Thought I could get the dry/cure right the second time.

[413MedGrower]

Hello RIU! I go by 413MedGrower, and I've had a couple issues with drying/curing process, so I'll start from the beginning.

To start my setup is as follows:
1000watt ballast
Air Cooled XXL hood
4x4 tent with 6 inch exhaust fan, 6 inch fan for light
3-4 hygrometers through out tent
A couple of fans to circulate air within
5 gal diy dwc buckets
1035gph air pump
2 4" air stones per bucket
Used Flora Micro, Grow, Bloom, CALiMAGic, Armour SI, Hydroguard for nutrients
Lights on Temps were between 75-79
lights off where 63-67
Nutrient solution always between 67-70
Strains:1x Afghan Skunk and 2x Galaxy
I'm using tap water with a ppm of about 110

So now with my story. So the first grow went alright, had a few problems but nothing major. I got to harvest day and one of the galaxy didn't fare to well but the others were great. Checked trics, and had approx 10% amber on the 2 good plants and Chopped them. Also I did flush for about 3-4 days. So I wet trimmed them, hung for 3 days till they were crispy and jarred them. They were in 40% rh and about 68-70 Temps. Well they ended up smelling like fresh hay and they never came back.

Fine, I will learn from what happens the first time and change a few things next time. So the next grow, everything was the same except this time the strains were a Fruity Chronic Juice and. Green Poison. So this time I had no issues through out the grow. Get to harvest day, checked trichs and I waited till about 25% amber this time(1st change, maybe I pulled to early). Flushed for 5 days.

This time I hung the whole plants to dry to get a longer dry time(2nd change, maybe I dried to fast), and ended up taking almost 10 days till they were crispy on the outside. So I trimmed and jarred them. This time they didn't smell like hay when they went in jars.

Now I'm about 18 days into the curing process and they smell like fu%king hay again! Now, I've done hours of reading, on not only drying/curing, but the whole growing process.And also did many many hours of studying books and forums before I even started the first time, so I am confident with what I know and how to do alot of stuff. I just don't know why this second time is getting similar results to the first time even with the many changes I did.I just don't know what else to do to to change for the next cycle so this doesn't happen again... I hope to get some answers here, if anyone needs more info just ask. Thanks for looking!

 

[charface]

So do you have humidity gauge in the jars?
If not I would go that route so you aren't guessing.

They are cheap and effective

 

[413MedGrower]

So do you have humidity gauge in the jars?
If not I would go that route so you aren't guessing.

They are cheap and effective

Yes, I use 3 of them and rotate them around in all the jars when I burp them. I burp them for a few hours for the first few days till the humidity in the jars reaches about 65%

 

[Psuedo]

If your burping for a few hours and they're still reaching 65 maybe they were still to wet?As you said that was the first few days. It sounds like they were still to wet, and you just slowed down the dry immensely by keeping them in the jars and burping them for hours rather than 15 minutes-ish.

Just say your cure is a week behind what your marking.

This isn't a definitive answer just a guess with the facts I know. The tutorials makes you think dry and cure is a one size fits all. Bud density, room in which you burp RH, how room temp and humidity affect the cure, and burp.

 

[413MedGrower]

If your burping for a few hours and they're still reaching 65 maybe they were still to wet?As you said that was the first few days. It sounds like they were still to wet, and you just slowed down the dry immensely by keeping them in the jars and burping them for hours rather than 15 minutes-ish.

Just say your cure is a week behind what your marking.

This isn't a definitive answer just a guess with the facts I know. The tutorials makes you think dry and cure is a one size fits all. Bud density, room in which you burp RH, how room temp and humidity affect the cure, and burp.

I thought that also, that maybe they were a tad too wet still, but that's why in the first 24-36 hrs I was leaving them open for longer. After that they were burped for 10-15 min and the rh was 53-56%

 

[413MedGrower]

I figured I'd have less problems the second time around with the changes I made and also knowing the process a bit better. Maybe next time before the jars I'll throw them in brown paper bags for a couple days then to the jars. I hope maybe the smell will go away while it cures.

 

[HydoDan]

I always go from trim into grocery bags for a few days.. Then into the jars for cure..
Not saying it's perfect but it's worked for over 40 years.. No mold ever..

 

[413MedGrower]

I always go from trim into grocery bags for a few days.. Then into the jars for cure..
Not saying it's perfect but it's worked for over 40 years.. No mold ever..

And you've never had an issue with it smelling like hay/grass when you jar or start to cure? I will add this into my process then for the next time.. What I don't understand is how anyone can dry in 3 days to trim to jars and not have this issue, and I've talked to bunch that do it this way and they just tell me I'm doing something wrong but never offer a solution or a direction, very bothersome..

 

[Ryante55]

Hello RIU! I go by 413MedGrower, and I've had a couple issues with drying/curing process, so I'll start from the beginning.

To start my setup is as follows:
1000watt ballast
Air Cooled XXL hood
4x4 tent with 6 inch exhaust fan, 6 inch fan for light
3-4 hygrometers through out tent
A couple of fans to circulate air within
5 gal diy dwc buckets
1035gph air pump
2 4" air stones per bucket
Used Flora Micro, Grow, Bloom, CALiMAGic, Armour SI, Hydroguard for nutrients
Lights on Temps were between 75-79
lights off where 63-67
Nutrient solution always between 67-70
Strains:1x Afghan Skunk and 2x Galaxy
I'm using tap water with a ppm of about 110

So now with my story. So the first grow went alright, had a few problems but nothing major. I got to harvest day and one of the galaxy didn't fare to well but the others were great. Checked trics, and had approx 10% amber on the 2 good plants and Chopped them. Also I did flush for about 3-4 days. So I wet trimmed them, hung for 3 days till they were crispy and jarred them. They were in 40% rh and about 68-70 Temps. Well they ended up smelling like fresh hay and they never came back.

Fine, I will learn from what happens the first time and change a few things next time. So the next grow, everything was the same except this time the strains were a Fruity Chronic Juice and. Green Poison. So this time I had no issues through out the grow. Get to harvest day, checked trichs and I waited till about 25% amber this time(1st change, maybe I pulled to early). Flushed for 5 days.

This time I hung the whole plants to dry to get a longer dry time(2nd change, maybe I dried to fast), and ended up taking almost 10 days till they were crispy on the outside. So I trimmed and jarred them. This time they didn't smell like hay when they went in jars.

Now I'm about 18 days into the curing process and they smell like fu%king hay again! Now, I've done hours of reading, on not only drying/curing, but the whole growing process.And also did many many hours of studying books and forums before I even started the first time, so I am confident with what I know and how to do alot of stuff. I just don't know why this second time is getting similar results to the first time even with the many changes I did.I just don't know what else to do to to change for the next cycle so this doesn't happen again... I hope to get some answers here, if anyone needs more info just ask. Thanks for looking!

Do the stems snap when you jar? Not the tiny little stems but the main ones? Also your looking for Amber tricombs right? I've seen pics of hairs that people think are tricombs before haha all tricombs should be little mushrooms with round heads that turn Amber

 

[Ryante55]

And you've never had an issue with it smelling like hay/grass when you jar or start to cure? I will add this into my process then for the next time.. What I don't understand is how anyone can dry in 3 days to trim to jars and not have this issue, and I've talked to bunch that do it this way and they just tell me I'm doing something wrong but never offer a solution or a direction, very bothersome..

3 days is not close to enough ever. Sometimes I speed up a dry with a fan blowing hot air for a sample that takes about 3 days. With lots of airflow and a wet trim before you hang 5-7 days is the fastest a plant can dry imo. Whole plant with fan leaves I would think 14 days would be realistic.

 

[OldMedUser]

Need to dry slower as that's where the cure really happens. I do my trimming fresh off the plants, breaking colas down so the buds are a pretty uniform size. I used to pack them into wax paper-lined cigarette tube boxes with holes punched in the paper and the boxes but use doubled paper bags now. I keep them in my cool basement and just open the bags to shake them around and loosen clumps and get fresh air in for a few min. Takes about 10 days to 2 weeks to get them dry enough to jar but they are still moist enough to form big clumps that need to be dumped out to air each day for the first week or more.

Hanging them to dry gets the outsides dry while the insides stay wet. Any plant material that has dried does not cure. They need time for the chlorophyll, sugars etc to break down while kept evenly moist. Even if you re-hydrate that dry material it doesn't cure as the biological processes stopped once it dried and won't restart.

Then I just burp them for another 2 - 3 weeks at which time they have turned a golden brown and smell great. Still need some dry time in open air to be dry enough to break up for joints but I just take single hits off a pipe so snip a bit off for that. Still pliable months later and never go crispy dry unless left out in the open.

Mason jars suck for curing when they still clump up as they have shoulders inside and the pot won't slide out easily. I use plastic tobacco cans that have smooth insides and a can full of one big clump just slides right out for easy breaking up and airing then right back into the can after 15 min.

Couple oz of well-cured OG#18 right there.



Same buds before curing.


Really pretty plants and a pleasure to trim when I hate trimming!



Hanging until the stems break then trimming and jarring up for a total of 2 weeks or so is what commercial growers do if that. Mostly quick trimmed thru a machine then open-air dried on racks and out the door in a week. Yuck.

For a small grower it pays to take the time and get a superior product. Something that smokes smooth and tastes great is worth the wait.

 

[HydoDan]

And you've never had an issue with it smelling like hay/grass when you jar or start to cure? I will add this into my process then for the next time.. What I don't understand is how anyone can dry in 3 days to trim to jars and not have this issue, and I've talked to bunch that do it this way and they just tell me I'm doing something wrong but never offer a solution or a direction, very bothersome..

I pull the fan leaves and hang the whole plant for an average of 7 days.. Then dry trim the buds and put em in the bags.. Close the bag and it allows the moisture to even out.. Check it daily and give the bag a shake..
Jar and burp for a few days.. Then the cure is on..

 

[GroErr]

Only time I've had that hay smell has been outdoor cut too wet, and dried too fast. I do a rough trim wet and hang the whole plant. I use a room that stays at ~65-68% RH and sometimes leave them there for 2-3 weeks and trim up plants as they're ready. Then I transfer them to large coffee tins to cure and finish the final dry/cure. 2-3 weeks usually does it in there, then into jars. Have never had that hay smell with indoor.

 

[413MedGrower]

Do the stems snap when you jar? Not the tiny little stems but the main ones? Also your looking for Amber tricombs right? I've seen pics of hairs that people think are tricombs before haha all tricombs should be little mushrooms with round heads that turn Amber

When the stems crack, but don't break on the biggest ones and break on the smallest ones. And yes I have a handheld microscope and also a clip on lens for my camera to look at the trichombs, and between the the two I can clearly see the cloudy and amber heads

 

[Squidkid]

Hello RIU! I go by 413MedGrower, and I've had a couple issues with drying/curing process, so I'll start from the beginning.

To start my setup is as follows:
1000watt ballast
Air Cooled XXL hood
4x4 tent with 6 inch exhaust fan, 6 inch fan for light
3-4 hygrometers through out tent
A couple of fans to circulate air within
5 gal diy dwc buckets
1035gph air pump
2 4" air stones per bucket
Used Flora Micro, Grow, Bloom, CALiMAGic, Armour SI, Hydroguard for nutrients
Lights on Temps were between 75-79
lights off where 63-67
Nutrient solution always between 67-70
Strains:1x Afghan Skunk and 2x Galaxy
I'm using tap water with a ppm of about 110

So now with my story. So the first grow went alright, had a few problems but nothing major. I got to harvest day and one of the galaxy didn't fare to well but the others were great. Checked trics, and had approx 10% amber on the 2 good plants and Chopped them. Also I did flush for about 3-4 days. So I wet trimmed them, hung for 3 days till they were crispy and jarred them. They were in 40% rh and about 68-70 Temps. Well they ended up smelling like fresh hay and they never came back.

Fine, I will learn from what happens the first time and change a few things next time. So the next grow, everything was the same except this time the strains were a Fruity Chronic Juice and. Green Poison. So this time I had no issues through out the grow. Get to harvest day, checked trichs and I waited till about 25% amber this time(1st change, maybe I pulled to early). Flushed for 5 days.

This time I hung the whole plants to dry to get a longer dry time(2nd change, maybe I dried to fast), and ended up taking almost 10 days till they were crispy on the outside. So I trimmed and jarred them. This time they didn't smell like hay when they went in jars.

Now I'm about 18 days into the curing process and they smell like fu%king hay again! Now, I've done hours of reading, on not only drying/curing, but the whole growing process.And also did many many hours of studying books and forums before I even started the first time, so I am confident with what I know and how to do alot of stuff. I just don't know why this second time is getting similar results to the first time even with the many changes I did.I just don't know what else to do to to change for the next cycle so this doesn't happen again... I hope to get some answers here, if anyone needs more info just ask. Thanks for looking!

I hang for 12 to 14 days then trim then jar it up burp for a week every day then 2nd week every other day..should be good..3 days hang ain't enough to dry anything.

 

[413MedGrower]

I guess I just have to keep trying and tweek my technique in this new found hobby till I get it right.
Thanks all for the replies and insight into how you all do it, I guess there's something small I'm missing that Im going to have to overcome to get my best harvest yet, which I'm very much looking forward to,!

 

[Budzbuddha]

C vaults can be used too with the BOVEDA packs or Integra.

Zero light penetration, food grade stainless steel , plus I can scrape some sticky trich goodness from the BOWL easy.

Lemon Drop strain ... Goldy color - citrus sandlewood smoke.



Another C Vault/ BOVEDA cure : Green Dream



These were in various stages of cure ... BOVEDA locked the RH

 

[Ryante55]

When the stems crack, but don't break on the biggest ones and break on the smallest ones. And yes I have a handheld microscope and also a clip on lens for my camera to look at the trichombs, and between the the two I can clearly see the cloudy and amber heads

It has to be bad genetics

 

[LinguaPeel]

I've talked to bunch that do it this way and they just tell me I'm doing something wrong but never offer a solution or a direction, very bothersome..

Curing requires moisture, room temperature, plant sugars, environmental nitrogen gas and bacteria. Dwc has little of 2 important ingredients. You cant cure hydro. Sorry. Only fade chlorophyll and fade chems. Simply put, with novelty hydroponic growing, their are no significant plant sugars nor bacteria to convert them into acids, esters etc. (fuck 'terps' Im about to rid that term from my vocabulary personally)..

Which is why novelty products exist for hydro. "enhance the experience of synthetic gardening with grape scented 0-0-0"

Hydro methods are not legitimate. Food crops with zero nutrition are not legit. Weed with no sugars fats or oils is not legit. Sorry..youve been growing with a kids science fair kit.. This crap not really meant to be consumed just to prove the science behind cellular growth.

 

[TheCatOutRanksYou]

Need to dry slower as that's where the cure really happens. I do my trimming fresh off the plants, breaking colas down so the buds are a pretty uniform size. I used to pack them into wax paper-lined cigarette tube boxes with holes punched in the paper and the boxes but use doubled paper bags now. I keep them in my cool basement and just open the bags to shake them around and loosen clumps and get fresh air in for a few min. Takes about 10 days to 2 weeks to get them dry enough to jar but they are still moist enough to form big clumps that need to be dumped out to air each day for the first week or more.

Hanging them to dry gets the outsides dry while the insides stay wet. Any plant material that has dried does not cure. They need time for the chlorophyll, sugars etc to break down while kept evenly moist. Even if you re-hydrate that dry material it doesn't cure as the biological processes stopped once it dried and won't restart.

Then I just burp them for another 2 - 3 weeks at which time they have turned a golden brown and smell great. Still need some dry time in open air to be dry enough to break up for joints but I just take single hits off a pipe so snip a bit off for that. Still pliable months later and never go crispy dry unless left out in the open.

Mason jars suck for curing when they still clump up as they have shoulders inside and the pot won't slide out easily. I use plastic tobacco cans that have smooth insides and a can full of one big clump just slides right out for easy breaking up and airing then right back into the can after 15 min.

Couple oz of well-cured OG#18 right there.

View attachment 4164578

Same buds before curing.

View attachment 4164583
Really pretty plants and a pleasure to trim when I hate trimming!

View attachment 4164588

Hanging until the stems break then trimming and jarring up for a total of 2 weeks or so is what commercial growers do if that. Mostly quick trimmed thru a machine then open-air dried on racks and out the door in a week. Yuck.

For a small grower it pays to take the time and get a superior product. Something that smokes smooth and tastes great is worth the wait. View attachment 4164591

View attachment 4164592

I just cut my plant today and instead of hanging them to dry I left them on the branch and put them in brown paper bags upside down, thinking they still need to be on the stems to collect all the thc still in them, was this a mistake? Should I have just cut them off the stems and put them in the bag?