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

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RRLBT420

Active Member
gom said:
Ok. Don't know if its true. But have been told that laying out the trimmed bud under the lights and turning it over every 2 hours for 12 to 18 hours right after you harvest and trim it. Will help burn off more chlorophyll and give you smother smoke.

Any truth to this
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none whatsoever. ideally, you want your buds to dry slowly. mine dry in around 5-7 days usually, some like to go longer. but one thing almost everybody can agree on is that you want to dry in as little light as possible, certainly not under HID lighting. i try not to let my bud see light until i'm ready to smoke them, as light degrades thc.
 
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gom

gom

Active Member
Thanks for the info guys. My first harvest went ok. But I know I didn't do every thing right at all. I was more interested in the seeds I was trying to make than the bud. The seeds were perfect 95% germ rate so far on them. but the bud was a little harsh. I just didn't want to wait to try it. After all it was my first harvest. That shit got me very stoned but taste was a bit rough. This time I think I'm armed with much better information, and should get much better outcome

Thanks again

P.S. +rep to all
 
SACReDHeRB

SACReDHeRB

Well-Known Member
Not supposed to immediately use the seeds, they are supposed to sit and harden for a month or two. Good luck for next season.
 
R

RRLBT420

Active Member
gom said:
Thanks for the info guys. My first harvest went ok. But I know I didn't do every thing right at all. I was more interested in the seeds I was trying to make than the bud. The seeds were perfect 95% germ rate so far on them. but the bud was a little harsh. I just didn't want to wait to try it. After all it was my first harvest. That shit got me very stoned but taste was a bit rough. This time I think I'm armed with much better information, and should get much better outcome

Thanks again

P.S. +rep to all
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if anybody says they weren't excited for their first crop, they're lying lol. i will say the more you do it the better the buds will be but congrats on your first grow and good look with round 2! hope this thread helps!
 
SnowWhite420

SnowWhite420

Active Member
RRLBT420 said:
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.
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i like that^^
 
L

LiberateMJ

Member
RRLBT420 said:
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.
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I have information that says P2O5 actually increases cannabinoid production and high-K levels may have a negative impact on that, if any at all. I do not know what to make of this after reading your post. What's true and what's not?
Also, about having plants away from the light for the last couple of weeks - can you explain this a little bit further? From what I've read, THC and cannabinoids in general are produced by plants for a certain number of reasons. Two of them, I find to be most important to us:

1)
To protect their selves from the UV-waves, coming from the Sun.

2)
To have some kind of control on the water evaporation in cases of temperature changes.

So, imo, if there are more UV-waves "shooting" at the plant, more trichs should be evident. Going away from the light-source should not result in increasing the amount of UV-waves the plants are being exposed to. Also, if it is colder/hotter, then more trichs should be evident. So, in my mind, I see a connection - going away from the lights, means less heat, witch could result in a greater resin production. That kind of a thought leads me to the question whether it would be or not better to still have the same amount of light, because it would help the yields and simply work on ventilation or other means to drop temperatures? Sorry if my thoughts are bothering you - it's just my silly old stoned brain doing its thing again, haha...
Peace.
 
rocknratm

rocknratm

Well-Known Member
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!!!
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I have a few issues with ur post. Less light at the end of a harvest does not seem like a good idea to me. I dont see how that would help. Yes I have heard stress increases trichome production, but without light for photosynthesis, I do not think those processes would be improved.

I also do not believe that the nutrients in the stalk will go to the buds. I think it is a myth that stuff moves between the plant after it has been cut down.

And, I do not think you should wait to start a cure until the stems snap. It should be right before that point, where they may crack but not snap. In fact they may not even crack. I think you are waiting slightly too long to cure (or at least I start a bit earlier than you).

That said, your curing method is not absolute. When curing it is essential to check on them and change what ur doing to the actual condition of the bud. You cant follow any set schedule per se without allowing for change.

Finally, good post.
 
K

kick4all

Member
uhuu . nice sharing man . useful stuff for me because in 10 days i decided to harvest my babies ! Thx again for the info and happy smoking everyone .
 
L

LittleT

Well-Known Member
ok i have a question---i am assuming my 2 will be ready in a couple weeks however i dont know that for sure--i am sure in time it will be easier to decide when to flush,but for now its just guesswork for me.--
 
L

LiberateMJ

Member
Well, then - different strains have different "windows" of peak ripeness. This is the period in witch the trichomes are the most mature, full of THC - milky-white color. After that, THC starts degrading into CBD and other cannabinoids(red, amber trichs). Some people actually wait until some of the trics have dark "heads" - the higher CBD-levels usually mean a more body-sensation/stone, rather than an energizing upbeat high - witch is the case with milky-white trichs, witch leads to a more balanced and not edgy effect.
Usually, the "window" is about 10 days, but some strains never have 100% milky-white trics - they mature unevenly, witch would mean that there are still clear ones, milky-white ones and some are already degrading - this usually happens when chemical nutes are being used. It is simply an "urgency" to become more attractive and when indoors, the plant's instincts to continue reproducing, a mutation occurs. Such mutations I have seen to occur many times with the use of strong boosters, like Shooting Powder - another layer of calyxes takes place on top of other calyxes. Just saying that it has nothing to deal with "reaching the genetic potential" of a plant, rather than being a simple mutation, caused by overdrive of minerals to some places for a certain type of plant-cells, witch results in a development of certain parts of the plant, on other parts' account. For instance, the new layer of calyxes may use up a lot of nutrients - so much, that in fact the plant never gets to meet its genetic potential in terms of aroma/taste, because terpens have been moved down in the energy-using list of the plant - a new layer of calyxes has appeared instead of that, haha - although a bit funny, that is my own opinion, after all, and is based on observation, reading and logic - as can be seen. I'm sorry if it makes no sense to some of you or even may sound ridiculous, haha - still, that is what I have to realize. Perhaps, I've been coming across one certain type of info and some of you have come across the very opposite one - as I posted before, I was confused by this fact; if anyone has any other information, I would love to have a look at it, as my only goal is to know the truth, hehe...
Peace and Blessings.
 
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