Sealing the cut end of the stalk at harvest to slow drying?

tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
My plants always seem to dry out too fast when I harvest. I try to achieve the "ideal" (60 degrees/60% RH), but they still dry too fast.

I've been kicking around the idea of using paraffin or wrapping the cut end in plastic wrap...or (?) something to try and slow down the water loss add some drying time.

Has anyone ever done this?
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
Yes, lots of air movement . I'm fearful of mold.

Data is from a temperature/humidity gauge (you know the one...the really common one)

Most plants are not trimmed, but I do pluck off any dead leaves that might still be on the plants and I always (usually) grow strains that have very low leaf-to-bud ratios.
 
bk78

bk78

Well-Known Member
I have 18” wall fan blowing in my room during dry. If the room is at the humidity you say it is it’s impossible for the product to be drier than the ambient RH?
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Sealing the end of the stem isn't going to have any effect on slowing down the drying process. Evaporation is taking place across the entire mass of the material being dried. The small amount of surface area that you'd seal wouldn't be enough to alter the drying process.
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
Sealing the end of the stem isn't going to have any effect on slowing down the drying process. Evaporation is taking place across the entire mass of the material being dried. The small amount of surface area that you'd seal wouldn't be enough to alter the drying process.
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Thanks.
bk78 said:
I have 18” wall fan blowing in my room during dry. If the room is at the humidity you say it is it’s impossible for the product to be drier than the ambient RH?
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Yes, I see what you're saying. Maybe I am allowing my plants to dry out too much before I chop them so that they are already almost dry by the time I am putting them into the 60/60 environment....? Maybe I shouldn't let the soil dry out before I chop them....?
 
bk78

bk78

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
Thanks.

Yes, I see what you're saying. Maybe I am allowing my plants to dry out too much before I chop them so that they are already almost dry by the time I am putting them into the 60/60 environment....? Maybe I shouldn't let the soil dry out before I chop them....?
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Youre not getting what I’m saying. How is a bud supposed to get drier than the environment it’s kept in?

My guess is your environment is drier than the 60% you think it is?

How are you keeping your room at these perfect conditions you say they are in? Me personally I have to use a heater and humidifier both hooked to inkbird controllers and I can keep it at 60/60 for months, and my bud stays at 60% rh for months too if I want it there. I like my bud smokable and dry so I’ll kill my humidifier after a couple weeks to dry it out to around 55% then bag it and store for long term.
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
bk78 said:
Youre not getting what I’m saying. How is a bud supposed to get drier than the environment it’s kept in?

My guess is your environment is drier than the 60% you think it is?

How are you keeping your room at these perfect conditions you say they are in? Me personally I have to use a heater and humidifier both hooked to inkbird controllers and I can keep it at 60/60 for months, and my bud stays at 60% rh for months too if I want it there. I like my bud smokable and dry so I’ll kill my humidifier after a couple weeks to dry it out to around 55% then bag it and store for long term.
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My flowering tent is kept at ~40%RH. I usually have allowed the soil to dry out before I chop the plants. Then I put the chopped plants into a different tent in a basement room that has a natural temperature of ~55-60 degrees F and I add an automated humidifier that maintains a RH of 60% in the tent. I also have an exhaust fan and a circulating fan in there, too.

I will check the conditions with a second gauge to see if the readings are off.

I feel that I can almost cut the buds and put them directly into jars without any hang-drying time -just burping the jars.....maybe?
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
MissinThe90’sStrains said:
What if you treated it like a Christmas tree or every other type of cut flowers ? Cut the branches and stick the cut ends into a container of water? Would that slow the dry or just fuck everything up ?
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I did think about that! I've never tried it, though....kinda make me nervous until someone who has done chimes in and offers some insight.
 
Severed Tongue

Severed Tongue

Well-Known Member
I'm with @bk78 on this.

I've completed 8 grows indoor.

My 1st few were garbage because I didn't do the hang dry properly.

What I've learned is this.

I only do 1 - 3 plants at a time as its just personal for myself.... I still have leftovers from my 2nd grow lol...

Anyways. This is chop day.
20221121_153106.jpg

They hung for 17 days as I was busy with life. By the time I got to 3rd plant it was 25 days. My hang dry was 17°C and 55~65 RH consistently monitored with AC Infinity T4.


Hash Passion
20221229_113038.jpg

Red Dragon
20221229_113102.jpg
 
thumper60

thumper60

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
My plants always seem to dry out too fast when I harvest. I try to achieve the "ideal" (60 degrees/60% RH), but they still dry too fast.

I've been kicking around the idea of using paraffin or wrapping the cut end in plastic wrap...or (?) something to try and slow down the water loss add some drying time.

Has anyone ever done this?
Click to expand...
I use 30 gal totes to slow things down when i cant get the right #s to hang 10 days
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
Severed Tongue said:
I'm with @bk78 on this.

I've completed 8 grows indoor.

My 1st few were garbage because I didn't do the hang dry properly.

What I've learned is this.

I only do 1 - 3 plants at a time as its just personal for myself.... I still have leftovers from my 2nd grow lol...

Anyways. This is chop day.
View attachment 5242866

They hung for 17 days as I was busy with life. By the time I got to 3rd plant it was 25 days. My hang dry was 17°C and 55~65 RH consistently monitored with AC Infinity T4.


Hash Passion
View attachment 5242868

Red Dragon
View attachment 5242869
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Do you also have an exhaust fan in your tent?

Also, your plants are a lot larger, greener and leafier than mine. When I hang my plants, they hardly ever have any leaves on them. They've gone through their "Fall colors"..... I tend to take plants a minimum of 10 weeks in flower (and beyond). They lose a lot of leaves by then. All I can think of is that the plants are already too dry before I chop them and putting them into a higher humidity environment afterwards isn't doing what I think it's doing.
 
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Severed Tongue

Severed Tongue

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
Do you also have an exhaust fan in your tent?

Also, your plants are a lot larger, greener and leafier than mine. When I hang my plants, they hardly ever have any leaves on them. They've gone through their "Fall colors"..... I tend to take plants a minimum of 10 weeks in flower (and beyond). They lose a lot of leaves by then. All I can think of is that the plants are already too dry before I chop them and putting them into a higher humidity environment afterwards isn't doing what I think it's doing.
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Yea I use a AC Infinity T4, on low setting, just enough to keep air fresh but not reduce RH.

Mine were done at 8 weeks from flip, but I also veg until fully mature, while many will flip them at 4 weeks, its always 6-8 weeks for me, until they are mature and Horney! and ime it makes a difference.

I also try to emulate the "season" reducing the 12/12 and light intensity each week after 4 weeks in flower. Last 3 grows, it's like clockwork. Same seeds, same genetics, same turnaround.

Just depends on genetics and environmental factors.
 
GreenestBasterd

GreenestBasterd

Well-Known Member
I use three different gauges in the drying tent, take an average from the three as your humidity.
I dry in summer, in a shed, in Australia and can hold the humidity where I want it with a humidifier on an ink bird set to 65RH.
Filter running just above idle and a small clip on fan clicks on if the humidity rises above 65.
Never had mould.
 
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