Guerrilla Drying?

[Jah's Son]

Hey guys, first post here, glad to join the board.

I'm a long-time smoker, first time potential GG this season. The thing is, I have four roommates, and only one of them is going to be involved in my plans. I figure it's best that the others just don't know about it at all, for security. I'm a frequent hiker, so my trips into the backcountry are explainable.

But what about the drying process? I live in a very dry area, so I was thinking I could take my harvest to a secondary drying location and let the plants sweat in garbage bags, changing these bags every day to prevent mold.

Any info on guerrilla drying out there? Is there a better way?

Also, I have a very short grow season around here (just under 100 days!). Is striking at the patch out of the question? With the roommate situation I don't know how I'm going to keep seedlings lit but hidden.

 

[thunderpig]

The easiest drying method outdoors has gotta be the hanging whole plants. Hang 'em up upside down outdoors (out of rain if possible) and leave 'em for a week or so. It drys out a lot of the water weight, plus its like letting them grow an extra week in the ground. The plant isn't dead as soon as you yank it up.

It won't get you crispy dry of course, that would have to happen indoors somehow.

 

[Beautiful BC]

Since your season is fairly short you might not have enough time after harvest to dry them outside before a hard frost. Freezing temperatures overnight and subsequent thawing in the day will ruin wet buds before they have a chance to dry. Better be growing something fast, heh

At least you have low humidity on your side though, so mold wouldn't be much of a problem. Also keep in mind sunlight apparently degrades THC so you might want to shade your drying area.

Oh, and don't use garbage bags.. sweating is not what you want. If you must bag it use burlap or something that will breathe.

 

[Jah's Son]

Thanks guys. Yeah, my time between frosts is pretty damned short.

Thanks for the advice on not sweating especially. I still need to do some (quick!) learning. I'm trying to read everything I can now.

Any advice on strain choice? I need to make that choice fast. I've always loved smoking flo, and understand that it's a very fast grower. My grow season is mid-May through mid-September. Is this even possible? I have two major advantages.

I have an enormous, largely rural province at my disposal. And I have almost zero humidity to worry about in much of that province.

Also, I was working out some setups. I know from a past obsession in airsoft and military tactics that camo nets are used a lot in the military to obscure things on the ground from prying eyes from above. Is there any collective knowledge on the use of camo netting in more... civilian... applications?

 

[WestCoast4Life]

I would recommend an autoflowering strain for your grow, good luck with the drying, seems kinda difficult out in the woods. Perhaps you could hang them in a box with holes in the sides.

 

[Jah's Son]

I was thinking about some kind of set-up like that. For security purposes, I was thinking of having a scouted location in mind, then having a "box drop" with camo netting, and then a scouted return after a week or so, hopefully almost ready for jars at that point. The weather would have to be on my side, but like I said it's dry out here.

I have limited knowledge of autoflowering strains, though I've been catching up. They definitely help my grow time, but they seem to be very costly in terms of yield. I am able to buy genetics locally, but I can't imagine I can get autoflowering genetics locally. And I get hit with a pretty solid price increase.

Besides, autoflowering strains seem to have horrible yield. I'd have to greatly increase my planned plant number to have the same yield, which steps up the stakes security-wise.

 

[Endur]

Guerrilla Drying?

This is how I do my G-Grow,
We cut a clearing in a thick grove of trees, and hang a camo/green tarp, then we string rows of rope to hang the whole plant from, under the tarp.
The trees provide good shelter from wind/rain, somewhat slow the drying a little bit.
The plants hang in the woods for 10-14 days. Then we go and cut them down to manageable size, to pack out.
Like this...

Peace
ENDUR

09 outdoor GG.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=2771606#post2771606

 

[Jah's Son]

Hey thanks Endur. I'm reading through your 09 log now.

With that setup, would you be able to trim your product down and be ready for the jar? Or do you need more drying at a secondary, more "indoor" site?

Also, can you think of any obvious reasons a site like yours couldn't be made so that you could leave it alone during that time, with checkup trips as needed?

 

[microgram]

Hey man, I don't mean to sound like an arse, but don't dry in garbage bags, because it'll make your dope smell and taste like smoking a garbage bag. The tent idea is the best method unless you can dry in a weather-proof structure like a cabin with a heater and exhaust or something.

A good friend of mine (in which he still doesn't know my name ), helped me devise a 'set-and-forget' (RIP silverback) method for next years run (which is unfortunately going to be delayed, gives me 3 months of prep work for next-next year though )
it requires 3.3ft³ coco, in grow bags, 3 cups of N. rich guano, 3 cups of P. rich guano, 3 cups of worm or mush compost, a handful polymers and a dash of calcium peroxide, fossilized bone meal(no smell), mycorrhizae and other micronutes.

you have to water it once a month, if that, in the most scorching weather. (check weekly obviously though)


Sorry about the thread hijack though bro

About your drying question, you may need to dry it at a secondary drying location, it depends on your setup, your humidity and what temperature you'll have when you're drying. You don't want to turn your dope into powder, but you don't want it wet either.
Fly overs with large tents are usually very noticable, it depends on the size of your grow. of course you can trim your product after drying it. Most people will dry it until the fan leaves are significantly smaller, then trim them, some people pull em off a day prior to the day of chop, to lighten the load. Either way, just don't let it dry completely before trimming it or else it'll be a very crunchy day and you'll lose a lot of trichs.
Try a few plants, and try different strains, that way, you wont have to worry about the 'cannabis clusterfuck' when it comes to harvest time.

UG!

 

[Jah's Son]

Right now for drying I'm looking at a desiccant aided outdoor container dry plan, so I won't be using trash bags.

 

[Beautiful BC]

Maybe you could find a suitable strain from this list (courtesy of reddy1)

I share your love of Flo.. but I think trying to grow it might be cutting it a little close. Unless you can force it to flower prematurely using light control or late planting it probably won't finish in time. Flo goes about 60 days indoors, which I am guessing would put you somewhere into late October outdoors, depending on your latitude. I've never grown Flo so I guess trial and error is the only way to know for sure whether it will work where you live.

I'd also suggest Mandala #1 which is a great outdoor strain for us northerners. Plus Mandala genetics are very inexpensive.

As for northern outdoor grows:
You will need significant veg time before putting the plants outside, which might be difficult in your situation. (otherwise yield will suffer dramatically) Does your need for secrecy allow you to sprout and veg indoors before putting them out for the summer? Or in a greenhouse?

 

[Jah's Son]

Thanks for the continued advice guys.

BBC: I would love to try flo, amongst some others. I may try some autoflowering plants as well as a backup. I'll need to research autoflowering more.

I'm thinking more and more that I'm going to have to come up with a way to do some veg time at home somehow. I may try to come up with a grow box in a drink cooler or something. It would be tough to do in secrecy, but not impossible.

I could also do some growth in a greenhouse. Location would become very important.

Can anybody tell me if 100 plant ceilings in terms of LE apply in Canada? Or are there alternative categorizations?

 

[Endur]

Hey thanks Endur. I'm reading through your 09 log now.

With that setup, would you be able to trim your product down and be ready for the jar? Or do you need more drying at a secondary, more "indoor" site?

Also, can you think of any obvious reasons a site like yours couldn't be made so that you could leave it alone during that time, with checkup trips as needed?

After we pack the flowers out of the woods, we bring them to another location to trim. The flowers are smoke-able at that point, but I put them in turkey bags for 3 weeks.
ya after we cut them we don't need to go back for the 10-14 day period.
peace
ENDUR

 

[facelift]

Hey guys, first post here, glad to join the board.

I'm a long-time smoker, first time potential GG this season. The thing is, I have four roommates, and only one of them is going to be involved in my plans. I figure it's best that the others just don't know about it at all, for security. I'm a frequent hiker, so my trips into the backcountry are explainable.

But what about the drying process? I live in the very dry province of Alberta, so I was thinking I could take my harvest to a secondary drying location and let the plants sweat in garbage bags, changing these bags every day to prevent mold.

Any info on guerrilla drying out there? Is there a better way?

Also, I have a very short grow season around here (just under 100 days!). Is striking at the patch out of the question? With the roommate situation I don't know how I'm going to keep seedlings lit but hidden.

I'm really trying to be helpful, but I also need comic relief. Cut the Gorilla into thin strips....

Whew. That's three fewer people to worry about. Envy can get in the way. Getting rid of Evny is in your best interest, however it's one of the natural sins.

----------------------------

After reading and pondering the situation, your best bet is to grow fewer plants at a time. Maybe plan on starting 4 per week until you hit your desired amount. 4 plants can be hidden in the back of your closet with ease. Once a batch is done, move them outdoors and start a new batch in the closet.

I'm not keen on drying plants outdoors, To many things to ruin the parade. Bad weather, bugs, rippers, mold. The good thing is you've got plenty of time to figure this out.

 

[OrganicMonkey]

Ya, putting buds in a trash bag is a mold factory! I am only drying outside if it's am emergency situation, honestly I still see it easier to bring home for drying. You can at least dry a lot of the moisture out then get the final touch done at home. It's a lot less weight to carry if hung outside for awhile, plus less smell problems at home.

 

[microgram]

Inside your house would be optimal, but since you live with other people, it isn't an option.

You can use dry-it bags that they sell in big box stores like walmart, but you need good ventilation, some of them give off some weird chemicals, which you definitely wouldn't want to be smoking. Paper is hella good, but not applicable in your case.

The best tricks for drying that I've found is; drying in a low humidity (indoors) area with an air dehumidifier, and (internal)exhaust of a sort (will need a filter). move the chronic around a few times a week until they're dry.

But, in your case, dry it in a tarp away from your grow site, and away from water.
Mold spores are everywhere unfortunately, a lot less in your house especially with some quality air filters. You can buy good ones, but they're expensive, or you can make one for your furnace with some parts from a second hand store. All you need is a fine mesh screen cut to fit into your furnace filter spot, along with a sturdy (non conductive) frame and some fiber glass filters, encase the fiber glass with the frame, and staple the wire mesh on the outside. Get a 12V wall wart and wire it up to a transformer (to hike up the voltage) and then the mesh. now you have an eletrostatic filter that catches 98.6% of all 'microparticles', for next to nothing.

OOPS, another thread hi-jack.

Try the tent drying method that endur has shown you. It's a pain in the ass if you don't have coverage, and harvest is the time when you're most likely to get busted. If you can't figure out a way to dry, you're toast my amigo. Try building a make-shift shelter at your grow spot between two trees. It's not hard, and very easy to camouflage, use some landscaping fabric and braces for the roof, and then roll some sod over top that's laden with weed (not ganja) spores and seeds. that way, come harvest time, you have a cool dark place to dry. hopefully you don't have any rain problems.

 

[.clunk]

First things, I'd cut the roomate out of the picture..do you really think he/she is going to be able to keep as good of a story as yourself when it comes time to explain your frequent trips early in the morning to go "hiking"? I'm speaking from advice, there's no reason to involve anyone else at all.

If you've only going to be growing a few plants for yourself then you should be able to dry inside without too much worry although it WILL be stinky. Just tell your roomates at the end of the season when you haul them home and hang em up that you helped a "friend" harvest his plants and in exchange he let you keep a few plants worth of smoke for your troubles...seems like it'd fly pretty well. If they aren't big smokers they won't know how much bud that is and I bet if you gave them a 1/4oz each they probably wouldn't mind at all. This way you can stay "removed" from the grow and still dry in your house. Just expect to have to keep your door closed and locked at that time, roomates can turn into thieves pretty quick when it comes to ganja hanging in the closet drying :lol:

 

[hamstring]

The easiest drying method outdoors has gotta be the hanging whole plants. Hang 'em up upside down outdoors (out of rain if possible) and leave 'em for a week or so. It drys out a lot of the water weight, plus its like letting them grow an extra week in the ground. The plant isn't dead as soon as you yank it up.

It won't get you crispy dry of course, that would have to happen indoors somehow.

^^^^^^^
This is about as close to the truth as you are going to get. Yes, you can completely dry outside in your lat if you can bring in the crop around Sept 1-15th. I would recommend UGD strains for this especially since you are from Canada and so are they. I have completely dried early strains such as GG2,3 etc. Once crispy to the touch simply throw them in a trash bag to even out the moisture (which can be done Guerrilla style also).

Second any strain pulled Sept15th - Oct 1st will probably not dry completely outside just too much moisture (rain) in the fall(Depending on your lat of course). The tarp + airflow keeps it from molding but all things in life work towards a balanced state. So with high humidity the driest your bud will be is EXACTLY equal to the amount of moisture in the air. So to finish it you need some where with a more controlled environment.

My only disagreement with the above is why not trim the weed first. Cut it into manageable branches may 2-3 ft long and then trim it. I’m not looking to argue about what makes better bud, lets look at this through your eyes. You want the shit dried not looking for the optimal dry or cure just dry right. It's all science with less vegetative matter less water to shed and man in my mind it’s a hell of a lot easier to carry neatly cut up plants rolled up in a tarp then lugging the whole plant through the bush.

The hard part is not allowing your self to hear what you want and not what’s the truth. Yes, always consider drying under a tarp outdoors it helps rid moisture and smell then you will need a more controlled environment to finish later in the fall. It's just the truth I have been drying outdoors for years and it’s a relative term not meant to be taken as complete in any manner.
PEACE

 

[microgram]

Ditto om hamstring. I personally would get rid of all the leaves, I'd trim before hanging to dry, less chance of mold, and less impeded air flow (aka more air flow, more space).

UG!

 

[two heads]

I tried outdoor drying with some of the 2008 harvest. It works but it is a slow process. Here is the link if you're interested:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=100683