What Is Larf Cannabis?
“Larf,” while a fun word to say, is a term some cannabis consumers may not have heard before. It’s a slang word that refers to smaller, immature buds that didn’t quite reach their full potential. Usually these buds are wispy or fluffy little flowers found on the lower branches of cannabis plants. Generally, their immaturity is attributed to lack of light penetration due to living in the shadows of the bigger, topmost flowers (called “colas”), but other environmental factors can cause similar results.
What Is “Delarfing”?
Many growers use practices to minimize larf and allow plants to focus their energy towards producing exceptional flower within the canopy. Delarfing is just that! By pruning, training, and removing any additional vegetation that is not receiving adequate light, you can “delarf” a plant.
Think of it like a busser at a restaurant. If you pre-bus, or remove the dishes as they become unnecessary, it makes the final cleanup of the table that much more efficient. In the case of cannabis, the final cleanup is the harvest and trimming of the plant. Preemptively removing these small buds early in the plant’s flowering cycle will make processing the plant that much more productive.
What Can You Do With Larf Cannabis?
Not everyone delarfs their plants, which is why you will find items like budlets or popcorn nugs/buds (named for their round miniature stature that’s about the size of a popped kernel of popcorn) on dispensary menus. Even though these petite buds can have lower concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes, they can be used in several ways and make for a great discount buy:
- Produce cannabis oil used for preparing infused edibles
- Roll larf into joints or blunts
- Load a popcorn bud into a bowl whole as a “snap,” a bowl that is just big enough for one person to finish on their own.
Though less desirable than top-shelf flower, these smaller discount buds have plenty of uses. They might be worth giving a try, especially if you’re looking to stretch your dollar a little further at your next dispensary visit.
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Will is a cannabis expert and former co-host of Leafly's "What Are you Smoking" podcast. He's a cultivator and former budtender who loves complex hybrids with piney and gassy terpene profiles. Follow him on Instagram at @the.avid.dabber
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