

Dark Period¶

Some growers maintain a dark period of 24–48 hours immediately before harvest. Kamerplanter can remind you:

1. Open the planting run.
2. Click Plan Dark Period.
3. Choose date and duration.
4. A task is created: "Turn off lighting — dark period begins".

Frequently Asked Questions¶

See Also¶

• Pest Management (IPM)
• Growth Phases
• Fertilization
• Planting Runs