Check out
@912GreenSkell. He has written a very complete and easy to understand post on harvesting, drying, and curing. I'm a total noob and it explained things for me than the many posts I have read.....especially since it is in all one place. I think he has posted it by now.
I still have a few edits and stuff to do before i get pics attached and this guides is fully live...here is the WiP edition
Harvesting, Drying and Curing: A Guide to Finishing Quality Bud
Harvesting: One trichome at a time
The time to chop is getting near....when is that? Trichome gland colour should be the final observation when the perfect time to harvest is, but pistil colour is also a good way to see the final stage of a plant's life coming to a glorious end.
Pistils and early detection of maturity :
Some guys think that going by pistil colour is a mistake, but I use pistil colour long before I need to grab a tool to be able to view trichome colour up close. I don't even bother looking at the trichomes, until I see 90% coloured pistils. What I think is the perfect harvest point, is when I see the upper colas have mostly all coudy trichomes with 10-20% amber trichomes. Harvesting during this point, ensures that I get both maximum yield, and maximum potency before the trichome heads start to degrade.
Pistils and their possible deception :
One important thing to point out when using pistils as a warning sign... They can deceive you if you are not careful!! If you are a "hands on" grower, and like to constantly handle and squeeze your flowers every bud that is handled in this way will have damaged trichomes(which can fake you out thinking they are amber naturally), and they will also affect the pistil colour faking you out thinking they are withering, due to the colour change. Torrential rain storms, and cold weather, especially prolonged cold temperatures, also usually have this effect on Pistils.
Also, some strains goes through waves of flowering maturity. I have had plants that I could have sworn were finished, going by the Pistil colour (95% coloured), only to check under the Jeweler's Loupe to see 50% cloudy with 50% clear trichomes. A day later, 10% of White Pistils started to spring out. Another 2 days after that, and the plant was back to 30% White Pistils, and that plant went for almost another 2 weeks before she was harvested with a nice 10-20% amber trichomes.
Pistil colour is a fine way to know when to check trichome colour, but it should not be used as a solo means for harvesting a plant.
Trichome Colour and Effect :
There is quite varied effect possible harvesting at different times.
Clear Trichomes - Clear trichomes often produce more of an up high effect even with Indica dominant strains, though sometimes it can be a jittery type of buzz that many folks don't find enjoyable. This effect is also referred to as a "racy" high.
"Clear trichome"
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Cloudy Trichomes - The most balanced of the three types of trichome types is the cloudy or "milky" trichome stage of maturity. This is the stage trichomes go through, after the clear stage, before they turn to the Amber colour, which is a trichomes final stage before they begin to degrade and potency drops below its peak performance. This is the stage you want to harvest plants. I prefer a mostly cloudy trichome with 10-20% amber trichomes. There will be some clear trichomes present if you take a whole plant at once, and they will be concentrated on lower buds that don't get as much light as upper buds, which lead to the next part, the selective harvest.
"Toofless Alien with 100% Cloudy Trichomes"
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Amber Trichomes - "Generally" amber trichomes tend to carry a lethargic couch lock or sleep inducing narcotic stone, when it can feel like it takes every bit of energy you can muster to simply sit up, and grab a drink or a snack that seem so distant at 2 feet away.
"Hyper Ryder SPG with 70% Cloudy and 30% Amber trichomes"
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Selective Harvesting : Maximizing yield and effect - This is really a great way to increase yields and effect from lower often under formed buds. When you go to harvest your plant, you will see a big difference between the buds that are in the top light and the ones that lived their lives in less desirable light. Indoors or outdoors, you will see this variance. You will also see a difference in trichome colour on lower buds, which they are often a clear cloudy mix , when the upper buds are cloudy with some amber. I cut the colas off at the point, where I see the density dropping to the point where i would ask myself "Hmmm is this even worth trimming?"
Taking the top buds in one stage, and then leaving the lower buds to finish up for another 7-14 days will result in a much better harvest, and you will find that much of the under formed bud that would not be worth the effort trimming will indeed become bud that is worth trimming. On outdoor photoperiod plants, I have increased bud that is "trim worthy", resulting in an increase as much as 25% of the total plant yield. Worth doing for sure!! As this technique can be high stress(cutting all of the branches in half in a single day), always make sure you look at your remaining plant close watching for stress induced hermaphroditic traits to appear. If you see some appear, either observe closely and pinch the male pollen sacs as they appear(if its only a few here and there), or simply make the call to cut the plant.
In my opinion, Selective Harvesting is one of the best methods indoors or out to increase your yields on any plant or strain. Only an extremely small percentage of plants I have tried this on, had only a minimal positive impact on yield. If you have the time and space, this is highly recommended.
Trichome observation tools of the trade :
There is three tools that can be used to view your trichomes. One is a Jeweler's Loupe. These are super cheap to buy on ebay or amazon. I bought a 60-100X led battery backlight powered unit for $6 with free shipping, and it works well enough.
The second tool, is a USB microscope. I have a fancy one of these microscopes (nearly $100), but I found the learning curve to be very frustrating. If this is what you want, make sure to do some research, and find one that is easy to use. They have USB microscopes that go way beyond the magnification needed to view trichomes. Don't overspend by getting one that goes way beyond magnification for what you are wanting to use it for!
The other tool for viewing trichomes is a macro lens for a digital camera, or a microscope, or macro app for an I-phone. If you are seeking a decent camera, know that it does not have to break the bank. I have been running a Canon SD790IS with digital macro mode, and get this....you can buy one new for around $80 on ebay, or you can get one used for a measly $30. Very reliable and takes excellent macro shots, grab a cheap, flex tripod for $10, along with a decent SD card for another $10, and you are totally set.
The Art of drying your Bud :
No matter how well you have grown your buds, if you mess up the drying and curing stage, all that hard work growing the buds perfectly, can be lost, or at least smell, taste, and potency will be diminished to at least some degree. Proper drying and curing, is a key component in getting the highest potency, tastiest, and stinkiest buds possible.
Getting the perfect drying environment can be very challenging, and in some cases, it is impossible without the addition of climate controlling devices such as Dehumidifiers, Heaters, Humidifiers, Air conditioning units, and Evaporative Coolers. Take it as far as you want, depending on your resources and situation, and your needs or desires.
The ideal climate for drying - If you are fortunate to have a fully climate controlled drying space, then awesome you lucky devil! Ideally, you would have an area that is dark and is 45-55% Relative Humidity, with 60-70F(15-21C) temperature, along with a gentle breeze. Fresh air should be circulated into the drying area.
Let's take a minute, and talk about climate adversity, and I do have a few extremes extremes to deal with!! In the fall after I harvest my outdoor, relative humidity percentage (referring to this as RH % from now on) is very high due to the changing of seasons from fall into winter. Tons of rain means relative humidity in my outbuilding sticks around 70% with Dehumidifiers running...ouch!! VERY far from ideal!
Working in Cold, Damp conditions:
Temps are also cool at this time of the year, and I often find myself chattering my teeth, as I am trimming my final plants in the unheated outbuilding(5-10C/41-50F). This is a very difficult situation to dry in. How exactly do we dry our bud to a perfect 62% when the humidity is 70% in the drying room?? The short answer is you don't, it simply doesn't dry properly, and if the air is stagnant you will face the bud curer's worst fear, the dreaded mold.
I have dried in this environment for many years and it can certainly be done, and you can still pull a high quality toke. I have done full branch hanging, defoliated leaf branch hanging, large paper bags on wire racks, and all without mold forming....as long as you have a nice gentle breeze blowing across buds for the hanging methods, or strong circulation from an oscillating fan for paper bag drying, I find mold to be a non issue.
I am fortunate to have a secondary drying space, which is the inside of a 100 year old cabinet, and for some reason the humidity is always much drier than the rest of the house in the damp autumn. It is usually a nice 50% RH, which give me a good space to final dry the buds in boxes until they reach a nice 65% Rh in the jar. More on jar curing in the later part of this guide.
Those is super high Relative Humidity trying to dry, might find it necessary to set small room, or a tent with a dehumidifier, to be able to get their bud ready for the jars. Drying in 80% RH+ is a pain in the butt!!
Working in Hot, Humid Conditions:
Our area in the mid summer (late June- mid august) is hot...sometimes a scorcher!! This is another tough climate to deal with. Excessive heat destroys fragile cannibinoids, and also degenerates precious terpenes resulting in a reduced scent.
Coupled with our very high humidity (60% minimum to 70% being usual) that we deal with when its brutally hot(close proximity to very large inland makes means very high humidity when its super hot) makes this an extremely difficult climate to dry in. Out of necessity, I have dried in a heat wave in a small outbuilding before, and lots/most of the smell was certainly lost during the drying process.
Some varieties seem to hold their scents better than others when dried in a heat wave, but i would say all varieties that were dried in the heat seemed to have lost a fair bit of smell to some degree. Fortunately on the long cure, several of the varieties had noticeable increases of scent return after a few weeks to months of curing.
Different drying methods :
Whole Plant Hang - This is pretty much as old school as it comes. Ideally plants will be chopped and hung upside down, ideally with an oscillating fan lightly blowing across the plants. The duration of the time needed will be extremely varied depending on plant size, relative humidity, temperature, bud density, and circulation.
"Plant broken down into main branches and hung with fan leaves on"
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Defoliated Fan Hang - Modified full plant hanging. For those in more humid areas this will help speed the drying process a bit, by allowing more circulation to the buds. Take the plant and remove all leaves with an exposed stalk, and then proceed to hang it upside down.
Wet Trimmed Hang - A few reasons to do wet trimming....you can trim far more in a day we then you can after it starts to dry out a bit. In a very humid drying environment, wet trim will certain help decrease dry times and also decrease chances of getting mold. The further you break the bud down to smaller branches the faster it will dry.
"Wet trim hang broken down to 16"/40cm colas"
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Inverted Wet Trim - This is a good way to semi speed dry some samples, without sacrificing too much quality. Grab a large cardboard box. Fold the flaps in and poke a bunch of holes with a screwdriver around 4" apart. Grab a bunch of smaller branches with some decent bud on it and trim them to finish. Put in fairly close proximity to a fan. If you are in a real hurry or are in really high humidity, cut the bottom out of the box and put it on top of a running dehumidifier for a more rapid dry time. I like to do this method to quickly test a few buds when i harvest a variety so I can get an early taste a couple of days before the rest is ready.
Paper bag/Box dry - In my opinion, this is the best method for getting top smell and flavour, but it comes with a higher risk of mold, especially for those in high RH, or those with a lack of circulation. I use large yard waste paper bags (double walled) for this. Final trim (fresh wet trim) into golf ball sized place evenly spaced with a 1/2" of more in between the buds. In humid climates leave the bag open and have circulation from a fan blowing across the open end of the bag. In dry climates, close the bag and use the fan blow a fan across it. Check every 24 hours. After an initial 24 hours passes, go through and flip the larger buds to promote even drying. Dry until a stalk barely snaps instead of folding over.
Those in drier RH climates are at a far less chance of mold forming, but I do believe that circulation across the bags is essential for this type of drying. Those drying smaller quantities, have had great success using single walled paper "lunch sack" bags kept completely closed for several days.
"Durban Poison Buds in a bag, after being wet trimmed"
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Oh no! Overdried bud!
Don't panic!! This is not the end of the world by any means, and though it might seem like you are screwed, you are not. If your bud is 55% RH in the jars (also known as "duster" pot), there is a way to fix it. If you hav a fresh bud of another variety that is not completely dry(68-70%RH) then it a super easy fix. Simply take a fresh bud and throw it into the jar with the overdried bud and leave it in there for 24 hours, then remove and leave the hyrgometer in the jar for 6-8 hours and repeat the process if needed. The moisture from the bud that is not fully dry, will be sucked out and dispersed into the overdried buds. Some growers have used lettuce, orange and potato peels to do the same thing.
Make sure you remember to remove your hydration item(be it a fresh bud, or vegetable) when they have accomplished the ultimate goal of rehydration! Some guys also use Boveda 62% packs for this purpose as well. Boveda climate control packs are a unique item, which was originally made for storing expensive cigars and keeping the relative humidity of the sealed container right at 62%. Boveda also has other % climate control packs available for those that like a slightly damper, or drier bud. I am not an expert on rehydration, I have done it a couple of times, but its extremely rare that I over dry any bud, so I just havent got to use these techniques very often, including boveda climate control packs.