A Hempy Adventure in Soilponics

[ISK]

I jarred the Maui Bay on Saturday, it was hung for 6 days humidity in office was mid 30's. Today the cheap humidity meters were reading 62 to 63% which is still high for me. I've tried the 62% cure several times and have used the 62% boveda packets, and to me this is still way too moist even after 6 months cure. I currently shot for mid 50's% for long term curing.
.

I'm the opposite, I think 62% is on the low side but that's where I target for long term storage to ensure no mold

I heard that the curing process stops in under 55%....not sure if that's true for buds, but it does hold true for cigars

I like pot that has been cured for six months or more...I'm still smoking my Mexican ditch weed which is tasting even better with every passing month

 

[WattSaver]

I'm the opposite, I think 62% is on the low side but that's where I target for long term storage to ensure no mold

I heard that the curing process stops in under 55%....not sure if that's true for buds, but it does hold true for cigars

I like pot that has been cured for six months or more...I'm still smoking my Mexican ditch weed which is tasting even better with every passing month

If its not moist (and somewhat warm) it will not ferment - won't cure.
I see absolutely no reason for a 6 month cure (?!). After 2 months with most strains you'll get mold- tasting weed that is weak and sleepy.

I cure for 4-20 days and then move the jarred to the refrigerator to STOP the curing process.

The cure is over for me when the buds taste well and the high is where I want it, then I dry the buds a bit more to the level of "grinder friendly" dryness.

So Yekke, you're saying that the fermenting will continue endlessly if moisture and temp are in the right range? I've always thought that once the sugars in stems and whats left of the leaf was consumed that the fermenting was done. And from what I've seen it seems to happen in the 2 to 3 wk range. So I maintain the higher moisture level (58% is my current goal) for 3 to 4 months. Then I'll take out of the jars and let the buds air for a day which will drop the moisture level by at least 10% which is as you said more grinder friendly, then seal-a-meal them. and it will last for months. I've never had a mold problem (knock on wood).

ISK I've always wondered if tobacco curing was directly relateable to cannibis... I've looked into building a small drying box and follow the same criteria for drying tobacco leaf.

 

[ISK]

ISK I've always wondered if tobacco curing was directly relateable to cannibis... I've looked into building a small drying box and follow the same criteria for drying tobacco leaf.

I think tobacco is rather different to cure/dry but it could be a neat little experiment to try out

It's the long term storage that has many parallels, I use a humidor to store my jars, and keep it around 65%....at lot of people use Boveda 62% packs in their jars

I think the cigar world has allot of good ideas on how to store something for years at a fixed RH

 

[WattSaver]

I was busy this Sunday, had to spend 45 mins doing a transplant and getting all the food into the buckets. Now the heavy work is over. I figure I'll have to put in 15 mins of grow room work in the next wk and most of that is taking care of the seedlings for the next round.



Here we go the next round for flower;

Bay-11 fem seeds from my own means.

Going to follow the Main Lining system more closely, all side branches have been removed, just working out of one node. I'll continue vegging until all 4 mains are 8 to 12" long.



Using 3.5gal buckets this round. With the longer veg going to give them more room.

Bucket consists of large coarse perlite to above the hole, then my "mixed coco" up and around the soil core to about 1 1/2" from final level, then finished with soil.
This round I'm using only Osmocote Plus, I added 5 1/2 tbsps per bucket in layers above the rez. The top layer was in the middle of the soil cap.

 

[Yekke]

So Yekke, you're saying that the fermenting will continue endlessly if moisture and temp are in the right range? I've always thought that once the sugars in stems and whats left of the leaf was consumed that the fermenting was done. And from what I've seen it seems to happen in the 2 to 3 wk range. So I maintain the higher moisture level (58% is my current goal) for 3 to 4 months. Then I'll take out of the jars and let the buds air for a day which will drop the moisture level by at least 10% which is as you said more grinder friendly, then them. and it will last for months. I've never had a mold problem (knock on wood).

ISK I've always wondered if tobacco curing was directly relateable to cannibis... I've looked into building a small drying box and follow the same criteria for drying tobacco leaf.

From my experience it will ferment for up to an year or so. After a month or so most sugars will get oxidized (and quite some of the cannabinoids) and then you'll start losing taste.
In tobacco for instance, fermentation is for half a year commercially and could ferment for quite some more time.
If is also strain dependent - I like my strain cured for 10-14 days. But a good White Rhino for instance I rather cure for 2 months to release its narcotic effect.

I really don't like vacuum bagging my weed - you knock off an abundance of trichomes in the process and compact the flowers.
For long term storage (most I kept was 6 years and it was still very very good once smoked) I keep my weed properly labelled in glass jars in the freezer.
Once needed I thaw a jar in the fridge for a few hours and then CAREFULLY remove what I want to smoke.
Do not handle roughly - you will knock off tons of trichomes if you handle them while they are cold. Get good jars - you don't want them to break. Do not refreeze if possible.

 

[WattSaver]

From my experience it will ferment for up to an year or so. After a month or so most sugars will get oxidized (and quite some of the cannabinoids) and then you'll start losing taste.
In tobacco for instance, fermentation is for half a year commercially and could ferment for quite some more time.
If is also strain dependent - I like my strain cured for 10-14 days. But a good White Rhino for instance I rather cure for 2 months to release its narcotic effect.

I really don't like vacuum bagging my weed - you knock off an abundance of trichomes in the process and compact the flowers.
For long term storage (most I kept was 6 years and it was still very very good once smoked) I keep my weed properly labelled in glass jars in the freezer.
Once needed I thaw a jar in the fridge for a few hours and then CAREFULLY remove what I want to smoke.
Do not handle roughly - you will knock off tons of trichomes if you handle them while they are cold. Get good jars - you don't want them to break. Do not refreeze if possible.

I don't vac the bags, just seal them. I did try it once just to see, and it turned the bud into a cracker, and not in a positive way.

I'm not a fan of freezing, for long term storage. It becomes way to fragile for me, and I've always wondered about the hydro part of tetrahydrocannabidinol, if and how much damage there is by freezing this molecule.

But I will be trying to cure at 60% + for different lengths of time and then drop to 45 to 50% just to see how things differ.
One problem with trying to really track curing moisture level is these cheep small hygrometer's. I've got a dozen by a couple of different manufactures, and there is quite a bit of difference in their readings, and they change over time.

This bud cut July 7th tastes and smells as good as it ever did.

 

[Yekke]

I Don't handle frozen weed, I thaw it in the fridge for a day.

Tetrahydro means 4 hydrogen molecules meaning there are 4 connections between carbons and 2 hydrogen atoms for each, as can see in the 5 carbon "tail" in the THC formation.
Freezing temperatures of these oils are probably much lower than you freezer.

 

[Budder Fingers]

The OC+ Hempy seems to be working nicely.

Here's my grow thread if you want to have a look. https://www.rollitup.org/t/c99-topped-once-then-lst-grow.854587/#post-11159996

....................................................

 

[WattSaver]

Time for an update. I went ahead and did some heavy pruning. Cut out all side branches and now just working with 4 mains, in a true main lining fashion. I've always left a few branches and lower nodes, just thought I'd give it a try this run. I did leave the associated fan leaf for the branch I cut off. Pictures were taken yesterday. I hadn't watered since the transplant 5 days earlier, and the buckets are still heavy, but I did more in about 20oz of water to each right in the root core. They perked up and grew better than an inch over night. One girl may have hit the rez but not the other 2. The roots should be set in the next couple of days, so I'll probably flip next weekend.


Here a shot of the 9 pound hammer seedlings 2wks after planting

 

[Budder Fingers]

Looking good Watts, are you using any supps?

 

[WattSaver]

While building the buckets I added a tsp of powdered AN Tarantula, and plan on using a tsp of powdered AN Piranha, both are root zone additives, they've been sitting on the shelf for over a yr and I thought I'd give em' a try.
Then the same as every watering 5ml cal-mag/gal for the coco, and 8 drops of Floralicious + & 2ml ph down (6.0)

 

[WattSaver]

The plant that hit the rez is going to outgrow the others so I've started a little training going to spread and flatten it out some.

 

[WattSaver]

Well it looks like the smallest girl has finally hit the rez. I've adjusted the training ring on the large girl a couple times this past wk and have flattened out the top quite a bit. I flipped the lighting to 11.5/12.5 on christmas day, so we're on out way now. Was getting some twisty leaves on top and had to raise the hood some more. I'll run the CMH bulbs for another wk then switch over to the 1K hps.


seedlings at 20 days

 

[WattSaver]

Well I couldn't wait a wk. Switched to 1K yesterday, I need the extra heat it's been brutal cold here.
Here's an update to the Maui Bay grow, shot of the cleaning tray after breaking up a few buds.

 

[WattSaver]

A late update. I didn't make it a full wk before changing to the 1k light. Switched on 1/1. The plants freaked, 2 have recovered one might not make it. It has canoed, hard clawed, twisted and bad yellowing at margins and leaf edges, all in the upper 1/3 of the plant. This plant never gave that "The roots hit the rez" showing like the other 2. I'm not really sure why this has happened.
It could be using the Advanced nutr... Tarantula & Piranha ,,,,, could have overdone it, or it just doesn't work with CRF. Not sure but it's the only major change this run.
Or it could be genetics, I took the 6 least attractive seeds for this run 2 of them were white. One didn't even germ. The two I gave away are growing gangbusters, so maybe this is the other white seed????
Or Or because the roots haven't hit and I've had to do small watering, and it hasn't had the normal water to overflow, there could be a ph bust

Anyways last night I flushed it. Flushing is an odd topic when using controlled release ferts. Adding more water releases more nutrients. So what I do for a flush is to treat my water the same as usual, and run through double a normal watering. In this case with a 3.5gal bucket is 3gals, and then I tip and drain as much water as possible out of the rez area.

Here's the photos from a couple days ago Day 11 flower, day 4 under the HPS

 

[Budder Fingers]

How are the girls?

 

[WattSaver]

Way behind in updates. I've concluded (maybe incorrectly) that the problem plant is just plain bad genetics. That plant was the one white seed that germinated, and the problems started once it went into flower. It's making bud but it is way behind the others. I'm going to finish it just to see the results.

I have been taking photos just not getting them posted. Here's some photos from Day 18 (1/12) Whole time under the 1K hps.



A couple of days after the above photos I just couldn't take the color anymore and I added one of the 400W CMH bulbs to the mix running 1400W total watering every third day on the good ones the freak is 5 to 6 days. Below photos are from today (day 25) with the new bulb. I went out and dropped big bucks for a solis-tek 1000W MH conversion bulb It's a FULL frickin' spectrum bulb. I'm sure the girls will love it.

 

[WattSaver]

I had to raise the new light. They looked a little stressed. I guess they should be, they haven't had much more than a wk of the same light source since they came out of the veg box. This is the last light change for this grow. I really like that the bulb spectrum runs off the visible light chart on both ends, IR and UV.


SolisTek Metal Halide (Pulse-Start) Digital Lamps 4K (I'm running on my 1k mag hps ballast)


I think I may have found my replacement for the Philips Color Master 400W CMH 4200K

 

[WattSaver]

As I rolled through wks 3 and 4 (I'm on day 31 today) watering has gone from every 4 day to 3 now at 2.5. The buckets are working at full speed now, which is a good thing for the rest of the grow. The 2gal buckets seem to hit this point faster, but there is more room for roots in the 3.5.

Yesterday evening when I checked the girls there was one plant that looked a little stressed?? Today I noticed when I came home from work that my light was on prior to schedule. I had over ridden the timer and it's been on for at least 46 hrs straight. I'll leave it off for a day and start again, I hope I didn't screw them up too much.

 

[WattSaver]

Well tonight I fired up the light, or at least I set the timer to do it's thing. Well nothing happened at the prescribed time. Took things apart, and my timer fried. Most likely happened a few of wks ago when the outlet strip fried.


The timer is 5yrs old and 1400W must have been too much for it. The $16 timer doesn't tweak me but the damage to the $80 HLC 2e does piss me off a bit.

Not only that but the plant I call #2 hermied hard. I know now that I'll have a total crop of seeds. Positive is that the hermi plant is very sticky already, so there will be hash to retrieve

.