5 Ways to Use Leftover Weed Stems to Maximize Your Cannabis

It’s time we set the record straight on weed stems. For too long, they’ve gotten a bad rap. Many cannabis users simply don’t know what to do with weed stems, so they disregard them after grinding their favorite strains. But there’s a better way.

The marijuana plant is highly versatile because every part of it is usable. To really experience its wonder, start with your weed stems. Once you’ve collected enough, all you need is a little imagination to experience a whole new world of cannabis creations.

Can I Smoke Weed Stems?

Because weed stems contain small amounts of THC, some cannabis users try to conserve their weed by grinding their stems and smoking them. While it might get the job done in a pinch, smoking stems isn’t recommended.

Stems can be tough on your lungs. They are fibrous and contain lots of cellulose. The cellulose causes them to better conduct heat, causing them to burn at higher temperatures than flower. This level of heat produces a harsh smoke that tastes awful and can irritate your throat and lungs.

Since the THC level in weed stems is much lower than bud, it also takes more stems to produce the same effects. After rounds of bad-tasting, high-temperature smoke, many users complain of headaches.

While it’s true that you can smoke your stems, it’s not worth it. However, we’ve compiled a much more efficient list of what to do with weed stems. Grab your bag of stems, ditch the grinder, and get ready to view the marijuana plant in a whole new light!

1. Decarboxylate Your Weed Stems

You might scratch your head at the term decarboxylate, but it’s actually pretty simple. In essence, it’s just a heating process that extracts elements like THC, terpenes, and cannabinoids from plant cellulose.

The process is easy. The hardest part is making sure you have enough weed stems. Keep in mind that since they don’t contain as much THC, it takes a higher number of stems to produce the same effects as flower.

Once you’ve collected a sufficient bag of stems, you can put them to many uses after decarboxylation. For this process, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, break the stems into small sticks and lay them on a tray.

Let them bake for thirty to forty minutes while monitoring them. You do not want the weed stems to brown or burn. After turning off the heat, allow the stems to cool down in the oven. Viola! You have de-carbed your stems, making them highly versatile!

2. Create Cannabutter

The options of what to do with your weed stems are wide open after de-carbing them. One of the most popular uses is cannabutter.

A good batch of weed butter opens even more possibilities for your stems. Whether you make magic brownies, magic mashed potatoes, or magic macaroni, you’ll love this type of baking in the kitchen!

The first step is grinding your weed stems. Don’t grind them too fine, or they’ll be easier to burn. Then melt butter in a skillet with the ground stems. Allow the butter and stems to simmer at the lowest heat for 40 minutes to an hour.

Now that the THC from the stems is absorbed into the butter, you’ll want to strain the mixture to remove the stems. Use a fine mesh strainer to remove any plant matter. Then refrigerate until it hardens. Once it sets, you can replace the butter in any recipe with cannabutter!

3. Charas

Want to get hands-on with what to do with weed stems? Charas is a straightforward, tactile hash-making process that gets a little messy. It’s easy to do and an entertaining way to engage with traditional cannabis culture.

To start making charas, grab a bundle of weed stems and rub them between your palms. You’ll begin to see dark green material collect on your hands—this is the hash. Keep rubbing until no more resin comes off your bundle.

Once the bundle is finished, scrape the hash from your palms into a bowl. Then, repeat the process with another bundle of weed stems. Eventually, you’ll have enough resin to roll into a small ball and load into your bowl!

4. Silkscreen Hash

This method gets its name from the cheesecloth you’ll use to collect the hash from the stems.

Break the weed stems into small pieces and pack them into a reusable bag. Then, put the bag into the freezer for several hours. Once the stems are moist and cold, take the bag out of the freezer.

At this point, the THC and trichomes are ready to be extracted from the stems. Spread your cheesecloth over a bowl and rub a bundle of stems against the fabric. They should produce juice; you’ll want to continue rubbing them until they stop making this liquid.

The hash is the sediment sitting under the liquid at the bottom of your bowl. Slowly pour out the juice, scoop the hash, and roll it into smokable balls.

5. Blender Hash

Blender hash is great when you know making hash is what you want to do with your weed stems, but you don’t want to get too messy. Keep in mind that this method requires decarboxylated stems.

Start by blending your stems with one part water and one part ice for one minute. Then, you’ll pour the mixture into a cheesecloth-covered bowl. The hash will settle at the bottom of the bowl.

With the hash settled, pour two-thirds of the water out of the bowl and fill the remaining hash mixture with cold water. Watch for more hash to settle to the bottom of the bowl. Repeat until all the plant matter separates from the hash.

Pour the remaining water out slowly, then collect the hash and smoke it!

Save Your Stems

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you save your weed stems. By utilizing them, you’ll help create a holistic approach to marijuana that maximizes its truly fantastic potential.

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