The last few days: flushing, harvesting, drying and curing your buds.

Good day everybody. It seems to me there's far too much pot out there which has been grown with great potential, only to be a disappointment due to the final phases of the crop. When i hear people complain about how their buds are harsh, or they taste bad, they don't burn well... you get the idea somehow they're buds are fucked up. There are a few reasons why your buds can end up inferior and that's what I'm here to help prevent.

FLUSHING:

Many people don't give flushing enough credit. Many know that it can effect flavor, but it can also greatly impact potency. TOO MUCH NUTES FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS WILL MAKE FOR A HEAVIER HARVEST: BUT PHOSPHORUS SLOWS THC PRODUCTION. This is why sometimes people may say that they don't get high from a particular bag. My flush begins 2 weeks before harvest day. I change my solution in the reservoir every day for these last 2 weeks, and I use plain water with Cal-Mag Plus added for trace minerals. During week one of my flush, I set my ballast at 50% power, and raise it higher above the canopy. After the first week, move the plants to the side of the room and only allow them to receive indirect light. This will dramatically increase resin and terpene production.

HARVESTING:

You'll want to harvest your buds just before lights on. I harvest 6 large plants at a time, and I start cutting individual branches about an hour before lights on. You may choose to harvest your plants by cutting at the base; I do not recommend this, as there are still more nutrients in the stalks of the plant, and as they dry those nutrients will still move through the buds and can result in harsher smoke.

TRIMMING:

When to trim is a matter of individual preference. I trim before drying, partly because it is less messy than afterwards, and also because again, there are more nutrients in the leaves. In addition, as soon as the plant is cut down the stomata on the bottom of the leaves begin to close. This can result in buds holding nutrients. When the buds are manicured first, there are more cuts/openings in the surface of the buds and they will dry faster and in my opinion, smoke smoother. When trimming I advise you to use 2 buckets for trim; one for trichome-covered trim for hash, and the other for discard trim.

DRYING:

After trimming, I hang my plants in my drying cabinet. Check on them daily. Once the buds feel crispy on the outside but the larger stems are still pliable, I remove the buds from the branches and place them on a screen to finish drying. You may also use paper towels if you don't have $5 to spend on the screen. Once the remaining small stems snap easily, the buds are fully dried.

CURING:

Many people confuse curing with drying, but they are totally different. After the buds have fully dried, place them in mason jars about 70-80% full, then seal the jars. Open the jars once per day for the first 3 days, then once a week for 2 weeks, then open it one more time after one month. Your buds are now fully cured! Any overstock should be stored in a cool dark place. light degrades THC. If done properly, these steps should ensure that your buds will smoke smoother, taste better, get you higher, and make you a very happy and productive gardener. Happy farming!!!

Nice post buddy

+rep amigo.

nice helps everyone out

I haven't heard of the screen part of drying, just to jar 'em when the stem bends. So the stems SHOULD break before jarring?

I jarred mine with "Bendy stems"
Then I take them out after a day and back on the rack.
Then I jar them and burp.

I do this for a while, till its time to cure.

Very nice + rep

obijohn said:

I haven't heard of the screen part of drying, just to jar 'em when the stem bends. So the stems SHOULD break before jarring?

Click to expand...

Well, in my experience the stems should break before you put them in the jar. the reason being that the stems hold the most moisture, as they have onyl the cuts you made on the stem or the bud to remove moisture. you could bottle them with pliable stems, but you do run the risk of mold. moisture also causes the plant material to decay, regardless whether or not mold growth does occur. you'll notice if you store slightly damp buds for a while that there's a slightly acrid, ammonia smell and flavor. this is the result of decaying organic matter.

* also the screen portion of the drying process is a personal preference. after the buds are crispy on the outside, you don't really risk flat spots by screen drying. screen drying allows you to have less water travel through the buds to dry, which means less nutrients to contaminate the flavor and burning characteristics of your buds.

lol i'm a little high today so i also forgot to mention a good way to check on the status of your flush is to snap off a leaf on or near a bud, and lick the broken portion of the stem. if it tastes like water, your plant's pretty close to finished. if it tastes bitter give it a couple more days and repeat this test.

Amen brother...

so simple yet so effective.Thanks

RRLBT420 said:

Good day everybody. It seems to me there's far too much pot out there which has been grown with great potential, only to be a disappointment due to the final phases of the crop. When i hear people complain about how their buds are harsh, or they taste bad, they don't burn well... you get the idea somehow they're buds are fucked up. There are a few reasons why your buds can end up inferior and that's what I'm here to help prevent.

FLUSHING:

Many people don't give flushing enough credit. Many know that it can effect flavor, but it can also greatly impact potency. TOO MUCH NUTES FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS WILL MAKE FOR A HEAVIER HARVEST: BUT PHOSPHORUS SLOWS THC PRODUCTION. This is why sometimes people may say that they don't get high from a particular bag. My flush begins 2 weeks before harvest day. I change my solution in the reservoir every day for these last 2 weeks, and I use plain water with Cal-Mag Plus added for trace minerals. During week one of my flush, I set my ballast at 50% power, and raise it higher above the canopy. After the first week, move the plants to the side of the room and only allow them to receive indirect light. This will dramatically increase resin and terpene production.

HARVESTING:

You'll want to harvest your buds just before lights on. I harvest 6 large plants at a time, and I start cutting individual branches about an hour before lights on. You may choose to harvest your plants by cutting at the base; I do not recommend this, as there are still more nutrients in the stalks of the plant, and as they dry those nutrients will still move through the buds and can result in harsher smoke.

TRIMMING:

When to trim is a matter of individual preference. I trim before drying, partly because it is less messy than afterwards, and also because again, there are more nutrients in the leaves. In addition, as soon as the plant is cut down the stomata on the bottom of the leaves begin to close. This can result in buds holding nutrients. When the buds are manicured first, there are more cuts/openings in the surface of the buds and they will dry faster and in my opinion, smoke smoother. When trimming I advise you to use 2 buckets for trim; one for trichome-covered trim for hash, and the other for discard trim.

DRYING:

After trimming, I hang my plants in my drying cabinet. Check on them daily. Once the buds feel crispy on the outside but the larger stems are still pliable, I remove the buds from the branches and place them on a screen to finish drying. You may also use paper towels if you don't have $5 to spend on the screen. Once the remaining small stems snap easily, the buds are fully dried.

CURING:

Many people confuse curing with drying, but they are totally different. After the buds have fully dried, place them in mason jars about 70-80% full, then seal the jars. Open the jars once per day for the first 3 days, then once a week for 2 weeks, then open it one more time after one month. Your buds are now fully cured! Any overstock should be stored in a cool dark place. light degrades THC. If done properly, these steps should ensure that your buds will smoke smoother, taste better, get you higher, and make you a very happy and productive gardener. Happy farming!!!

Click to expand...

I was under the impression that hanging up the whole plant to dry results in a smoother smoke. And that a faster dry results in a harsher smoke, you stated the opposite. Also if the plants are flushed properly there shouldnt be many nutrients left in the stems.

All kinds of processes, like the transport of sugars inside the plant still take place, even when you cut it down. These processes will slowly come to an end while the drying progresses, but are the main factor for the end-taste of your smoke. That is the first reason why you don't want to quick-dry your weed. The second reason is the way that a plant dries. Plants are made up of cells and, as we all know, cells contain mainly water. Exposed to air, the (dying) plant's outer cells will dry out first but the above-mentioned processes will still transfer water from the inner cells to the dryer outer cells, thus causing the plant to dry equally all over. By removing the stalk and cutting off the individual colas, you prevent this natural process by taking away the extra moisture that would be drawn from the stem to the leaves and bud

i have heard of locking in nutrients such as chlorophyll in by quick drying, but even with the method i mentioned if you have a good drying atmosphere, which is in my opinion about 75 and around 40-45% humidity, with a slight amount of air moving over the buds, this drying method should take a minimum of 5 days, and as many as 7. with the same atmospheric condition with leaves and all on, it does take longer, though i was unhappy with the results overall. secondly, as you stated a plant isn't dead as soon as it's cut down; it remains alive until there is no longer enough water pressure left in its cells to maintain water movement and thus food. however, just as with tomatoes or any other plant, it will also continue to ripen while the water moves slowly through the plant. if you cut down your plant at the peak of readiness, why would you want to continue ripening it? thirdly, during the curing process, you also remove any leftover nutrients by oxidation, especially chlorophyll which is the main chemical giving that well-known "grassy" flavor.

Agreed. And I didn't state the plant was dead, I stated the plant was in the process of(dying). Which once it is cut down, is the phase it is taking on. Also, it would be safe to say get as much stem with it so that the buds dry slower, not necessarily the whole plant. Also do you cut the colas/heads/tops and let the inner canopy sit for an extra week or so? Also do you use a humidifier in your drying environment?

Great post very helpful I have been asking those more experienced there methods and all I get in response is hang dry then put in jars till you smoke it lol nice to see someone out line it for those of us less experienced +rep

thank you if you were referring to me, i hope you were lol. :

SACReDHeRB said:

Agreed. And I didn't state the plant was dead, I stated the plant was in the process of(dying). Which once it is cut down, is the phase it is taking on. Also, it would be safe to say get as much stem with it so that the buds dry slower, not necessarily the whole plant. Also do you cut the colas/heads/tops and let the inner canopy sit for an extra week or so? Also do you use a humidifier in your drying environment?

Click to expand...

As far as the cola harvesting goes, it really depends on the plant. i have a wide variety of strains and they all finish at different heights. i use a 1000w light, so typically if the plant is around the 2' area, i'll harvest the whole thing, as most if not all the plant will be ripe. i do have some sativas however that finish well over 3' and those i do let finish an extra week after harvesting the top colas as there are many unfinished, fluffy buds at the base. and yes, i do agree to leave as much stem as possible without leaving the whole plant. typically i leave the colas i cut off on their branches and dry them on the whole branch. then, once the large stem folds but doesn't snap, i remove the buds off the branch. this is typically day 4 or 5 of drying in my case. i use both a programmable humidifer and programmable dehumidifier in my room to prevent extremely dry or humid conditions, these both keep the humidity at 45%. reason being that we have a swamp cooler for the home and this causes a lot of humidity in the summer, and the furnace dries the air out in the winter. before i ran my setup my humidity would sometimes range from as low as 16% to as high as 60% humidity during the different seasons and this caused very unpredictable drying times and would also stress the plants out. for this reason i moved my drying cabinet into my growroom, and began using the humidifier and dehumidifer. this isn't necessarily advisable for everybody, but in my case it was a necessity to keep my bud's quality consistent. i still encourage others to experiment as everybody's situations/conditions are different.

my two ladies are outside and over 6', so alotta unfinished nugs