New Grower What is the trick to getting better smell and taste?

[greenjeans]

My first batch lost most of it's smell, and just tasted too Earthy. I am running close to harvest on my current Mephisto Chemdogging, and I would appreciate some tips about how to make my final product taste and smell fantastic.

Last time I did my trimming and used the paper bag method. Dry time in the bag was about 4 days if I remember correctly. Then into the jars. Never dropped below 65% RH.

How about some veterans reveal the secret?

I was extremely meticulous with my dry/cure, and didn't feel like I made any mistakes, so I am not getting why the smell was so weak.

Set me straight before this upcoming harvest?

 

[A-Train]

Looks like it's going to be a nice harvest. Some use molasses to help the bacteria in the soil and and it also gives a sweeter flavor to the buds after cure. I prefer bud candy from Advanced Nutrients it also gives a sweeter taste but nothing overwhelming. It really help the buds pack on during flowering as well. Besides that a very slow dry and a long cure will do the trick.

 

[milkmann]

hi mate. I'm no veteran but I can tell you, from my first and only grow, I stunted the life outta my autos (one plant yielded 11g dry another plant 21g dry) but the first plant I harvested, the 11g, smells 20x better than the 21g in the mason jar - the first plant I dried I was checking several times a day to make sure the conditions were right, RH wise and temp-wise. Second plant I harvested a couple of weeks later, I did the same thing, but got slightly complacent in the last 24 hours, checked to see I was at 35% RH and the buds had lost a LOT of aroma, and still haven't got it back fully after a 6 week cure. Just make sure to keep checking your drying environment and don't get complacent until you are really dialled in! Sorry for the long winded reply lol just don't make the same mistake as me!

 

[greenjeans]

It is in DWC A-Train, so Molasses is out. But I am pumping it full of FloraNectar at full strength at the moment. Do you think it might help to jar it a little early to slow down the drying process? I don't have a humidifier, and this is Texas, so it is pretty dry in general.

 

[Rus]

Great tasting weed starts with great genetics. Looks like you got that covered. Next is to stop feeding them last 2 weeks. Give them time to feed off of the leaves, petiols and stored nutrients in the roots. Also if using beneficial enzymes bacteria and or mycoriza all will store nutes for your girls. The leaves will tell you everything you need to know ie. Fall colors are a great way to tell the smoke is going to be smoooth. Also drying below 80f will preserve many of the finer terps your looking for. Bottom leaves normally just fall rite off on a properly finished plant.

 

[Rus]

Sativa dom plants normaly turn yellow. I dont have any indica dom plants at the moment but they generally have prettier color when finished. Brown is the only color I dont like seeing much of. Hope this helps
Peace

 

[greenjeans]

Great tasting weed starts with great genetics. Looks like you got that covered. Next is to stop feeding them last 2 weeks. Give them time to feed off of the leaves, petiols and stored nutrients in the roots. Also if using beneficial enzymes bacteria and or mycoriza all will store nutes for your girls. The leaves will tell you everything you need to know ie. Fall colors are a great way to tell the smoke is going to be smoooth. Also drying below 80f will preserve many of the finer terps your looking for. Bottom leaves normally just fall rite off on a properly finished plant.

I definitely felt like I harvested too early last time, so there will be some changes as far as the finish is concerned on this third run. I am hoping that is what I was missing. I keep thinking that it couldn't have been the dry/cure, but I wanted to look for some advice anyway. Hopefully letting them go a bit longer will help the terpines develop out more.

As for Beneficials, I don't use them. I run a sterile res. Had some root rot issues on my second run and made the decision to go sterile. I use Dutch Master Zone to keep it that way.

The buds are really fattening up more this week. I will probably run one more 1/2 strength res (they take about 3-4 days to drink it at this point), and move to plain water for a week. I am considering a dark/dry period before the chop this time as well. Hopefully that will help a bit with taste/smell as well.

 

[greenjeans]

Thought I would throw up some fresh pics just for fun. I know you guys can't tell, but they have really been fattening up over the last 4 days. No amber trichs as of 2 days ago. How much longer do you think they will go?

 

[Rus]

Frigen beautifull man.. hows the room smelling?
As far as how much longer it depends on the type of high you prefer. I prefer to smoke buds harvested just b4 peak fluorescence for my casual smoking. Peak fluorescence for nice and baked. Gone all the way for uber awesome dank nuggets.
I grew steral general hydroponics for a lil over a year amd got incredible yealds but had a problen w brown mold eating my colas from the inside out. Homie at the grow shop suggested I swith up my game amd got back to organic last summer. Im now using Promix hp in huge pots... Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice grow n bloom and havent had any mold and my roots are magnificent. I'm telling you this because the terpene profile is just crazy using this organic mix. It makes nug wrangling so easy it should be ill-eagle.
Peace

 

[Rus]

Are you getting all that w just those cfls for lighting? Holly bat sizel batman thats incredible!