Harvesting Efficiency

Ok, so I was wondering if it made sense to follow these steps and if there is anything you would tweak..

1. Turn off lights for 3 days
2. Cut down, remove fan leaves and hang upside down for 1-2 days
3. Begin to fully trim and leave on a drying rack after trimmed for 5-7 days
4. Jar and monitor RH in jars

I was also wondering on step 4 if there is a certain RH that is too high for them to be in jars… I would imagine 70% or higher is probably too much.

If you can contribute any information it is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Also, I was wondering if the 1-2 day hang time is too short. I want to start trimming ASAP is the reason for the short time…. I never did it that short, but I would imagine that trimming would still be OK to trim…

Thanks

Take fans off let hang till stems bend might crack but don't snap in two could be 3daya -2 weeks the trim and jar don't rush take your time and you will be pleased

GanjaGanjaKushKush said:

Take fans off let hang till stems bend might crack but don't snap in two could be 3daya -2 weeks the trim and jar don't rush take your time and you will be pleased

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Well last time they hung about a week and then trimmed them and let them sit on the drying rack for 1 week… Everyone on RIU said they were over dried because the RH was 50% in the jars. They said they were probably over dried about a week.

The thing I'm trying to rush right now is the trimming part because of scheduling issues… Got to get it taken down and trimmed… Other than that they can sit on the drying rack for as long as they need…

I've never trimmed when they were only hung for a couple days. Is it possibly to fully trim them when they only have dried for 1-2 days? Has anyone ever done it? That's mainly what I'm concerned about.

Breezee77 said:

Ok, so I was wondering if it made sense to follow these steps and if there is anything you would tweak..

1. Turn off lights for 3 days
2. Cut down, remove fan leaves and hang upside down for 1-2 days
3. Begin to fully trim and leave on a drying rack after trimmed for 5-7 days
4. Jar and monitor RH in jars

I was also wondering on step 4 if there is a certain RH that is too high for them to be in jars… I would imagine 70% or higher is probably too much.

If you can contribute any information it is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Click to expand...

There are a lot of really good cure guides already up... if I'm not too high to recall, you want to keep the bud between 55-65% for as long as possible to maximize cure. Over 65 gets too close to mold-friendly territory, and I think below 55 the cure stops forever.

AltarNation said:

There are a lot of really good cure guides already up... if I'm not too high to recall, you want to keep the bud between 55-65% for as long as possible to maximize cure. Over 65 gets too close to mold-friendly territory, and I think below 55 the cure stops forever.

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Yep, that sounds about right…. The things I'm worried about since I never did it this way are:

1. If they only hang for 1-2 days are they going to be too wet to trim?
2. Is trimming them after only 1-2 days going to make them dry too quickly?

The room itself we can keep at a perfect 55% RH… but like I said never did it this way and wanted to get some thoughts… I have heard of people trimming as soon as the plant is cut down, but not sure if that's good or not.

Breezee77 said:

Yep, that sounds about right…. The things I'm worried about since I never did it this way are:

1. If they only hang for 1-2 days are they going to be too wet to trim?
2. Is trimming them after only 1-2 days going to make them dry too quickly?

The room itself we can keep at a perfect 55% RH… but like I said never did it this way and wanted to get some thoughts… I have heard of people trimming as soon as the plant is cut down, but not sure if that's good or not.

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If the room is at 55% RH and stable, you can get a good 7-10 day dry on plants that haven't been cut. There is an increase in speed when trimming sooner but it's not a huge deal. You will just have to make sure you jar them at the right time.

And there really is no such thing as too wet to trim, many trim first and then dry. It's a matter of preference. I choose to do long dries and trim after even though it's harder to get at the leaves, because I want as long a dry as I can. This allows for more of the natural breakdown to occur before it even goes into a jar.

Don't cut them at step 2, just let them dry with the roots still intact, you won't be upset. Do the full manicure while it's still got the roots. Nothing wrong with your plan though.

AltarNation said:

If the room is at 55% RH and stable, you can get a good 7-10 day dry on plants that haven't been cut. There is an increase in speed when trimming sooner but it's not a huge deal. You will just have to make sure you jar them at the right time.

And there really is no such thing as too wet to trim, many trim first and then dry. It's a matter of preference. I choose to do long dries and trim after even though it's harder to get at the leaves, because I want as long a dry as I can. This allows for more of the natural breakdown to occur before it even goes into a jar.

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danknugg said:

Don't cut them at step 2, just let them dry with the roots still intact, you won't be upset. Do the full manicure while it's still got the roots. Nothing wrong with your plan though.

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Thanks for your replies! Would either of you happen to exactly the best time to jar them. Should I put them in jars and check their RH? What RH should they be in the jar to start? I would think 65% and then burp them every day for 6 hours until they go down to 60% and then leave the cap on… Does that make sense?

danknugg said:

Don't cut them at step 2, just let them dry with the roots still intact, you won't be upset. Do the full manicure while it's still got the roots. Nothing wrong with your plan though.

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Personally I like to cut the root ball off but nothing else, I find this gives me a good 10-12 day cure in non-winter months when RH is 55-65 in my area. Leaving the roots on all together is an interesting angle, I would imagine that does slow things down even farther. I'd probably do that if I wasn't so anxious to use my grow space again while drying.

Breezee77 said:

Thanks for your replies! Would either of you happen to exactly the best time to jar them. Should I put them in jars and check their RH? What RH should they be in the jar to start? I would think 65% and then burp them every day for 6 hours until they go down to 60% and then leave the cap on… Does that make sense?

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Exactly the best time to jar them is something that is felt out through experience, but the method of determination is actually physical feeling. The way it is usually described is that the outside gets significantly crispy and dry feeling but the stems are still maleable when you try to bend one over. If the stems snap when you bend them, that is too late. I know that last detail seems sort of useless but over the course of many grows you learn to recognize what it feels like just BEFORE it will snap. Err on the safe side when learning and jar when the buds feel significantly dry and the stems are still bendable.

This can be a wider window when you are new to this, BUT if you use a hygrometer in your jar and monitor that humidity level you will avoid any problems that might be caused by putting in a little early. Do NOT let it go above 65% in the jar. Keep it a shade under that if possible. If it goes above 65% you need to open it and let it breathe. It helps to pull the buds out and rearrange them in the jar. The process of removing and replacing them will displace any air pockets that are in there that aren't exchanging when you open the jar.

Again, I am just summarizing what is already in several guides on this very forum that are more articulate and carefully worded. Go read them. They are stickied even.

Breezee77 said:

Thanks for your replies! Would either of you happen to exactly the best time to jar them. Should I put them in jars and check their RH? What RH should they be in the jar to start? I would think 65% and then burp them every day for 6 hours until they go down to 60% and then leave the cap on… Does that make sense?

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No such thing as exactly the right time. But you can not undry a bud, you can only make it wet again. Best advice I have is at about 65% jar it and start burping regularly.