Harvest & Curing Grove Bags and Boveda Curing

[Mañ'O'Green]

@Grove Bags You're funny. I have at least a dozen friends already using a $2000.00 dollar meter. I can just calibrate to one of theirs . I never even heard of this before today!

I bought the cheap one above. If I measure a bud that has been cured in a Grove bag or with a Boveda 62% in a jar should that not be the reading I am shooting for as a calibration? If the $20 one does not work I will buy the more expensive one.

 

[Grove Bags]

@Grove Bags You're funny. I have at least a dozen friends already using a $2000.00 dollar meter. I can just calibrate to one of theirs . I never even heard of this before today!

I bought the cheap one above. If I measure a bud that has been cured in a Grove bag or with a Boveda 62% in a jar should that not be the reading I am shooting for as a calibration? If the $20 one does not work I will buy the more expensive one.

My goal is to inform and entertain so I am glad to be of service

Hmm seems like a decent unit you purchased. I would be sure to be testing it by pressing it hard into stems cut in half with an xacto knife to get a true reading as the buds often dry faster then the stems and rehydrate from the stem. In terms of calibrating to 62% using a TerpLoc GroveBag or Boveda, that would not work for our purposes. That number is a relative humidity, what we are looking for is moisture content which can be a result of relative humidity but not the same reading. Additionally a figure you might see is WAL Water Activity Level. For that measure we suggest our clients use .45 as a rule of thumb for a maximum reading before placing product in the bag to cure.

Hope that was helpful!

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

My goal is to inform and entertain so I am glad to be of service

Hmm seems like a decent unit you purchased. I would be sure to be testing it by pressing it hard into stems cut in half with an xacto knife to get a true reading as the buds often dry faster then the stems and rehydrate from the stem. In terms of calibrating to 62% using a TerpLoc GroveBag or Boveda, that would not work for our purposes. That number is a relative humidity, what we are looking for is moisture content which can be a result of relative humidity but not the same reading. Additionally a figure you might see is WAL Water Activity Level. For that measure we suggest our clients use .45 as a rule of thumb for a maximum reading before placing product in the bag to cure.

Hope that was helpful!

Not just helpful enlightening!

 

[pop22]

If your going to make statements claiming that a product is/may be, harmful, it needs to be backed up by facts. As is, this is just your personal conjecture. We want facts here, not opinion.

Hey,

Thanks so much for taking the time to give our TerpLocTM technology a try!

What moisture content are you putting the product in the bag?
The reason I ask is that you should not need to use a Boveda or any brand humidicant/desiccant packet. Not just for cost reasons but the solutions in those packets can harm terpenes and medicinal quality depending on brand. Those packets are good for reintroducing moisture weight to product or indeed acting as a desiccant and sucking up moisture as you mention, but you really should not need them at a moisture content of 11% or below. Try breaking open the biggest and densest kolas and use a hops moisture meter to test the moisture content. At that level we have found even the biggest kolas cure really nicely in the bag with no weight loss. In addition, a 14 day hang dry after bucking at 60/60 is a good rule of thumb for a dry that will give you desired results. Then trim and put into the bags at 11% moisture content or below.

Also, please always feel free to call the sales line with any technical questions!

 

[Feenix]

I did a web search and some peeps are using a "wood" moisture meter? Cheap! does anyone have experience with these inexpensive meters?

View attachment 1222520



@Gladiators

Thank you for the heads up.

 

[Grove Bags]

If your going to make statements claiming that a product is/may be, harmful, it needs to be backed up by facts. As is, this is just your personal conjecture. We want facts here, not opinion.

Sorry, you are absolutely right! I should have included some scholarly references. Please see the following white papers about the effects of salts and saline gas on lipids. Could not agree more, facts not conjecture!

Altenbach C, Seelig J (1984) Calcium binding to phosphatidylcholine bilayers as studied by deuterium magnetic resonance. Evidence for the formation of a calcium complex with two phospholipid bilayers. Biochemistry 23:3913–3920

Cordomí A, Edholm O, Perez JJ (2008) Effect of ions on a dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine bilayer. A molecular dynamics simulation study. J Phys Chem B 112:1397–1408

Fukuma T, Higgins MJ, Jarvis SP (2007a) Direct imaging of individual intrinsic hydration layers on lipid bilayers at Angstrom resolution. Biophys J 92:3603–3609

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK50952/ this one talks about salinity effecting flavors in porous food products.

Unfortunately this one costs about thirty dollars but is quite interesting. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389172306705709?via=ihub

Integra has alot of good information on the topic of salts and terpenes as well. Thats why they really push that their solution is glucose and not saline based. All good tools, just depends on your needs and goals!

 

[pop22]

And I apologize, I could have worded that better! And good info, thank you!

Sorry, you are absolutely right! I should have included some scholarly references. Please see the following white papers about the effects of salts and saline gas on lipids. Could not agree more, facts not conjecture!

Altenbach C, Seelig J (1984) Calcium binding to phosphatidylcholine bilayers as studied by deuterium magnetic resonance. Evidence for the formation of a calcium complex with two phospholipid bilayers. Biochemistry 23:3913–3920

Cordomí A, Edholm O, Perez JJ (2008) Effect of ions on a dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine bilayer. A molecular dynamics simulation study. J Phys Chem B 112:1397–1408

Fukuma T, Higgins MJ, Jarvis SP (2007a) Direct imaging of individual intrinsic hydration layers on lipid bilayers at Angstrom resolution. Biophys J 92:3603–3609

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK50952/ this one talks about salinity effecting flavors in porous food products.

Unfortunately this one costs about thirty dollars but is quite interesting. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389172306705709?via=ihub

Integra has alot of good information on the topic of salts and terpenes as well. Thats why they really push that their solution is glucose and not saline based. All good tools, just depends on your needs and goals!

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Ok this tool can be a real game changer for me. I tested a bud that has been in a jar with Boveda for 4 months, a hygrometer reads 58 % RH:

Then I tested a bud that has been in the Grove Bag for 17 days the hygrometer reads 65% RH

So there is a correlation here between RH in the container and the moisture content of buds in storage. I just will need to use it many times to see if I can establish a scale or curve. I just have to say I am so excited about the potential of this tool to help me dry my buds!

@Grove Bags Does it make more sense now that you see what I am doing here? Calibrate the tool to known parameters (sorta).

I am pressing some rosin out of the Skunk bud and will have an idea about the action of the moisture content. 65% RH is just a little on the high side as 62% is good for rosin. I will let every one know how it comes out.

 

[Grove Bags]

Ok this tool can be a real game changer for me. I tested a bud that has been in a jar with Boveda for 4 months, a hygrometer reads 58 % RH:

View attachment 1223182

Then I tested a bud that has been in the Grove Bag for 17 days the hygrometer reads 65% RH

View attachment 1223186

So there is a correlation here between RH in the container and the moisture content of buds in storage. I just will need to use it many times to see if I can establish a scale or curve. I just have to say I am so excited about the potential of this tool to help me dry my buds!

@Grove Bags Does it make more sense now that you see what I am doing here? Calibrate the tool to known parameters (sorta).

I am pressing some rosin out of the Skunk bud and will have an idea about the action of the moisture content. 65% RH is just a little on the high side as 62% is good for rosin. I will let every one know how it comes out.

okay great great question and we love how scientific you are about your growing. make us smile!

but to your point, there is absolutely a direct relationship between RH and moisture content of buds. The buds are a sponge and are either absorbing moisture vapor or expelling moisture vapor depending on if they are "thirsty" or "drowning" ie too dry or too moist.

The TerpLoc works by trying to regulate that moisture to a 58-62 (where buds are happiest). That RH (with a proper bud moisture content for bagging of about 11%) is most conducive to great long term storage and a great cure. So while there is a direct relationship, they are two different numbers. Interrelated yet separate if that makes sense.

you really touch on something with pressing rosin. For flower rosin the yields are dramatically improved if we are at a proper moisture content. This is best achieved with a proper dry and then a good cure process. Sometimes crap happens though and a bud can be too dry or moist to press. in such a situation you can get a proper moisture content in the bud quickest by using a humidity packet like a boveda or integra in a high barrier container. over a little bit of time those packets will pretty quickly return your flower to the ideal moisture content for squishing, though you wont be able to recover all of the terpenes your yield and consistency will be desirable.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

okay great great question and we love how scientific you are about your growing. make us smile!

but to your point, there is absolutely a direct relationship between RH and moisture content of buds. The buds are a sponge and are either absorbing moisture vapor or expelling moisture vapor depending on if they are "thirsty" or "drowning" ie too dry or too moist.

The TerpLoc works by trying to regulate that moisture to a 58-62 (where buds are happiest). That RH (with a proper bud moisture content for bagging of about 11%) is most conducive to great long term storage and a great cure. So while there is a direct relationship, they are two different numbers. Interrelated yet separate if that makes sense.

you really touch on something with pressing rosin. For flower rosin the yields are dramatically improved if we are at a proper moisture content. This is best achieved with a proper dry and then a good cure process. Sometimes crap happens though and a bud can be too dry or moist to press. in such a situation you can get a proper moisture content in the bud quickest by using a humidity packet like a boveda or integra in a high barrier container. over a little bit of time those packets will pretty quickly return your flower to the ideal moisture content for squishing, though you wont be able to recover all of the terpenes your yield and consistency will be desirable.

So I think what I have done with my illogical science is just verify this meter will work for what we want it to do. It is reading a bud's moisture content and appears to be on a relevant scale on the A band of the tester. When I dry my next crop down to about 11% - 12% on this tester I am ready to go in the bag - Olay! It has always been guesswork prior to now.

Oh hell yes, I live in the San Joaquin Valley of California. We are going to be over 100°F the next ten or more days with a 109°F in there. The Relative Humidity can and does go to zero. I try to time my harvests at other times in the year but it just does not always work like that. I have simply turned a plant upside down and hung it up in the past to have as much moisture as possible. Maybe slow down the drying. Anyhow I know all about re-hydrating bud. It kills the terps!

I have always known that salt packs altered the terp profile even though it is claimed not to. Did not know the other company uses sugar? I vote for none of it Hail Grove Bags .