Harvest Time: A Tutorial

Fdd,

I'm sure you probably already covered this, but I can't find the exact post. What is the point of cutting all the leaf material you can get at off if the leaves have trichomes on them? If you aren't planning to use the small clippings for cooking or hash making wouldn't it make sense to just give them a slight trim and smoke trichomed leaves along with the bud? I know that a lot of our local growers (especially up in the mountains) don't trim the small leaves hardly at all for that exact reason, but I'd like your opinion.

EdGreyfox said:

Fdd,

I'm sure you probably already covered this, but I can't find the exact post. What is the point of cutting all the leaf material you can get at off if the leaves have trichomes on them? If you aren't planning to use the small clippings for cooking or hash making wouldn't it make sense to just give them a slight trim and smoke trichomed leaves along with the bud? I know that a lot of our local growers (especially up in the mountains) don't trim the small leaves hardly at all for that exact reason, but I'd like your opinion.

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leaf tastes nasty and burns the back of the throat. even when it's covered in trichs.

Ahh, ok. That makes sense. I used your trimming method on my first harvest and it worked fine, but the clippings ended up molding before my sis got around to making anything out of them. Since the stuff was just going to waste I was thinking about trying the "no trim" method some of our mountain growers seem to favor, but if it's going to that sort of effect on the taste I won't bother.

NO NO NO, this is all wrong!

My bud has been curing for 2 days now and smells like plant. doesnt really have the dank smell it had when i chopped it. Will it gain that back as it looses all that extra moisture? Sorry but i cant sit here and read 123 pages to see ifs been covered yet. Thanks in advance.

EvolAlex said:

My bud has been curing for 2 days now and smells like plant. doesnt really have the dank smell it had when i chopped it. Will it gain that back as it looses all that extra moisture? Sorry but i cant sit here and read 123 pages to see ifs been covered yet. Thanks in advance.

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Let it cure for 2 weeks or more

Fdd. Another great thread. I know that you want to have your temp around 60 when drying and low humidity. Question for ya if you dont mind. I am drying out my girls in a 2' x 2' cardboard box. The temp is good I think (around 65), but my humidity is also around 65%. Im sure this is too high. Any ideas of what I can do to help with the humidity? Thanks again my friend. +rep for you for posting this thread.

I found a box of a bunch of mason jars for a tooney and will be trying your tutorial for my first harvest. Thank you.

ObiJwon said:

Fdd. Another great thread. I know that you want to have your temp around 60 when drying and low humidity. Question for ya if you dont mind. I am drying out my girls in a 2' x 2' cardboard box. The temp is good I think (around 65), but my humidity is also around 65%. Im sure this is too high. Any ideas of what I can do to help with the humidity? Thanks again my friend. +rep for you for posting this thread.

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a small fan maybe?

Fdd, superb thread!

My plants will be at 9weeks of 12/12 monday but are still 50/50% clear and milky. Do you count flowering days from first day of 12/12 or the day they start to look like buds are forming?

Nobody? everyone says indicas take 7-9 weeks but Im starting think thats a lie my plants are 9 weeks and still look like they have a week or two. So Im curious when does everyone start counting flowering days? is it from the first day of 12/12 or when pistils start to shoot out? Plants look great through the whole grow just a little slow i guess. I vegged for 6 weeks from seed that is when preflowers showed.

the first day of 12/12 is the first day of the flowering cycle.

i wouldn't worry too much if you have to go longer than expected. they will only get fatter, riper, sweeter, heavier, ......

makeway said:

Nobody? everyone says indicas take 7-9 weeks but Im starting think thats a lie my plants are 9 weeks and still look like they have a week or two. So Im curious when does everyone start counting flowering days? is it from the first day of 12/12 or when pistils start to shoot out? Plants look great through the whole grow just a little slow i guess. I vegged for 6 weeks from seed that is when preflowers showed.

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Every plamt like every other living thing in different and unique in some way. Its done when its done man, you cannot rush perfection.

Ok, thanks guys I was hoping they would be done by now but I guess I will just have to wait.

i cant remember who said it but ''dont be hastey, waiting makes it tastey''

My first buds have been hanging for 3 or 4 days. The main cola started at 55 grams and is now 26 grams. The buds feel slightly firmer now, have shrunk a bit, and are far far less oily today than they were yesterday, but still get my fingers sticky if i squeeze. The stem remains slightly bendy.

Time to go in the jars? No idea...

A really nice process. The only improvement I can offer is when curing, I use pasta sauce jars and sit them somewhere dark and warm (on top of my computer... 4 way SLI produces plenty of heat and my case vents upwards). On a heater vent in a dark room would work just fine too. That sweats them a little which kills off any residual chlorophyll flavour.
Once the jars are nice and warm I spread them out onto a tray and leave them for about 30 minutes to dry off.
Put the buds back in the jars and store sealed in the dark for a day.
Repeat the process for 4 to 7 days depending on moisture content and maturity at picking.
Once the bud is at your desired moisture level, double bag the bud (I use unbleached freezer zip-loc bags) and store in a box to keep the light out. You will have potent mold-free bud that will keep indefinitely.
If stored in jars long-term the weed will lose potency as the resin de-natures due to alcohols produced by the moisture reacting with the plant matter. Double bagging prevents the THC reacting with the air while allowing the moisture to slowly bleed out through the plastic.

Hi dudes

This is my first grow and I'm 1 month in flowering.
I'm a little confused so i have some questions for
all you experts.

1. I just bought a small hand microscope (60x-100x)
Since it's very difficult to keep it steady and focus
can i cut a small sugar leaf to look the trichomes,
or this is going to stress my lady.

2. Sould i start harvesting when all the trichomes are cloudy
and they start to turn amber,
or i must wait till the amber are 50%

Thanks

gforgrow said:

Hi dudes

This is my first grow and I'm 1 month in flowering.
I'm a little confused so i have some questions for
all you experts.

1. I just bought a small hand microscope (60x-100x)
Since it's very difficult to keep it steady and focus
can i cut a small sugar leaf to look the trichomes,
or this is going to stress my lady.

2. Sould i start harvesting when all the trichomes are cloudy
and they start to turn amber,
or i must wait till the amber are 50%

Thanks

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1. I'm sure a small leaf won hurt anything as long as its like once-a-week type cutting.
2.I believe the recommended time is when they are 50/50 cloudy/amber; that's what i plan on doing. but it comes down to personal preference. Try the "all cloudy" harvest and and let some reach the "50-50" stage and compare the 2.
IM NOT AN EXPERT, but i have a good learning curve going. Yummy.