Harvest & Curing Long Dry - Still that tea smell!

[CannadaJ]

Looking for some advice after my 2nd grow.

I've been doing a longer dry period (60% RH and 18C and kept very stable) for 14 days on both my grows. The stems usually are not snapping after 14 days (this is really perplexing...) but In both instances I trimmed them and jarred them. My first grow everything smelled really bad of hay/tea as soon as it went into the jars. I'm burping quite a bit as well, and the RH has was steady at 62% in the jar.

I just jarred my 2nd grow, and already that smell is coming back after 24 hours! It's at 62% in the jar and I'm burping (twice a day, 1h. I even took them out of the jar to breathe more).

1. After 14 days and almost perfect drying parameters - shouldn't the stems be snapping? I didn't water for 5 days before chopping so there shouldn't be any extra moisture, and I cut off all the fan leaves wet.
2. What is causing the tea/hay smell as soon as I jar? After 14 days shouldn't most of the chlorophyll break down?

Not sure what I'm doing wrong seems I'm hitting all the ideal targets. I assume if my bud was too wet, the RH in the jars would be way above 60-62 that I'm seeing.

Thanks in advance,

J

 

[chuckeye]

I never did get the hang of "waiting until the stem snaps" thingee !

Instead I go by how the buds feel, that is, a little crispy on the outside.

For me that takes about seven days and when the buds are removed from the stems and put into totes the rh is slightly under 70.

Then I cure and "burp" down to 58.

Perhaps you are hanging too long ? In essence, with your rh @ 62% hanging, the cure has taken place in the open and not in the jars.

And if they are already at 62% I don't see any benefit from burping.

Check out my process in my signature, perhaps something will click !

Cheers

 

[CannadaJ]

Thanks - yeah I assumed that since my dry is essentially cure conditions, that it was the right approach. Jeremy from build a soil talks about that as well.

I just don't understand why as soon as I jar, I star getting the tea/hay smell. When I was trimming this last batch there was no hint of it. Pure gas terpenes and asbolutely intoxicating.

Is it possible - given that the stems are not snapping - that I'm putting buds that are too wet in jars? Hard to imagine after 14 day dry.

J

 

[chuckeye]

You say your buds are 62 when you jar them.

That's too late and too dry, I like to see mine at just below 70. That gives me about a month to cure down to 58.

Cheers

 

[CannadaJ]

They typically range from 62% to 68%.

Strange thing is that not one of my stems are snapping. Although the buds feel crisp on the outside, they're a lot more moist on the inside. So don't feel very dry either.

 

[Talonxracer]

I would put them in paper bags for a few days, and then jar them. Also what are you using to measure the rh? I have yet to find one of those cheapo electronic hydrometers to be within 5-6 points of the real rh.

 

[CannadaJ]

I would put them in paper bags for a few days, and then jar them. Also what are you using to measure the rh? I have yet to find one of those cheapo electronic hydrometers to be within 5-6 points of the real rh.

I'm using the cheapos, but often will put 2 in there to make sure they are reading within 1%. They currently are reading 64% in the jars.

I guess what I'd really like to know is what causes this smell. From what I've read, it's drying too quick and the chlorophyll doesn't have the time to break down. But I've also read there can be issues 'in the jar' such as anarobic bacteria eating remaining sugars and chlorophyll. In that case, is it putting a bud that's too dry or too wet in the jar? I keep reading both. There must be a scientific answer? There was no such smell in both grows at the point of trimming. They smelled amazing.

 

[Talonxracer]

I have a dozen of varying manufacturers/designs and they all read high to some extent. Try a few days in the paper bag.

I usually hang for only a few days and then into the paper bags for about a week and then into jars/grove bags to cure when they reach about 64% rh.

 

[CannadaJ]

I have a dozen of varying manufacturers/designs and they all read high to some extent. Try a few days in the paper bag.

I usually hang for only a few days and then into the paper bags for about a week and then into jars/grove bags to cure when they reach about 64% rh.

What does the paper bag do?

 

[Talonxracer]

What does the paper bag do?

The paper bags absorb moisture slowly, it allows the Buds to dry out evenly, getting the insides and outside of the bud to be the same rh