So you don't make any leave/fan cuts before you hang to dry? My process is that i would normally cut the plant into hanging peices. I then take those individual pieces and then i will trim all of the large fan leaves, then try to get as many of the smaller leaves (w/in the bud) as i can. I then take them and hang them to dry for about a week or so. For instance, i took a plant down last friday, and did this process...then hung it to dry. Its been in the bathroom with no lights, and the bathroom fan on to exchange a lil air. Now after i take them down...i'll jar them up, and open the jar about 15 mins a day. Thing is...i never really get that weed smell, its typically a hay-ish grassy type smell. I'm going for that good looking, good smelling end product.Really there is not much to my trimming. I like to leave some leaf, in order to protect the bud. I start by cutting the entire plant, and then I hang it in a closet with a small fan. It stays in there for 4-6 days. Then I take it out an cut all the leaves off and return it to the closet for another couple of days. I then trim it down an jar it. First day usually keep the lid off for the majority of the time.
Trick is to do it as slowly as possible.
And to get perfect looking buds, you have to hang them till the outside is crispy.
I learned this method from a Cannabis Culture article I read by DJ Short. I have changed some things, and do not use a paper bag, like DJ does.
Let me know if you have any more questions, and i look forward to seeing your comparison. I am positive there will be a heavier yield, but i am wondering about if there is enough of a difference in quality, to merit the time and work that goes into organics. (Now that's a run-on sentence!)
Hehheh.....I went through the exact growing pains, with my waterfarms. Ended up turning it into a recirc anywayz. No probelms after that, except cleaning the salt off the drip rings every week. Even that wasn't too bad considering, once I had it locked down, the system performed very well, and produced some heavy harvests.I have not moved forward much, due to my Water Farm issues, but I think those are over. A word of warning on the Water Farms. While extremely easy to set up and use, constant monitoring of the various buckets and res are needed. Wouldn't be this way if it was a re-circulating system, but then it wouldn't cost 350 bucks.