joshranwest
Well-Known Member
A personal tip I would give anyone prior to harvesting their Cannabis would be to have the weed plant flushed with distilled or Reverse Osmosis filtered water two weeks prior to harvesting. If the filtered water isn't available, use a clearing aid and tap water. Any leftover chemicals and fertilizers will be flushed from the soil, given at least 10 days.
Plant Moisture Prior To Cutting
Prior to cutting down, it is a good idea to let the soil get fairly dry. Not so dry as to hurt the marijuana plant, but more like it is just ready for another watering. I find that this speeds drying time rather than harvesting a freshly watered weed plant.
24 Hour Dark Period
When the marijuana plants are ready to harvest, I like to give them 24 hours of darkness to promote more resin. Since potency is lowest in the middle of the day period under full heat, the darkness should let the weed plant come to its full potential. Some marijuana plants, especially the White family (Russian, Widow) really seem to like this, and I can't see it causing any damage either way; just another way to maximize the potential of the weed plant in some circumstances. The frosting on the cake, so to say
Cut Down, Trim, & Drying 101
Now comes the fun part! Time to get those scissors sticky. For this part of the procedure, you will need a good pair of trimming scissors. Many garden nurseries and hardware stores carry appropriate models with small enough blades to get the marijuana bud leaves and comfortable handles for hours of work. A small closet or room is all you will need for drying a personal harvest. Larger grows may need more though. But for just a few weed plants, a small closet will work fine. Enough clothesline or rope to wire across your small room is all that you will need to hang your branches, but make sure it’s attached well on each end. You don't want to come in and find your precious stash on the floor!
Temperature
Temperature in the space should be between 70 and 80°F, with the lower to mid-range preferable. The closet should also be able dark. At this point, heat and UV rays are the two main enemies of THC, the active ingredient in your weed buds. A small oscillating fan is a must as well. Also advisable is a gauge to measure the humidity in the room. This is especially important in areas such as a basement or tropical climates, as too much humidity will extend the drying time and perhaps bring on mold in the marijuana buds.
Cut Down
Depending on your method of growing, natural, topped, fimmed etc. you can cut down differently. Some people cut down the whole weed plant and just trim up the larger leaves. Others cut individual branches, some cut off the whole top part and trim and do the same to the bottom. I prefer to cut off individual branches if it’s just a small grow, though sometimes I'll do the top half bottom half thing as well. Cutting off the individual branches from the main stem, and trimming off the smaller leaf will result in a quicker drying time if time is of the essence. After the branch has been cut, I then go in and remove ALL the leaf I want to trim right away. Some people prefer to leave the leaf on, either as a protectant for the trichomes underneath, or because they’d rather make trimming a two-step job. I prefer to do it all at once, especially when dealing with low marijuana plant numbers to trim. It also gets a bit messy trying to trim weed bud leafs after they have dried. Did this once, and will never do it again! Makes my life a little easier and once again, makes it a little easier to dry as well.
Hanging
You can hang your colas and branches by just using simple clothespins, or running a paperclip straight thru the stem, and curling it to hang on the clothesline. Just make sure the branches and rope are secure enough to hold the weight of the marijuana buds.
Air Circulation
As long as the humidity in the room does not go over 50%, I generally let the weed buds hang for one day without any air movement. I do this just as a measure against drying too fast. Too dry of humidity (30% or lower), can sometimes cause the weed buds to dry too fast, and make them crispy and crunchy. On the second day, I put my fan on low making sure that the breeze doesn't hit too directly on the marijuana buds and branches. Too much of this will cause certain weed buds to dry out faster than others. Try to position your fan in such a way that all marijuana buds get some air movement on them, just not directly from the fan. Humidity readings of 45-55% are ideal. Sometimes I will flip the weed buds around from day to day, just to make sure they all get good air movement around them.
Drying Before Curing
To get to the next stage, curing, the marijuana buds must be dry. Too much moisture in the weed buds after putting in the jars can result in moldy marijuana buds, and then everything you have achieved up to this point will have been in vain. So how do you know when the weed buds are really dry? In general, five to seven days seems to be the norm for marijuana buds to be ready to put in curing jars, given the above parameters. For the weed buds to be ready for the next step, try this: gently, but firmly try to snap the stem that the marijuana buds are on. If you get a crisp snap, the weed buds should be ready. Also check the marijuana bud itself by gently squeezing it. I would recommend this after a few days of drying, and then every day after to get a "feel" for the weed bud drying. When the marijuana buds have hardened a bit, and the stem cracks crisply, your weed buds are ready for the next step: the curing jars.
The Curing Process
To cure your marijuana buds for short term storage (up to a year), I would recommend using glass mason jars and canning lids, which are available at most department stores and supermarkets around the world. Cut off the weed buds from the main stem using a pair of scissors, and place inside the jars. Try to handle the marijuana buds gently; you don't want to lose too many precious glands! Gently pack the weed buds in the jars, don't stuff them in too tightly. Store your jars in cool dark place, with temperatures around 65-75°F. Remember, light and heat are your two worst enemies! Each day for the next five, I like to open the jars completely for 15 minutes a day to get rid of any extra moisture. After this, the marijuana buds remain in the jars for the duration, until they are ready to smoke. You can smoke them now, but they will not be at their ideal potency, flavor, or smokability. In my personal experience I have found that certain strains will l take longer to smooth out, but after about two months, most strains should be quite ready to smoke. Potency, flavor and smoothness all improve in good time, and keeping them away from high heat, light, and air will enable them to remain at optimum smokability.
Plant Moisture Prior To Cutting
Prior to cutting down, it is a good idea to let the soil get fairly dry. Not so dry as to hurt the marijuana plant, but more like it is just ready for another watering. I find that this speeds drying time rather than harvesting a freshly watered weed plant.
24 Hour Dark Period
When the marijuana plants are ready to harvest, I like to give them 24 hours of darkness to promote more resin. Since potency is lowest in the middle of the day period under full heat, the darkness should let the weed plant come to its full potential. Some marijuana plants, especially the White family (Russian, Widow) really seem to like this, and I can't see it causing any damage either way; just another way to maximize the potential of the weed plant in some circumstances. The frosting on the cake, so to say
Cut Down, Trim, & Drying 101
Now comes the fun part! Time to get those scissors sticky. For this part of the procedure, you will need a good pair of trimming scissors. Many garden nurseries and hardware stores carry appropriate models with small enough blades to get the marijuana bud leaves and comfortable handles for hours of work. A small closet or room is all you will need for drying a personal harvest. Larger grows may need more though. But for just a few weed plants, a small closet will work fine. Enough clothesline or rope to wire across your small room is all that you will need to hang your branches, but make sure it’s attached well on each end. You don't want to come in and find your precious stash on the floor!
Temperature
Temperature in the space should be between 70 and 80°F, with the lower to mid-range preferable. The closet should also be able dark. At this point, heat and UV rays are the two main enemies of THC, the active ingredient in your weed buds. A small oscillating fan is a must as well. Also advisable is a gauge to measure the humidity in the room. This is especially important in areas such as a basement or tropical climates, as too much humidity will extend the drying time and perhaps bring on mold in the marijuana buds.
Cut Down
Depending on your method of growing, natural, topped, fimmed etc. you can cut down differently. Some people cut down the whole weed plant and just trim up the larger leaves. Others cut individual branches, some cut off the whole top part and trim and do the same to the bottom. I prefer to cut off individual branches if it’s just a small grow, though sometimes I'll do the top half bottom half thing as well. Cutting off the individual branches from the main stem, and trimming off the smaller leaf will result in a quicker drying time if time is of the essence. After the branch has been cut, I then go in and remove ALL the leaf I want to trim right away. Some people prefer to leave the leaf on, either as a protectant for the trichomes underneath, or because they’d rather make trimming a two-step job. I prefer to do it all at once, especially when dealing with low marijuana plant numbers to trim. It also gets a bit messy trying to trim weed bud leafs after they have dried. Did this once, and will never do it again! Makes my life a little easier and once again, makes it a little easier to dry as well.
Hanging
You can hang your colas and branches by just using simple clothespins, or running a paperclip straight thru the stem, and curling it to hang on the clothesline. Just make sure the branches and rope are secure enough to hold the weight of the marijuana buds.
Air Circulation
As long as the humidity in the room does not go over 50%, I generally let the weed buds hang for one day without any air movement. I do this just as a measure against drying too fast. Too dry of humidity (30% or lower), can sometimes cause the weed buds to dry too fast, and make them crispy and crunchy. On the second day, I put my fan on low making sure that the breeze doesn't hit too directly on the marijuana buds and branches. Too much of this will cause certain weed buds to dry out faster than others. Try to position your fan in such a way that all marijuana buds get some air movement on them, just not directly from the fan. Humidity readings of 45-55% are ideal. Sometimes I will flip the weed buds around from day to day, just to make sure they all get good air movement around them.
Drying Before Curing
To get to the next stage, curing, the marijuana buds must be dry. Too much moisture in the weed buds after putting in the jars can result in moldy marijuana buds, and then everything you have achieved up to this point will have been in vain. So how do you know when the weed buds are really dry? In general, five to seven days seems to be the norm for marijuana buds to be ready to put in curing jars, given the above parameters. For the weed buds to be ready for the next step, try this: gently, but firmly try to snap the stem that the marijuana buds are on. If you get a crisp snap, the weed buds should be ready. Also check the marijuana bud itself by gently squeezing it. I would recommend this after a few days of drying, and then every day after to get a "feel" for the weed bud drying. When the marijuana buds have hardened a bit, and the stem cracks crisply, your weed buds are ready for the next step: the curing jars.
The Curing Process
To cure your marijuana buds for short term storage (up to a year), I would recommend using glass mason jars and canning lids, which are available at most department stores and supermarkets around the world. Cut off the weed buds from the main stem using a pair of scissors, and place inside the jars. Try to handle the marijuana buds gently; you don't want to lose too many precious glands! Gently pack the weed buds in the jars, don't stuff them in too tightly. Store your jars in cool dark place, with temperatures around 65-75°F. Remember, light and heat are your two worst enemies! Each day for the next five, I like to open the jars completely for 15 minutes a day to get rid of any extra moisture. After this, the marijuana buds remain in the jars for the duration, until they are ready to smoke. You can smoke them now, but they will not be at their ideal potency, flavor, or smokability. In my personal experience I have found that certain strains will l take longer to smooth out, but after about two months, most strains should be quite ready to smoke. Potency, flavor and smoothness all improve in good time, and keeping them away from high heat, light, and air will enable them to remain at optimum smokability.
thanks!!