I will post a more thorough update later, but this is a brief run down of what I've been working on this week. I'm a big fan of Ed Rosenthal's 'Marijuana Grower's Handbook', and I've been really thinking on Ed's curing method. Ed recommends to cure before drying (I know, I know); his contention is that the plant's metabolic processes continue for up to 72 hours after the plant has been cut down. Rosenthal goes on to suggest that during these 72 hours, if the flowers can be kept at 50% RH and 60-70 degrees fahrenheit, they will conintue to break down complex carbohydrates as well as starches into sugars. Since I went balls to the wall on my first organic grow, and because I was extremely baked at the time I made this decision, I ordered some new toys...
Here is my stoney (but possibly genius) curing cabinet supply list:
1 x GL120 (Growlab 120L grow tent)
2 x 4" personal fans (Holmes.. little cage fans)
1 x 4" booster fan (for exhaust)
1 x Titan Controls humidity controller (humidistat and dehumidistat... more later)
And today I'm picking up a hanging dry rack (probably the AN brand)
I've assembled the perfectly new, clean tent in a clean room with a HEPA filter running 24x7. This filter is boss and can filter the volume of a 1k sq/ft apartment roughly every hour. I have the booster fan as a constant exhaust, and the 4" personal fans running (one top down and one bottom-up) inside the cab at all times. I have an ultrasonic humidifier on the floor of the cab set to low, and that is connected to the humidity controller. The humidity controller is suspended from the top of the cab on the inside and I've attached a garden hygrometer to get a ballpark RH so I don't put too much trust in the Titan (although they make good products, AFAIK).
Ideally my plan is to harvest, manicure, place buds in the cure cab at 50% RH for 72 hours, and then dry them as slowly as possible from that point until they pass the stick test. I would love to do all this in the cure cab, lowering the RH 3% or 2% per day every day after the initial 72 hrs at 50%... doing so until I reached about 20-25% (ideal storage humidity?) and possibly burping the jars for a bit as well. I think what will wind up happening is the cab will be used for curing at 50% RH for 72 hours, and then buds will need to be dried in another area. If this is the case I plan to some how set up a 30-35% RH area which will be used for 'drying'.
I will post pics of the setup later.. Also I took down a single Strawberry Cough today! 8 beautiful compact colas and some bottom nugs which I removed.. not even a quad of larfy buds on the whole plant! Seriously the main line tek has been a n00b grower's wet dream! I should mention the SuperSoil has also imparted these nugs with a SERIOUS terpene content, they smell great and the scissor hash is spectacular; I'm definitely making sure to harvest the rest early early AM for max terpene levels!
I have to say Sub and Nugs have me sold on these techniques in conjunction, although I'm sure they work wonders separately as well. I may still be forced to run my next flowering cycle with coco / Canna's coco line.. but I am definitely buying more roots base and SS fixins' next weekend. This has been too much fun.. now time for some work!
at on the back::
