Trichomes & Harvesting

[gardens]

...snip...
CBN (which is what amber trichomes contain) does have a sedative effect, but so does most other cannabinoids (even THC does).

We cannot stipulate that amber trichomes lead to a couch-lock effect because it goes against the science, research and understanding we have of cannabinoids.

...snip...

Clear trichomes are obviously even less potent than amber ones.

Clear trichomes contain mainly precursor cannabinoids (acids) and has a near 0% potency level.

In comparison to CBN which does have some potency.

...snip...

...snip...
I can see more amber than before yes and some clear, but it seems like the cloudy are in a clear majority.

I wouldn't take it much further, you've got to remember that the trichomes will keep maturing even after you harvest.
...snip...

Thanks for the great thread k0ijn, read the whole thing. I am a first time poster and noob working on my first grow. Well I actually started in 1973 and took a few decades off, so I am still a noob. What I was curious about was whether the trichomes can significantly change color during curing (it has been mentioned in the thread that they can continue to turn amber after harvest)

I harvested a hermie after about 6+ weeks of 12/12 that seeded my entire garden. When I harvested the hermie I noticed that the trichomes were clear wherever I checked. I dried for a week then put into the jars with a hygrometer. I burped regularly and watched the humidity, without really checking the trichomes after being put into jars. After a month and a half cure I scoped things out (same microscope) and the trichomes were almost all cloudy white. I had considered throwing away the "clear buds" at harvest after a smoke test. Later I tried the properly cured smoke and it was pretty good. Not killer by any means, and not as good as the bag that supplied the seeds, but still good (I have bought worse in a bag). It appeared to be an indica dominant indica/sativa cross.

I am a noob on first grow, so I can't rule out "sampling error" (looking at different parts than I did when I harvested), but I did do a rather thorough spot check and I honestly didn't see cloudy white trics anywhere on the plant at harvest. Now I can't find more than a few clear trichomes.

From what I have read on the forum a lot of people say that the cure not only improves taste but makes it stronger (I thought cannabis was decarboxylated when smoked too). This is hardly scientific, but from my experience that seems to be true. When I put the stuff into jars, it was "very weak" with clear trichomes, to the point of being almost worthless. Now after the cure the cannabis is much stronger.

Being a noob it is safe to say that I stressed the living crap out of everything in the garden, which helps explain the hermie. Now I have hundreds of seeds on the non-hermie plants, all from hermie pollen. I let all the seeds mature since fully developed seeds are easier to extract from buds. This is a medical grow, so I actually prefer the couchlock (and also take Marinol - nowhere near as effective as cannabis, but pure THC without other cannabinoids). Thanks for the clarification on amber trics not being the source of my desired couchlock!

You mentioned above that "Clear trichomes contain mainly precursor cannabinoids (acids) and has a near 0% potency level.", and on the first post of the thread the image shows decarboxylation from THCA to THC and CBDA to CBD. So the question I am asking is whether it was the loss of the -cooh group during cure that resulted in the evident change from clear to cloudy trics? I was seriously thinking about throwing out the clear buds (not even QWISO), until I tested after the cure. Glad I was patient enough to try a formal cure on clear buds.

Am I reading too much into the comments about "Clear trichomes contain mainly precursor cannabinoids (acids) and has a near 0% potency level.", and that perhaps there is something else going on besides the decarboxylation from the precursor acids to the active components (THC, CBD, etc.) that might explain the transition from clear to cloudy trichomes?

Sorry for the lengthy first post and noob question, but I am just trying to understand why my "clear buds" went from pure garbage at harvest to reasonable smoke a couple of months after a proper cure.

 

[k0ijn]

Thanks for the great thread k0ijn, read the whole thing. I am a first time poster and noob working on my first grow. Well I actually started in 1973 and took a few decades off, so I am still a noob. What I was curious about was whether the trichomes can significantly change color during curing (it has been mentioned in the thread that they can continue to turn amber after harvest)

You're welcome

It depends on how you handle the weed.
If you have control over the variables and carry out a proper dry & cure you won't see a significant change, but you will see some change (again, depending on the variables).

The variables which can highly affect the outcome are; light, humidity, aging & temperature (heat really).
If you store/cure your weed in an improper way then you can see a huge change in the potency, high and general appeal of your weed (even ruin it (mold for example)).

So it all really comes down to how much you take care of the harvest.
But the degradation and maturing of the trichomes will always be ongoing.
If you let the weed store for long enough in the right conditions you could stay the degradation of the THC.
On the other hand, if you do it wrong you could speed up the degradation and possibly even ruin the weed.

I harvested a hermie after about 6+ weeks of 12/12 that seeded my entire garden. When I harvested the hermie I noticed that the trichomes were clear wherever I checked. I dried for a week then put into the jars with a hygrometer. I burped regularly and watched the humidity, without really checking the trichomes after being put into jars. After a month and a half cure I scoped things out (same microscope) and the trichomes were almost all cloudy white. I had considered throwing away the "clear buds" at harvest after a smoke test. Later I tried the properly cured smoke and it was pretty good. Not killer by any means, and not as good as the bag that supplied the seeds, but still good (I have bought worse in a bag). It appeared to be an indica dominant indica/sativa cross.

That is quite normal, since the regular maturation of the trichomes will continue to go on even after you harvest the weed.
But since it was harvested early the calyxes had probably not matured enough, the weed was likely stringy and airy but of course it could bring some effect if you smoke it.
At least you got something out of it but I doubt it was the full potential of the plant.

I am a noob on first grow, so I can't rule out "sampling error" (looking at different parts than I did when I harvested), but I did do a rather thorough spot check and I honestly didn't see cloudy white trics anywhere on the plant at harvest. Now I can't find more than a few clear trichomes.

From what I have read on the forum a lot of people say that the cure not only improves taste but makes it stronger (I thought cannabis was decarboxylated when smoked too). This is hardly scientific, but from my experience that seems to be true. When I put the stuff into jars, it was "very weak" with clear trichomes, to the point of being almost worthless. Now after the cure the cannabis is much stronger.

Curing doesn't affect potency (other than it's a controlled environment which allows for a slow decarboxylation) but it can improve immensely on flavour and odour.
The potency is determined by the amount of cloudy trichomes and thus the amount of THC-A/THC present in the plant @ harvest.
Curing is just a good way of controlling hydration and decarboxylation of the dried weed.
It allows for the release of certain substances in the plant material as well (mainly Chlorophyll) which improves flavour and odour.

Being a noob it is safe to say that I stressed the living crap out of everything in the garden, which helps explain the hermie. Now I have hundreds of seeds on the non-hermie plants, all from hermie pollen. I let all the seeds mature since fully developed seeds are easier to extract from buds. This is a medical grow, so I actually prefer the couchlock (and also take Marinol - nowhere near as effective as cannabis, but pure THC without other cannabinoids). Thanks for the clarification on amber trics not being the source of my desired couchlock!

You mentioned above that "Clear trichomes contain mainly precursor cannabinoids (acids) and has a near 0% potency level.", and on the first post of the thread the image shows decarboxylation from THCA to THC and CBDA to CBD. So the question I am asking is whether it was the loss of the -cooh group during cure that resulted in the evident change from clear to cloudy trics? I was seriously thinking about throwing out the clear buds (not even QWISO), until I tested after the cure. Glad I was patient enough to try a formal cure on clear buds.

That sounds like quite a seed infestation, do you have segregated areas to grow?
It's very helpful to remove hermied plants to enclosed areas quickly so they don't affect the rest of the bunch.

That's quite a good question but I cannot say I have scientifically backed information to answer that fully.
The reason is that we don't fully know what exactly the specific substances in the trichomes are at certain points in time.
We know that clear trichomes contain precursor acids, most likely with a majority of Olivetolic acid & Cannabigerolic acid.
The amount of THCA, CBDA, CBGA etc which is present in these trichomes is likely very low and whether they all are present and in what quantities is not fully known.

I don't personally think the loss of the carbon group is the reason it changes colour, but I guess there are a multitude of possible factors which could either produce this or catalyze the effect.

It's a hard question to answer because we don't really know all we could know about the individual trichomes, their stages and what exactly their properties are in each stage.
I wish a proper study would be done on this, but due to the illegal nature of the substances it's not likely to happen yet.
People are very busy studying particular substances like THC and CBD but no the intricate processes which control the aging and maturation of trichomes.

Am I reading too much into the comments about "Clear trichomes contain mainly precursor cannabinoids (acids) and has a near 0% potency level.", and that perhaps there is something else going on besides the decarboxylation from the precursor acids to the active components (THC, CBD, etc.) that might explain the transition from clear to cloudy trichomes?

Sorry for the lengthy first post and noob question, but I am just trying to understand why my "clear buds" went from pure garbage at harvest to reasonable smoke a couple of months after a proper cure.

I think you are, the processes which affect and control the maturation and aging are not very well researched.
The only indicators we have are the colours really, the specific subject has never been researched properly other than by a few people.
I got the information from an excellent book I've referenced in the first post but the study did not go much into detail.
I wish the particular transitions and processes could be researched in depth, and it will likely happen one day, who knows when though.

That's quite alright, I hope I answered the questions well enough

 

[aurora stardust]

Firstly, I need to apologise for the photos today. There was very little light and I could not get good shots.

She seems to be pushing out new pistils still. Does this mean I should hold back on harvesting? If not, I will harvest tomorrow morning as you suggested.



Here are what 2 random flowers look like today.

 

[gardens]

That is quite normal, since the regular maturation of the trichomes will continue to go on even after you harvest the weed.

But since it was harvested early the calyxes had probably not matured enough, the weed was likely stringy and airy but of course it could bring some effect if you smoke it.

At least you got something out of it but I doubt it was the full potential of the plant.

You are spot-on. Stringy airy buds on the chopped hermie. The rest of the crop matured fine with compact buds (but filled with seeds). It was nowhere near the potential given the early chop of the hermie, and the non-hermies focused on producing healthy seeds! Lesson learned: Pay attention to the garden.

That sounds like quite a seed infestation, do you have segregated areas to grow?
It's very helpful to remove hermied plants to enclosed areas quickly so they don't affect the rest of the bunch.

I have a dedicated flower room, veg room, and lung room. The dedicated lung room pisses off the wife, so I have to work on that! The minute I spotted the hermie it was chopped down and put into the drying room (not so dedicated - one of our bathrooms). The flower room was hard to inspect though, so I found the hermie after one day noticing the pistols changing color. I was careful not to carry pollen from the drying room to the flower room. I think the seeding came from the initial pollination. I sprayed the flower room after I noticed the hermie, but it was too late for most of the seeding.

I am a grower from the early seventies... just an old dog trying to learn new tricks. The seeded garden reminds me of Columbian or Mexican weed decades ago, where you had to de-seed before smoking.

I think you are, the processes which affect and control the maturation and aging are not very well researched.

The only indicators we have are the colours really, the specific subject has never been researched properly other than by a few people.

I got the information from an excellent book I've referenced in the first post but the study did not go much into detail.

I wish the particular transitions and processes could be researched in depth, and it will likely happen one day, who knows when though.

That's quite alright, I hope I answered the questions well enough

Thanks again, and you have done an excellent job of answering questions. I read a long time before the first post, trying to exercise due diligence on the change in trichome color during drying/curing (which is why I posted in this thread - relates to harvest/trichomes). In my initial search I was looking for a detailed discussion of the chemistry of the maturation process. Your point is well taken, that a lot of the research hasn't been done for legal reasons.

I suppose we are looking at a 50% probability (or greater) that the seeds carry the hermie trait. The non-hermies were noob-stressed like everything in my garden and appear stable, which *might* mean that the hermie trait was carried solely by the sex-determining chromosome of the hermie. If that trait was only on one chromosome then I suppose we are looking at a 50% probability of passing to the next generation, and if both chromosomes on the hermie carry the trait then we are looking at 100% probability that the trait will be passed to the seeds. Whether the hermie trait is expressed or not (epigenetics?) is another matter. The debate continues on whether epigenetic factors are heritable. I just don't want the trait in the gene pool, expressed or not. (Just a side comment since this thread is about trichomes and harvest, not epigenetics.)

Right now I am halfway into a colloidal silver experiment... and lots of good friends in Seattle are sending primo seeds for the next crop. I have learned so much from this site... things have progressed quite a bit since the early seventies, in spite of the lack of formal research.

Thanks again for the great thread, and thanks for moderating. I know it is a lot of work.

 

[ArCaned]

Great thread, loads of accurate infomation here.

 

[aurora stardust]

So, I went out to harvest the plant. I took down one of the side colas, but I didn't feel right taking the rest down.

I know everyone is saying to harvest already, but I just want to be doubly and triply sure...

I am trying to understand the plant and letting it tell me when she's ready. But as I am new, I can read her signs wrongly. That's why this community has been great and I appreciate all the sharing that happens here.

The few things I noticed that made me reconsider harvesting:

i) She's putting out even more new pistils.
ii) There seems to be more new growth on the calyxes.
iii) She's even frostier than yesterday.

I wonder if these signs are saying that she's still blooming and that this isn't her peak yet. Maybe this could be the final 100m sprint of the 400m race. What do you all think? Should I stop being silly and just harvest already? Or should I let her continue pushing?

Have a look at the flowers and discuss with me my observations...

View attachment 2437886View attachment 2437885View attachment 2437884View attachment 2437887
View attachment 2437888View attachment 2437889View attachment 2437890

 

[k0ijn]

Firstly, I need to apologise for the photos today. There was very little light and I could not get good shots.

She seems to be pushing out new pistils still. Does this mean I should hold back on harvesting? If not, I will harvest tomorrow morning as you suggested.

View attachment 2436954

Here are what 2 random flowers look like today.

View attachment 2436955View attachment 2436956

It's hard to see clearly but it might be foxtailing, I would base the harvest on the "old" growth not the new growth.
So I still think you're near harvest, especially with the infestation problems.

But that doesn't mean that you cannot take the plant another 1-2 weeks if it's reacting well to the extra time.

 

[k0ijn]

You are spot-on. Stringy airy buds on the chopped hermie. The rest of the crop matured fine with compact buds (but filled with seeds). It was nowhere near the potential given the early chop of the hermie, and the non-hermies focused on producing healthy seeds! Lesson learned: Pay attention to the garden.

Alright, it behaved as I expected then.
The learning comes with experience in growing and you seem like a person who pays attention so I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly.

I have a dedicated flower room, veg room, and lung room. The dedicated lung room pisses off the wife, so I have to work on that! The minute I spotted the hermie it was chopped down and put into the drying room (not so dedicated - one of our bathrooms). The flower room was hard to inspect though, so I found the hermie after one day noticing the pistols changing color. I was careful not to carry pollen from the drying room to the flower room. I think the seeding came from the initial pollination. I sprayed the flower room after I noticed the hermie, but it was too late for most of the seeding.

I am a grower from the early seventies... just an old dog trying to learn new tricks. The seeded garden reminds me of Columbian or Mexican weed decades ago, where you had to de-seed before smoking.

Well you did what you could do then, the rest was up the plants really.
Yeah I can imagine how the weed must have been back then, wonderful time in history, not so wonderful weed ^^

Thanks again, and you have done an excellent job of answering questions. I read a long time before the first post, trying to exercise due diligence on the change in trichome color during drying/curing (which is why I posted in this thread - relates to harvest/trichomes). In my initial search I was looking for a detailed discussion of the chemistry of the maturation process. Your point is well taken, that a lot of the research hasn't been done for legal reasons.

I suppose we are looking at a 50% probability (or greater) that the seeds carry the hermie trait. The non-hermies were noob-stressed like everything in my garden and appear stable, which *might* mean that the hermie trait was carried solely by the sex-determining chromosome of the hermie. If that trait was only on one chromosome then I suppose we are looking at a 50% probability of passing to the next generation, and if both chromosomes on the hermie carry the trait then we are looking at 100% probability that the trait will be passed to the seeds. Whether the hermie trait is expressed or not (epigenetics?) is another matter. The debate continues on whether epigenetic factors are heritable. I just don't want the trait in the gene pool, expressed or not. (Just a side comment since this thread is about trichomes and harvest, not epigenetics.)

Right now I am halfway into a colloidal silver experiment... and lots of good friends in Seattle are sending primo seeds for the next crop. I have learned so much from this site... things have progressed quite a bit since the early seventies, in spite of the lack of formal research.

Thanks again for the great thread, and thanks for moderating. I know it is a lot of work.

Good to hear.
It sounds like you have experience in genetics, I'm not very knowledgeable about genetics but I agree with your assumptions.
Hermies tend to carry the trait through to seeds, which is why most people destroy any hermie and 'infected' plants in their garden.
I don't think there's much to be gotten out of growing those seeds but it might be worth it if you're lucky with the genetics.
I wouldn't waste time on them though.

Good, I'd go with those primo seeds and focus on controlling the variables.
It seems like you've already learned loads of lesson so your next grow should be much easier for you to control.
Things have progressed but we still wish there'd be a higher focus on cannabis research, it seems like most companies focus on how to take cannabinoids and distill them into a proprietary drug they can make money off of.

You're welcome, I'm glad you found it helpful

 

[k0ijn]

So, I went out to harvest the plant. I took down one of the side colas, but I didn't feel right taking the rest down.

I know everyone is saying to harvest already, but I just want to be doubly and triply sure...

I am trying to understand the plant and letting it tell me when she's ready. But as I am new, I can read her signs wrongly. That's why this community has been great and I appreciate all the sharing that happens here.

The few things I noticed that made me reconsider harvesting:

i) She's putting out even more new pistils.
ii) There seems to be more new growth on the calyxes.
iii) She's even frostier than yesterday.

I wonder if these signs are saying that she's still blooming and that this isn't her peak yet. Maybe this could be the final 100m sprint of the 400m race. What do you all think? Should I stop being silly and just harvest already? Or should I let her continue pushing?

Have a look at the flowers and discuss with me my observations...

View attachment 2437886View attachment 2437885View attachment 2437884View attachment 2437887
View attachment 2437888View attachment 2437889View attachment 2437890

A plant will continue to grow and produce new growth. That doesn't have any say in maturity really.
That's just how a plant reacts to the light and the variables.

If you let it, the plant would keep growing and producing but you would of course lose a lot of potency due to degradation.

If you think the plant is still within a good mature state (not too many amber trichs in particular) then by all means let it go further.
The thing that concerns me most is that you've had infestation problems and the plant is rather damaged, it'd be sad if you were to lose what you have now due to further complications.

 

[aurora stardust]

It's hard to see clearly but it might be foxtailing, I would base the harvest on the "old" growth not the new growth.
So I still think you're near harvest, especially with the infestation problems.

But that doesn't mean that you cannot take the plant another 1-2 weeks if it's reacting well to the extra time.

Thanks for that. Will keep the old growth in mind. Maybe I'll harvest a few sections and leave the rest to see how they go. I don't have the experience to be fully sure if she's reacting well or not. If we go by the flowering time given by Ceres, she's due between 27th December - 1st January. But I am aware that there are many factors that come into play, and the numbers don't matter as much as what the plant tells me. If only I could understand her better.

A plant will continue to grow and produce new growth. That doesn't have any say in maturity really.
That's just how a plant reacts to the light and the variables.

If you let it, the plant would keep growing and producing but you would of course lose a lot of potency due to degradation.

If you think the plant is still within a good mature state (not too many amber trichs in particular) then by all means let it go further.
The thing that concerns me most is that you've had infestation problems and the plant is rather damaged, it'd be sad if you were to lose what you have now due to further complications.

I agree. That is my main concern. I'm trying to find a balance between letting her reach her full potential, and not losing the harvest due to complications or degradation.

I do notice that the amber trichs are concentrated on the bigger sugar leaves. The flowers are mostly cloudy with some amber. And the parts that are in the shadows (that's why I don't post trichs from those parts, because they're hard to see) are also mostly cloudy, but with some clear. I've noticed that trichome production is still active and some of them have formed clusters. Basically, there's less and less empty space.

I'm sorry I am being so particular. It's almost the end, and I want to do the best for my first plant.

 

[aurora stardust]

Now I have another important question... I apologise in advance if this is not the right place for it, but you've been guiding me along thus far and you did mention that you've dealt with infestations before. So I'm thinking you'll have something up your sleeve to help me out with.

I am wondering if soaking mite infested calyxes in a container of water for 5 minutes right after chopping is a good idea. Will this drown the mites and their eggs, and prevent them from causing more damage during the drying process? If not, what's a good way of getting rid of them during the harvest?

Although they aren't there in large scale anymore, I can still see them in the photos. I am worried that if I leave them there while drying, the eggs may hatch and they'll consume the drying flowers. I didn't spray neem oil for the past 3 days as I was preparing for the harvest. I also didn't hose her down with water because the last few times I did that, I don't think she was very happy with it. The neem oil helped a lot though.

 

[k0ijn]

Now I have another important question... I apologise in advance if this is not the right place for it, but you've been guiding me along thus far and you did mention that you've dealt with infestations before. So I'm thinking you'll have something up your sleeve to help me out with.

I am wondering if soaking mite infested calyxes in a container of water for 5 minutes right after chopping is a good idea. Will this drown the mites and their eggs, and prevent them from causing more damage during the drying process? If not, what's a good way of getting rid of them during the harvest?

Although they aren't there in large scale anymore, I can still see them in the photos. I am worried that if I leave them there while drying, the eggs may hatch and they'll consume the drying flowers. I didn't spray neem oil for the past 3 days as I was preparing for the harvest. I also didn't hose her down with water because the last few times I did that, I don't think she was very happy with it. The neem oil helped a lot though.

That's okay, it might help other people who read it.

Actually, making an H2O2 bath for freshly harvested cannabis can be useful to get rid of a lot of stuff.
Like powdery mildew and infestations.
But it's a lot easier (if we're just talking insect infestation) to spray your plants with a mixture of organic insect repellent, water & H2O2.

The bath is not really needed unless you got powdery mildew or mold (as in water curing).

But it's possible for you to do this and it will work, it's just a lot easier to spray when you haven't got mildew or mold.

Since you are thinking of letting the plant go, I would just spray vigorously with the neem oil (and maybe add some H2O2 diluted) which should clear up the infestation rather quickly.

In fact, H2O2 is probably one of the most wonderful solutions I use in growing, I don't know what I would do without it.
It's great in reservoirs, it's great for clearing infestations and helping to vitalize a solution.

 

[aurora stardust]

That's okay, it might help other people who read it.

Actually, making an H2O2 bath for freshly harvested cannabis can be useful to get rid of a lot of stuff.
Like powdery mildew and infestations.
But it's a lot easier (if we're just talking insect infestation) to spray your plants with a mixture of organic insect repellent, water & H2O2.

The bath is not really needed unless you got powdery mildew or mold (as in water curing).

But it's possible for you to do this and it will work, it's just a lot easier to spray when you haven't got mildew or mold.

Since you are thinking of letting the plant go, I would just spray vigorously with the neem oil (and maybe add some H2O2 diluted) which should clear up the infestation rather quickly.

In fact, H2O2 is probably one of the most wonderful solutions I use in growing, I don't know what I would do without it.
It's great in reservoirs, it's great for clearing infestations and helping to vitalize a solution.

Cool... this thread has already been so helpful, so why not, eh?

Let me clarify. I plan to harvest the bigger colas, but let the rest go on. I know from the photos that there are mites on some of the flowers. Enough for me to be concerned about, but not enough for another round of a full-on infestation. I can spray the neem oil on the remaining flowers. And H2O2 after I do more research on how. Of course, if you want to share your recipe here, I'm sure there will be no complaints.

But I was wondering if you have a suggestion of getting rid of the mites on the flowers that I am harvesting, that won't taint the flavour and aroma. Do you think a 5 minute water soak will suffice? Someone else mentioned running it under tap water.

 

[aurora stardust]

k0ijn, I harvest most of the plant this morning. I only left the immature flowers, and 2 colas which didn't seem as ripe yet. Thank you very much for taking the time to guide me through the flowering stage. Appreciate it very much!

View attachment 2439250

 

[k0ijn]

Cool... this thread has already been so helpful, so why not, eh?

Let me clarify. I plan to harvest the bigger colas, but let the rest go on. I know from the photos that there are mites on some of the flowers. Enough for me to be concerned about, but not enough for another round of a full-on infestation. I can spray the neem oil on the remaining flowers. And H2O2 after I do more research on how. Of course, if you want to share your recipe here, I'm sure there will be no complaints.

But I was wondering if you have a suggestion of getting rid of the mites on the flowers that I am harvesting, that won't taint the flavour and aroma. Do you think a 5 minute water soak will suffice? Someone else mentioned running it under tap water.

You have to do the cleansing bath right after you've harvested, don't dry the bud first.
You should give it at least 5-10 min and then clean up the water surface (or change the water) and then rinse the plants with a hose (light pressure) afterwards.
You can do this multiple times and make sure all the insects are off but again, it's much easier to spray.

k0ijn, I harvest most of the plant this morning. I only left the immature flowers, and 2 colas which didn't seem as ripe yet. Thank you very much for taking the time to guide me through the flowering stage. Appreciate it very much!

View attachment 2439250

Congratulations on the harvest and you're welcome

You should make some holes in that box though, make sure you've got proper ventilation & air circulation.

 

[aurora stardust]

You have to do the cleansing bath right after you've harvested, don't dry the bud first.
You should give it at least 5-10 min and then clean up the water surface (or change the water) and then rinse the plants with a hose (light pressure) afterwards.
You can do this multiple times and make sure all the insects are off but again, it's much easier to spray.
Congratulations on the harvest and you're welcome

You should make some holes in that box though, make sure you've got proper ventilation & air circulation.

Thanks!

I did shower the whole harvest, bit by bit, to try and get rid of the mites as much as possible. Then I let it dry up in the open for an hour before putting them into the drying box.

I do have holes in the box, at the upper sides and lower sides. You can see from the photo. I didn't want to make the holes too big so that less light will enter. The holes are big enough to comfortable thread the wicks through. I used a small screwdriver to make the holes. Have a look at the photo again. You can see the holes on the upper sides. If you feel that i should make either more similar sized holes, or make the holes bigger, let me know.

 

[k0ijn]

Thanks!

I did shower the whole harvest, bit by bit, to try and get rid of the mites as much as possible. Then I let it dry up in the open for an hour before putting them into the drying box.

I do have holes in the box, at the upper sides and lower sides. You can see from the photo. I didn't want to make the holes too big so that less light will enter. The holes are big enough to comfortable thread the wicks through. I used a small screwdriver to make the holes. Have a look at the photo again. You can see the holes on the upper sides. If you feel that i should make either more similar sized holes, or make the holes bigger, let me know.

I meant big holes, not drill holes, as in cut out rectangular 4-5 inch long holes on both sides of the box so the air can be moved around in the box.
If you have problem with light then use a drying room or set up a drying room, you should never dry near light.
You should also have air circulation (use a fan or the like) and make sure you've got the RH under control.

 

[aurora stardust]

I meant big holes, not drill holes, as in cut out rectangular 4-5 inch long holes on both sides of the box so the air can be moved around in the box.
If you have problem with light then use a drying room or set up a drying room, you should never dry near light.
You should also have air circulation (use a fan or the like) and make sure you've got the RH under control.

Okay, understood. The box is currently in my room. I thought the small holes would be enough to allow air to flow and ventilation to exist. My room has a ceiling fan, which I only use at low, just to get air to circulate in my room. A gentle breeze.

RH in the box is currently high, in the mid-80s.

Here's what it looks like after about 20 hours in the box:

 

[k0ijn]

Okay, understood. The box is currently in my room. I thought the small holes would be enough to allow air to flow and ventilation to exist. My room has a ceiling fan, which I only use at low, just to get air to circulate in my room. A gentle breeze.

RH in the box is currently high, in the mid-80s.

Here's what it looks like after about 20 hours in the box:

View attachment 2439867

Okay but you will need bigger holes. It's the reason why most people hang it on drying lines or don't use a box but just string.
The RH is way too high in that box if it's in the mid 80s.
Mold can easily develop, you should be really careful.

You want around 45-55% RH in a drying room.

If you can, put up some string and hang them there or make huge holes in that box, otherwise the weed will get damaged by the high RH.

 

[aurora stardust]

Okay but you will need bigger holes. It's the reason why most people hang it on drying lines or don't use a box but just string.
The RH is way too high in that box if it's in the mid 80s.
Mold can easily develop, you should be really careful.

You want around 45-55% RH in a drying room.

If you can, put up some string and hang them there or make huge holes in that box, otherwise the weed will get damaged by the high RH.

Thanks k0ijn. The initial high humidity was due to the harvest being fresh. The humidity has been dropping steadily every day, and now it's about the low 60s in the day time and high 60s in the night. It's pretty much the same as the rest of the room at the moment. I think this means it's almost ready for curing. I didn't get huge colas, so the drying time I assume would not take as long. Not that I'm rushing, I'm more than happy to just let them keep hanging there.