dust on buds... what to do?
- Thread starter Thread starter dope_roor
- Start date Start date
how much dust are we talkin' here??
how much dust are we talkin' here??
redirect the fan...
gently tap the stalk to free the dust...?
vacuum your grow regularly...?
you could mist the buds right after the light(s) come on, to wash them...just don't spray them down close to "lights out".
this last suggestion is not my favorite idea...seems you would be asking for mold, powdery mildew problems...
wait til they dry, and tap the dust off of the buds.
good luck...howz about a picture or two?
how much dust are we talkin' here??
redirect the fan...
gently tap the stalk to free the dust...?
vacuum your grow regularly...?
you could mist the buds right after the light(s) come on, to wash them...just don't spray them down close to "lights out".
this last suggestion is not my favorite idea...seems you would be asking for mold, powdery mildew problems...
wait til they dry, and tap the dust off of the buds.
good luck...howz about a picture or two?
G
Guest
The permanent solution would be to enclose your grow as much as you can... with only the fan/filter/scrubber moving the air... probably be best to dust and clean the room before you do this. This is what helped me...
As for what to do right now it is hard to say without pictures...don't know if it IS dust, what kind, how much, how thick, where it is, will it effect the plant etc etc. For a more solid solution post a pic.
As for what to do right now it is hard to say without pictures...don't know if it IS dust, what kind, how much, how thick, where it is, will it effect the plant etc etc. For a more solid solution post a pic.
Truth
Member
you can use air cannisters to blow the dust off, like you do for computers.
"you could mist the buds right after the light(s) come on, to wash them"
I don't agree with this, all a mist will do is dry out, and leave everything on the surface. the only way to do it with water is to drench and soak them, which wouldn't be good if he is in flowering because he can lose plenty of trichomes. compressed air is the best route. the next route would be to keep dust from building up on your plants in the first place. the dust has to be coming from somewhere, find it and clean it up, use air filters if you have to. if you are getting alot of dust, your room isn't properly sealed, or you just have a dirty environment. keep the air circulating.
"you could mist the buds right after the light(s) come on, to wash them"
I don't agree with this, all a mist will do is dry out, and leave everything on the surface. the only way to do it with water is to drench and soak them, which wouldn't be good if he is in flowering because he can lose plenty of trichomes. compressed air is the best route. the next route would be to keep dust from building up on your plants in the first place. the dust has to be coming from somewhere, find it and clean it up, use air filters if you have to. if you are getting alot of dust, your room isn't properly sealed, or you just have a dirty environment. keep the air circulating.
R
Relik
I don't want to sound like a nitpicker, but I'd think that you have more chances of loosing trichs to compressed air than water. Outdoor plants don't lose potency because of rain, for example. Or if they do, it is because of the mechanical impact, not the chemical contact, between water and trichomes.
This makes me believe that gently dipping the buds in water would be less of a stress to the plant than compressed air bursting out trichomes.
Peace
This makes me believe that gently dipping the buds in water would be less of a stress to the plant than compressed air bursting out trichomes.
Peace
The Slickster
Member
You can air blow them and then submerge in water temporarily as well for optimal dust removal. It can be fan dried right after the dip before regular hang drying. The trichomes and oil on the buds should remain intact as they repel water. Also if the water has chlorine in it from the regular tap this will help sanitize any extra dust that does not come out, and the produce can then be used for baking edibles readily. Dust should be minimal unless leaving the plants for a late harvest. In windy dry regions where cannabis is sown outdoors, the bud has got to get some sand in it from time to time especially in flowering where the resin can be sticky and the flowers forming. A filter would get to it first as mentioned earlier.
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Truth
Member
Relik said:I don't want to sound like a nitpicker, but I'd think that you have more chances of loosing trichs to compressed air than water. Outdoor plants don't lose potency because of rain, for example. Or if they do, it is because of the mechanical impact, not the chemical contact, between water and trichomes.
This makes me believe that gently dipping the buds in water would be less of a stress to the plant than compressed air bursting out trichomes.
Peace
Yes, they do lose potency from rain outdoors, wind too (who said anything about chemical contact?). BUT compressed air isn't all that powerful, and you can always hold it a little farther. If his plants are still growing, how do you propose he 'dips' them in water? To just spray them with water, even if done gently, would not possibly hurt the trichomes to much, but it also wouldn't do to well in getting the dust completely off. basically it would run down and pool up somewhere else still on the plant. buds have very different shaped surfaces with crevices, slopes, etc. you wouldn't want the dust to collect within cracks and within the inner parts of buds themselves, because they will most likely stay there and be smoked later on. also foliar wetting isn't recommended during flower. also water doesn't really get dust off that well even when running it over it.
why? think about it like this, get a dusty piece of wood. now run water over it that would be safe for plants to have without breaking trichomes, now let it dry. I guarantee, you will still see plenty of dust still there. you have to effectively scrub the dust off with a clothe to get it off, because the water helps it to stick. by have a dry area sprayed with air, the dust should easily be blown off. It is best to have a fan directly on the plants when spraying with air, to keep it from settling back of the plants or around the plants. air cannisters are just quicker, and safer. if you still think the air is too strong, go blow on some flowering plants real close, maybe even as hard as you can, I bet you don't lose many, if any trichomes. water is a pretty heavy substance compared to air.
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stealthballer
Active member
use swiffer sheets on your intake or even just hang a couple from the top of the grow area. they are dust magnets.
Fast_Pine
Member
Truth said:
...The wind and rain dont cause MJ to loose potency
Ive had mud splatter on the lower budds on some smaller plants..I either dipped em in fresh water, or hade hash out of em. There was little to no tricomb loss. I noticed the mudd kinda sticked to the resin. It was hard to wash off. If yer sellin it. It will destroy bag appeal. If its for yer personal stash. It should be fine with a lil dust. You will get the same affect dust or no dust
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just remove the dust
R
Relik
Hi Fast_Pine!
Truth, thanks for taking the time to reply.
I've been growing outdoors for a few years, with all the pros and cons of tropical weather. Needless to say, I've had many plants suffer stress from rain and wind (cyclones anyone?), this includes broken branches, spliced stems, and other disasters that bring your moral down.
Sometimes after heavy rains I've found plants or broken branches resting on mud, I just rinse them with water and tie them back to the plant (in the case of broken branches). It does the trick most of the time, of course sometimes nature wins and your plant/branch dies, it happens.
When I said "chemical contact" what I meant was that H20 doesn't have the chemical properties to take trichomes off a plant. If it rained alcohol then you'd have to worry about your outddor grows, but since THC is non soluble in water, the only link between a drop of water falling on your plant and the loss of a trichome is the mechanical impact between the two of them, not their chemical reaction.
As an example, I always rinse the plant material in water a few times before preparing herb extracts. It removes some of the chlorophyl but doesn't hurt potency.
Now I don't know how the OP has his room set up, and if dipping the buds in water could be easily done for him. As The Slickster said, if they can be dipped, a slight dip with a few movements to help release the particles could be a solution.
If really using compressed air, one should be sure to extract all that dirt instead of letting it settle back in the growroom (you did mention this).
Anyways, I've smoked dirty buds, and they taste like shit/dirt. Therefore my final advice would be to prevent the dirt from entering the growroom before a similar problem (dust on buds) happens, as it has been said in the above posts.
Keep it green people.
Truth, thanks for taking the time to reply.
I've been growing outdoors for a few years, with all the pros and cons of tropical weather. Needless to say, I've had many plants suffer stress from rain and wind (cyclones anyone?), this includes broken branches, spliced stems, and other disasters that bring your moral down.
Sometimes after heavy rains I've found plants or broken branches resting on mud, I just rinse them with water and tie them back to the plant (in the case of broken branches). It does the trick most of the time, of course sometimes nature wins and your plant/branch dies, it happens.
When I said "chemical contact" what I meant was that H20 doesn't have the chemical properties to take trichomes off a plant. If it rained alcohol then you'd have to worry about your outddor grows, but since THC is non soluble in water, the only link between a drop of water falling on your plant and the loss of a trichome is the mechanical impact between the two of them, not their chemical reaction.
As an example, I always rinse the plant material in water a few times before preparing herb extracts. It removes some of the chlorophyl but doesn't hurt potency.
Now I don't know how the OP has his room set up, and if dipping the buds in water could be easily done for him. As The Slickster said, if they can be dipped, a slight dip with a few movements to help release the particles could be a solution.
If really using compressed air, one should be sure to extract all that dirt instead of letting it settle back in the growroom (you did mention this).
Anyways, I've smoked dirty buds, and they taste like shit/dirt. Therefore my final advice would be to prevent the dirt from entering the growroom before a similar problem (dust on buds) happens, as it has been said in the above posts.
Keep it green people.
Truth
Member
Fast_Pine said:
the water doesn't suck the potency out of it, the damage to the trichomes is what causes loss of potency. as for anything sticking to the resin that is impossible since the resin is contained within the trichomes. you only get that sticky feel when you touch buds from busting trichomes. dirt/dust can severely alter the flavor of bud, and if there is enough of it on the plants while growing, it can affect photosynthesis. And who knows whats in it? you could have an allergic reaction. you don't grow for months and months, paying specific attention to every detail for a successful and healthy crop, just to smoke dusty buds.
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Fast_Pine
Member
I never said the water sucked out the potencyTruth said:
..The rain doesent damage the tricombs. Hail barely damages the tricombs. I grow outdoors at 8000feet(high alpine). We have very intense rainstorms, and midsummer hail. Hence the lower branches getting beaten into the mudd and the need to wash some larger budds off on the sink.So far, every strain that ive grown outside, Ive grown inside....The potency is always better outdoors. ALWAYS. The bud is bigger too. Heavy rain is like natural LST...
The dust, may not me sticking to the threadstarters bud, but the mud sure stuck to my nuggs. Busted tricombs or not. It stuck. and had a reeeel hard time washing off.
Dirt and dust does NOTHING to the flavor of a bowl or hash!...Nothing..Go outside and sprinkle some sand from yer front yard into a joint and tell me if it tastes any diffferent?....I made a half pound of hash recently, maby 1/8 of it was mudd. People that smoke it LOVE it. It has been compared to some professional grade BC hash. Smoking a small ammnt of dust isnt a big deal at all, ans certainly wont affect photosyntheses..If the nugg is coated in mudd, No one should be smoking it anyway
...Dust is one thing, Mud is another. Muddy budds usually dont get harvested anyway.Allergic reaction,,,Are you fuckin serious
...If someone is healthy enough to smoke a bowl, I dont think it would be possible to get sick from toking a lil dust..I mean come on man?....Ive grown outside for just over 20 years, and smoked plenty of dust. Never tasted bad or hurt me in any way. If the nugg is too muddy it obviously doesent get smoked
The Slickster
Member
Your right Fast Pine, a little dirt on buds never hurt anyone. Given in windy dry regions where cannabis is sown outdoors, the bud has got to get some sand in it from time to time especially in flowering where the resin can be sticky and the flowers forming. Prefer the air and then water method myself, rinse and repeat if necessary. For the most part the dust is minimal unless there is an extra late seeded harvest or something like that in dusty conditions. As particulates will have more time to accumulate at and between the trichomes similar to a filter. Which is a given solid at prevention of dust intake as mentioned earlier.
C
CrystalsCrystal
Wouldnt wind bend the trichomes over... over time.. eventually bursting and destroying some.. I have a circulating fan in my grow area that is blowing on my buds and im wondering if theyre just getting nuked by the fan... Now I don't aim my fan directly at my budsites, but just to help circulate air around the room.
