HARVEST QUESTIONS?

[Traceofvenom]

Here's an article on Drying and Curing
https://www.wikileaf.com/thestash/jar-curing-cannabis/

The steps in the article are easy to follow along with and obtain. How and how long does it take for that hay scent to morph into the dankness we all know and love? Growing elite DNA strains and following these steps. Before you cut them you know how you can gently palm the cola upwards then plant your nose to it and it has that pungent swagger but a week after you have them hanging they don't smell that way. What's up with that? Can someone chime in with that process? I am fascinated to know...

 

[Ibechillin]

Fresh cut grass smell is different than hay smell, one is green and one is decomposing. Fresh cut grass smell is from freshly cut material and will go away shortly, Hay smell after drying is caused by improper drying and is a result of anaerobic fermentation.

Drying/curing is an aerobic process, The plant itself consumes chlorophyll through metabolic activity after it's been cut. Keeping stomatas open and facilitating gas exchange the plant is broken down through respiration and hydrolysis. You want to keep oxygen present so that aerobic bacteria can keep anaerobic bacteria levels in check until the buds are below a homogeneous 15% moisture content, at which point most strains of bacteria will not grow.

when this isnt allowed to occur it starts to ferment. Nitrogen, sugars, cellulose, starch etc breaking down anaerobically with the high moisture content causing fermentation. This releases ammonia (essentially formed from the nitrates not breaking down properly) and acids giving the foul odor. The most likely culprit of the hay smell is Staphylococcus Lugdenensis, which are facilitive anaerobes, meaning they can survive through aerobic respiration or switch to fermentation in anaerobic environments. In aerobic mode, their only byproducts are CO2 and water, but once they consume all the O2 in their immediate environment, they switch to fermentation mode and start producing exotoxins. You want to keep them well fed with O2 (air circulation) so they stay in aerobic respiration mode.

Trimming wet after harvest/before hanging reduces the surface area and moisture level in/on plants and branches reducing the possibility for mold to colonize when hanging/drying (and its easier/faster, no crispy shrunken bud leafs).

I trim a couple dozen lbs every 2 weeks and never had a mowed lawn in the room.

heres what i do:

Trim wet, rh ~60%, decent airflow ~500cfm, no light, temps 65-73°f, Hopefully this takes roughly 10-14 days before outside of buds becomes dry. Do not let any part of the bud become dry. if this happens to soon; up rh, lower temp, and/or decrease air flow. When drying is complete, Jar for minumum of 16hrs to get moisture back to the tips. You can now add boveda packs and or "burp" for 30 minutes and give airflow to the bud. Airflow is very important to the cure but so is maintaining 55-60%rh

After 2 weeks drying and 1 week "cure" i start to sell or taste test

i burp every other day for 2 weeks then weekly for 2months... then its good to go head stash

Source:

https://www.rollitup.org/t/grassy-smell-during-drying-stage.913094/

 

[Magnificat]

This is normal behaviour for drying herbs. It always smells great the first 2-3 days after cutting then starts to smell like hay.. Just a bland smell. I agree with the above about decaying matter, that's different.

For drying during the summer, it usually takes about 6-7 days before the smell comes back and they are about ready to be cut off the branches and put into jars for continued burping of jars and curing.

In winter this process takes less time as the humidity is MUCH less so drying time is faster. usually about 5-6 days sometimes.. If you leave fan leaves on it will also slow down the drying process by about a day or so extra. I like to do this to reduce drying time and improve overall flavor and aroma.

So, to sum up, that smell is normal... And the normal herb smell will come back once the herb is sufficiently dry.

 

[Ibechillin]

Terpenes ars volatile organic compounds and solvents (dont store in plastic!), that quickly evaporate naturally. Any time you smell weed, you are smelling terpenes that were oxidised/evaporated/lost. Trichomes are where the terpenes are concentrated, damaged trichome heads cause rapid oxidation/loss of both terpenoids and cannabinoids. Humidity below 59% causes trichome heads to become brittle and destroyed easily. Boveda did a test where they took 2 glass jars of weed and only placed a 62% humidity pack in one of them to compare terpene loss after 6 weeks of sealed storage, jars were shaken lightly once a week but never opened. The jar without the Boveda pack had lost 15% more terpenes end result. The humidity packs help keep the trichome heads from becoming brittle for better preservation.

Terpenes evaporate into the air space left in the storage container after sealing also, which is why you get that dank whiff when you first open it. For long term storage it might better to fill jars fuller leaving less air space after properly dried.

Optimal storage conditions are Dark, ~50F degrees, humidity between 59% - 63% (same humidity used for drying) to preserve optimal color, aroma, flavor, potency, texture.

I have NEVER ruined a batch by leaving it hanging for too long. But I HAVE ruined weed by taking it down and jarring it too soon.

 

[Traceofvenom]

Thanks for the comments and information. I hung whole plants. My RH is right at 50% Temps running 65 degrees/18 Celsius. Where on the plant do you test the bending because some of the stems are thicker than others or do you bend and test each branch? Meaning just because one branch snaps doesn't mean the whole plant is ready to be broke down and put into jars. How crucial is it that you wait for the stems to snap as I have read others putting there buds in jars before they get to that point. Also, most of us don't live in a perfectly controlled environment so I guess there is no rule of thumb you can go by for instance hang them in the best environment under your control for 10 days then trim them up and jar them to start the cure, add boveda packs and burp etc.... I know I will learn a lot from this first run. Just trying to get it as right as I can. I will be patient as I know the herbs get better with time...

Thanks again anymore comments are appreciated!

thank you!

 

[wutwut]

i'm not sure is this right way but i jar buds when the smallest stems snaps. then burp them for 1-2 week to reach 60-65% humidity and after that put boveda pack if you have one.
now it's ready to enjoy but more time makes that stuff more better.

 

[gaiusmarius]

dont store in plastic?

can you elaborate more. been using tupper ware for a while now as the jars are a pain in the ass.

 

[Ibechillin]

Terpenes are solvents, thats why extracts can be made with limonene, they dissolve plastic...

 

[gaiusmarius]

i guess it makes sense, but shouldn't that be noticeable if the terps are dissolving the plastic? i have big hands and can't fuck around with hundreds of jars, so whats the solution, metal tupperware?

 

[Switcher56]

i guess it makes sense, but shouldn't that be noticeable if the terps are dissolving the plastic? i have big hands and can't fuck around with hundreds of jars, so whats the solution, metal tupperware?

Long tweezers are your friend (glass is inert!)

 

[Ibechillin]

When i was running 20kw i was using C vaults and bovedas.

 

[gaiusmarius]

i like those, but they will cost double by the time you add shipping to the EU. not cheap, but looks like a fine product. i wonder if you can get other metal tin options that aren't quite that expensive. tea leaves used to come in tins, but they are too small. need something with at least 2 lt of space. from 2 to 4 lt size would be ideal. no need for hand crafted and welded containers is there?


edited to add:

check this out, lol

https://nbtianyuan.en.made-in-china...esign-Biscuits-and-Cookie-Square-Tin-Box.html

 

[Ibechillin]

Yeah, theres no difference really between the C vaults and any other food grade steel container with an airtight seal. Food grade is the important part imho to make sure its safe from contaminants during the production. 55 gallon drum work for ya? lol

 

[gaiusmarius]

lol won't be needing the 55 gallon drum quite yet, lol. better have lots of smaller containers imo, at that price you could include the tin in the packaging.

while that gel stuff could be put in one of those metal tea bags on a chain that you fill with tea to make the drink. instead it could act to stop flowers touching the actual gel pack.

edited to add: certainly hear you on the food grade. been buying high quality, food grade, swiss made, tupper ware in the hopes of being reasonably safe. but it looks like ill have to switch to metal containers.

 

[Switcher56]

i like those, but they will cost double by the time you add shipping to the EU. not cheap, but looks like a fine product. i wonder if you can get other metal tin options that aren't quite that expensive. tea leaves used to come in tins, but they are too small. need something with at least 2 lt of space. from 2 to 4 lt size would be ideal. no need for hand crafted and welded containers is there?


edited to add:

check this out, lol

https://nbtianyuan.en.made-in-china...esign-Biscuits-and-Cookie-Square-Tin-Box.html

Those are made out of mild steel. Very little SS is produced in China and what is, is of inferior quality.

1) Thickness: 0.18 - 0.25mm
2) Width: 200 - 860mm
3) Steel grades: Q195, Q195L, Q195LD, 08AL and SPCC
4) Hardness: T3
5) Tin coating: 2.8/2.8
6)Delivery Day:25--30 days
Inner packing: Anti-rust paper
Outer packing: Corner protected

 

[gaiusmarius]

Those are made out of mild steel. Very little SS is produced in China and what is, is of inferior quality.

1) Thickness: 0.18 - 0.25mm
2) Width: 200 - 860mm
3) Steel grades: Q195, Q195L, Q195LD, 08AL and SPCC
4) Hardness: T3
5) Tin coating: 2.8/2.8
6)Delivery Day:25--30 days
Inner packing: Anti-rust paper
Outer packing: Corner protected

i hear ya, but how much quality is needed to store weed? as long as it's food graded and air tight it should do the trick no?

 

[Ibechillin]

I put in a bunch of different search parameters in amazon.uk and ebay.uk trying to find something suitable but honestly most use shitty plastic lids, or are more expensive for less storage space it seems. C vaults were coming up with free shipping, other than jars i dont really have another alternative.

 

[Switcher56]

i hear ya, but how much quality is needed to store weed? as long as it's food graded and air tight it should do the trick no?

Your weed do what you want I am not placing my weed with a moisture content of 60 some odd % in a steel container that is prone to rusting. Just saying...

 

[gaiusmarius]

i just sent c vault a email asking for shipping quotes to my location. the quality of the product really does seem high, for long term use and reuse, it's probably worth going the extra mile.

 

[Switcher56]

i just sent c vault a email asking for shipping quotes to my location. the quality of the product really does seem high, for long term use and reuse, it's probably worth going the extra mile.

You bet! plus you can store the Boveda pack in the lid.