OK... I am breaking down on here and just gonna write it down. Ive been asked about drying-curing etc... I figure like it or not this is what I do to it and I like it this way....LOL So... even though "I'm doing it wrong" I already know.
Pre-Harvest:
-Prior to harvest I use a flushing agent called final phase from AN. I use it once, at the recommended dosage, 3-7 days before I am going to cut. I make sure I have watered once after the dosing with plain water before harvest. Love or hate AN.. I use some of their stuff... whatever...lol. Ive grown well with miracle grow before too...
-I look at trichomes but do not rely on them solely. There is a point where the calyx closes off around the pistil and you will see a lot more flesh than fur. Then shortly there after the bud will take on a different color and appearance.
-Some times you will never see the trichomes go amber... Cloudy is good enough if they have the appearance mentioned above. **note I did not say watch the hairs! its all about the calyx closing off and swelling up around the pistil. Once they hit a certain point you see diminishing returns.**
**A completely dark room for 3-5 days can help ripen. Also a reduced lighting schedule, but no less than 8hrs lights on can help also. For me reducing the light schedule is a last resort to force-finish.**
Harvest:
-I manicure wet and cut buds away from stems
-I dry in a room temp bud dryer (its like ALBFUCTS except of no heating element)
-I dry in this from 2-4 days. I am looking for the outside to be crispy and the stem to be wet and bendy
-They go in paper bags for a few days so the moisture redistributes.
**sometimes I am back and forth every few days with these methods. The paper bags slow the drying down.**
-I dry for no more than about 7/8 days! I feel that if the correct moisture level isnt reached within that time the chance for mold and bud turning brown increases.
So what do I do if its not really ready for a jar?
-I use a dehydrator at 90-95 d for 2-4hrs or until the outside of the bud is a little crispy and the stems bend still but are close to breaking when you do it. I know! I know! But hear me out... The small amount of heat decarbs the buds just a little bit and turns some of the THCa into Thc and the thc into cbd. Much like naturally aged bud does.
-I am not a boveda user but I believe the best use for those is long-term storage once you have already regularly cured. Keeping the perfect RH in the jar would keep it in stasis indefinitely it would seem.
-Its usually 2-3 weeks after going into the jar that things are spot on. Although I find it usable once dry.
Ive been doing it this way now for years and it seems to work fine. I do not always use a dehydrator in the regime. Some times of year its 100+ out and im fighting to slow down the drying to 7/8days. Bud dried too quickly is harsh and bud dried too slowly always smells like hay. Its all about baby bear..... Just right.......LOL
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