Light airy buds... Why ?

[BurnzyBurnz]

So my question why are my final buds turning out so light and airy ? When I harvest they look heavy and plump but after I hang dry it seems to be the opposite. The bud looks good, smells great and smokes well but it's not dence bud and very airy. Is this because I'm not using a CO2 system ? Am I drying incorrectly ? I hang dry til stems snap and or you hear the pop. Admittedly I have made small mistakes here and there in terms of temp control however even under optimal conditions I still end up with the same results. A bit about my setup... 3 plants under four HLG65 - (18-6 during veg ) - in soil (promix HP + additives. Perlite etc...) - Water @ 6.5ph. Feed as req. (Typically feed ever couple waters / once or twice a week.) - Osolating fan on 24/7 with exhaust fan running too. I buy my seeds from greenhouse seeds, Barneys farms, & Humboldt seeds. All feminized no auto. I also just did a batch in coir with the obvious adjustments in ph and feedings. Still the same results. I truly feel it's gotta be my drying technique... However I follow the steps correctly... 68F-72F, I keep my steady at 70F also I keep the RH @ 50% steady. Fan on, not directly at bud just enough to move the air around in the room. I also keep my exhaust on too. Completely dark. I wait til stems snap / pop and I jar. As far as I'm understanding I'm doing everything right but this can't be the case. Little help ? Any and all advice and or suggestions always appreciated. Cheers.

Also the further I read the more I think it's a lighting issue. But how ? HLG65 in a 2'X2' foot print... Doesn't make sense. Oh gezzz watch what happens in the comments because I mentioned lights. Fkme.

 

[TintEastwood]

I doubt it's the drying technique.

You got this.
https://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/airy-and-loose-marijuana-buds/

If possible.....try a run with known good clones. Seeds can be a real crap shoot when learning.

 

[T macc]

So my question why are my final buds turning out so light and airy ? When I harvest they look heavy and plump but after I hang dry it seems to be the opposite. The bud looks good, smells great and smokes well but it's not dence bud and very airy. Is this because I'm not using a CO2 system ? Am I drying incorrectly ? I hang dry til stems snap and or you hear the pop. Admittedly I have made small mistakes here and there in terms of temp control however even under optimal conditions I still end up with the same results. A bit about my setup... 3 plants under four HLG65 - (18-6 during veg ) - in soil (promix HP + additives. Perlite etc...) - Water @ 6.5ph. Feed as req. (Typically feed ever couple waters / once or twice a week.) - Osolating fan on 24/7 with exhaust fan running too. I buy my seeds from greenhouse seeds, Barneys farms, & Humboldt seeds. All feminized no auto. I also just did a batch in coir with the obvious adjustments in ph and feedings. Still the same results. I truly feel it's gotta be my drying technique... However I follow the steps correctly... 68F-72F, I keep my steady at 70F also I keep the RH @ 50% steady. Fan on, not directly at bud just enough to move the air around in the room. I also keep my exhaust on too. Completely dark. I wait til stems snap / pop and I jar. As far as I'm understanding I'm doing everything right but this can't be the case. Little help ? Any and all advice and or suggestions always appreciated. Cheers.

Also the further I read the more I think it's a lighting issue. But how ? HLG65 in a 2'X2' foot print... Doesn't make sense. Oh gezzz watch what happens in the comments because I mentioned lights. Fkme.

Strain dependent for me. I don't really get solid nugs unless I run a kush. But that's all bag appeal imo

 

[WingAK]

You know honestly I have also had airy buds until I decided to give a try to a 1000w de hps bulb. I don’t think in my opinion led of any brand or price will give you more dense buds than a good ol hps bulb it took me awhile to accept this as well, I figured with all the videos and how everyone talks about leds being so great.

 

[Budzbuddha]

Indy’s tend to be the denser than sativas .

 

[Blue back]

I think what your trying to say is. The buds are good and solid while growing but turn airy after they hang. A lot of that that makes them solid is water. Lose the water sometimes lose the solidness.

 

[diggs99]

Ok ill rephrase his question


How do growers get a finished product thats still very dense and not airy at all? I understand weed swells with water but many dont have the airy issue when finished. All the primo weed ive usually bought and smoked were tightly packed , dense nugs. I WANT THAT lol

I had similar happen to one of my plants, buds were thick and dense until it was finished drying, then it seemed quite airy. No idea why.

 

[Beachwalker]

So my question why are my final buds turning out so light and airy ? When I harvest they look heavy and plump but after I hang dry it seems to be the opposite. The bud looks good, smells great and smokes well but it's not dence bud and very airy. Is this because I'm not using a CO2 system ? Am I drying incorrectly ? I hang dry til stems snap and or you hear the pop. Admittedly I have made small mistakes here and there in terms of temp control however even under optimal conditions I still end up with the same results. A bit about my setup... 3 plants under four HLG65 - (18-6 during veg ) - in soil (promix HP + additives. Perlite etc...) - Water @ 6.5ph. Feed as req. (Typically feed ever couple waters / once or twice a week.) - Osolating fan on 24/7 with exhaust fan running too. I buy my seeds from greenhouse seeds, Barneys farms, & Humboldt seeds. All feminized no auto. I also just did a batch in coir with the obvious adjustments in ph and feedings. Still the same results. I truly feel it's gotta be my drying technique... However I follow the steps correctly... 68F-72F, I keep my steady at 70F also I keep the RH @ 50% steady. Fan on, not directly at bud just enough to move the air around in the room. I also keep my exhaust on too. Completely dark. I wait til stems snap / pop and I jar. As far as I'm understanding I'm doing everything right but this can't be the case. Little help ? Any and all advice and or suggestions always appreciated. Cheers.

Also the further I read the more I think it's a lighting issue. But how ? HLG65 in a 2'X2' foot print... Doesn't make sense. Oh gezzz watch what happens in the comments because I mentioned lights. Fkme.

Stem should bend, not snap, sounds like you're possibly over drying? The other thing that I've noticed makes buds fluffy is lack of light and/or excessive heat and possibly the strain, good luck

 

[diggs99]

Stem should bend, not snap, sounds like you're possibly over drying? The other thing that I've noticed makes buds fluffy is lack of light and/or heat and possibly the strain, good luck

Just to clarify BW, too hot could cause this? or lack of heat?

My issue is 1 of 4 plants , all grown in same environment , in same tent. Because of this im leaning towards crappy pheno, but being a newb, i really dont know

 

[Beachwalker]

You know honestly I have also had airy buds until I decided to give a try to a 1000w de hps bulb. I don’t think in my opinion led of any brand or price will give you more dense buds than a good ol hps bulb it took me awhile to accept this as well, I figured with all the videos and how everyone talks about leds being so great.

^ agree, biggest difference in density between plants taken from the same mother is noticed when I run at 600 watts (summer) instead of 1000 HPS

@Diggs, I went back and edited that, too much heat

 

[diggs99]

^ agree, biggest difference in density between clones taken from the same mother is noticed when I run at 600 watts (summer) instead of 1000 HPS

@Diggs, I went back and edited that, too much heat

Thanks bud

Ya i think too much heat could also be the cause for mine, it was the only plant in the tent that showed signs of heat/light stress. , it was just the last few days before i chopped her down, but the canoeing leaves were visible.

Her 2 sisters of the same strain growing with her didnt react the same way at all

 

[Bookush34]

Airy buds can be from too hot in the Grow area. Or not enough light.
Like others have posted.

Also strain dependent for sure.

Leds need to be kept at optimal height all the time. They don’t penitrate like a 1000watt hps will.

I get amazing bud from my leds but only 6-8” of cola then you can tell the light is not strong enough.
Going to try a scrog this go.

 

[Blue back]

When u put it in jars or whatever you cure in shake the jar real good as curing and they tighten up. This will only work with a little dampness in the nugs. My Old Family Purps was tight as hell growing, airy when hanging. Doing above tighten them back up.

 

[SSHZ]

By experience, it’s one of two things.......either too hot in the room or not enough light..

 

[Apalchen]

You only have 16.25 watts per sq ft. That being said I don’t care for QB for me personally, I’ve tried them have a 320 fixture and hate it. I’ve seen pics of other people doing well with em tho. But your def gonna want to up your wattage to at least 35 watts per sq ft.

 

[whtrabb1t]

You only have 16.25 watts per sq ft. That being said I don’t care for QB for me personally, I’ve tried them have a 320 fixture and hate it. I’ve seen pics of other people doing well with em tho. But your def gonna want to up your wattage to at least 35 watts per sq ft.

OP said 4x HLG65, so amount of light is not a problem. If anything, they need to be careful not to light stress the plants at over 50w LED per sq/ft.

My guess is that the light spectrum might be having an effect here. OP, are your HLG65 the 4000k color temperature? I'm not sure if the HLG65 come in 3000k. The further reds of the 3000k spectrum would increase the density of your buds in flower. 4000k and higher are best for veg or supplemental flowering lighting for added quality.

 

[pulpoinspace]

if i read your post correctly you have four HLG 65 in a 2x2, correct? should be more than enough light.

which strain did you grow and how long did you let it flower? do you have pictures of the plant just before harvest?

my guess is you harvested early.

 

[Apalchen]

Sorry Mis read the post yeah that is plenty of light. My whole tent was larfy when I used the QB that’s why I say didn’t work for me, but pics from others look to do pretty good.

 

[Renfro]

Not enough light, too much heat, improper feed (not enough P&K), not flowering long enough and genetics are all possible causes. I have seen cool temps result in less yield and smaller buds but they aren't airy.

 

[diggs99]

Not enough light, too much heat, improper feed (not enough P&K), not flowering long enough and genetics are all possible causes. I have seen cool temps result in less yield and smaller buds but they aren't airy.

lol if it were a check list, i could tick a couple of those boxes

Plant showed signs of heat stress
You told me i chopped early, which i admittedly did lol
Prob not enough PK as i only used liquid koolbloom once, hated it and never used it after

So ya, i probably know why i got airy buds on that one plant and not the other 3.

Newbies gonna newbie