Sugar leaf

Sugar leaves are the small, single-bladed leaves growing abundantly around cannabis buds that become generously coated in shiny, sugary, THC-rich trichome resin glands as flowering finishes. While not nearly as potent as the actual flower calyxes, sugar leaves still collect enough cannabinoids and terpenes during their growth to produce usable dried plant material for extraction. However, meticulous trimming typically removes most sugar leaves during post-harvest processing to help control moisture levels and improve overall bud appearance. The discarded sugar leaf trim can then be utilized as ingredient for value-priced pre-rolls, edibles, or cannabinoid extraction, but lacks the full flavor and potency of actual cannabis flower buds. If allowed to overtake buds, dense piles of sugar leaves also provide prime real estate for gray mold infestations. So growers must strategically hand trim away sugar leaves to open up airflow while selectively maximizing exposure of the flower clusters themselves.