preparations leading up to harvest

hey guys

my first out door grow is coming to a close!!! (very excited!!!) i just wanted to know some of the preparations leading up to harvest like for example i know you should flush a week prior to harvest... anything else i should know? thanks for your help!!!

keep checking them everyday for mold, depending on where you live it can be a huge problem around harvest

ive come to the conclusion that flushing is purely at the disgression of the grower, some boast that it cleans up the flavor a bit, others think it just stresses out the plant and dont do.
as for you, yeah check for the mold and that about it. get a sharp pair of scissors maybe and make sure your trics are at the point of your desired harvest.

Make sure you know when to harvest, based on trichs (and your preference on taste, effect etc.).
If you don't know the difference between clear, milky and amber trichs I suggest you search the forum a bit.

I normally flush, it improves flavour imo but as dam612 said it's again a personal perference (just like harvesting time).

On another note, make sure you have places to hang and dry your weed and stuff to cure it after (vacuum containers, glass jars with seals etc.)

thanks for the info guys! but i was think a little more about before harvest... i have heard the some people like don't water for a few days before harvest day and people who grow indoor leave the lights off for 24 hrs stuff like that... don't quote me on the whole watering thing, i think i remember reading it somewhere when i was high but i could just be making it up... i'm such a stoner lol

All those "tweaks" are just personal preference really.

Some people flush, some don't.
Some inhibit the water the last days to make the drying period shorter.
It all comes down to what works for you before anything else.

If you make sure you know the trichs and what you want out of the plant you'll get fine results just doing it straight up, keeping nutes in (to make sure your plants don't lack nutes or to minimize mistakes for first time growers) and harvesting.

The most important factors are trichs / harvesting time, trimming, drying and curing.
If you have the basics under control (nutes, watering, temp etc.) you will do just fine as long as you harvest and cure your bud the right way.
There is a sticky thread in this forum made solely to help people with harvesting (incl. trimming) and curing.

What about trimming off fan leaves before chopping? Seems like it helps dry faster but could also encourage mold? what are your guys' recommendation about trimming before chopping and hanging to dry?

Depending on the size of the harvest smell and drying space might become a issue. I would make sure you could combat the smell, and have a dedicated drying area with the proper ventilation.

puffenuff said:

What about trimming off fan leaves before chopping? Seems like it helps dry faster but could also encourage mold? what are your guys' recommendation about trimming before chopping and hanging to dry?

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I'm personally against trimming off fan leaves, it has been scientifically proven that removing the fan leaves of plants do not help flower grouping / formation / development.
Fan leaves are some of the most important leaves on the plant, they are the power house of the plant, catching light and processing the energy.

To answer your question, you usually trim off the fan leaves during trimming so I don't see how taking them off before chopping would help.
Chop up the plants, trim them --> dry --> cure.

I'm sure some people trim the leaves of their plants like crazy and get good results, however I'm sticking with the scientifically proven =)

So it's better to chop the plant, trim the leaves, hang to dry, then cure? Or chop, hang to dry, trim leaves, then cure?

puffenuff said:

So it's better to chop the plant, trim the leaves, hang to dry, then cure? Or chop, hang to dry, trim leaves, then cure?

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It is a lot easier to trim before you dry in my opinion, it becomes much more labour intensive after the fact.

puffenuff said:

So it's better to chop the plant, trim the leaves, hang to dry, then cure? Or chop, hang to dry, trim leaves, then cure?

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Chop --> Trim --> Dry --> Cure.

By far the easiest.

Thanks for clarifying. I've always done it chop trim dry cure, and one time I got grey mold on the top nug and my buddy told me its because I trimmed before drying so I thought I'd ask which most people prefer. I always thought mold came from lack of air, but he swears the mold enters through where you cut the leaves.

Does anyone have an opinion on that? Or what are the best ways to minimize mold risk during the drying stage?

puffenuff said:

Thanks for clarifying. I've always done it chop trim dry cure, and one time I got grey mold on the top nug and my buddy told me its because I trimmed before drying so I thought I'd ask which most people prefer. I always thought mold came from lack of air, but he swears the mold enters through where you cut the leaves.

Does anyone have an opinion on that? Or what are the best ways to minimize mold risk during the drying stage?

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Keep an eye on your humidity during drying, too high and you are risking mold issues.

And on the flip side if your humidity is too low your buds will dry out too fast, they will not have a chance to break everything down and you will be left with grassy hay tasting weed.

Awesome, thank you so much for the information