Harvesting, Manicuring and Preserving Pure Sativa's

[LostTribe]

I have been wondering all about how this is going to go down at the end. I mean do you guys have any different methods for harvest thru cure? What about containers?

 

[Topkarantekatre]

Just found some corn cob at the market so i'll try the malawi cob technique in a few day as my zamaldelica is now drying. So much great ressources on this board.

 

[LostTribe]

I have been checking out the cob cure but I want to know specifically differences in the entire regular curing process from chop to smoke.....how about overall drying times are they reduced due to less density with the bud formation as well?

 

[Dawn Patrol]

Yes absolutely! They will dry faster as the flowers are not as dense as WLD varieties. Other than that I do not treat them any differently.

I hang the whole plant (or sections if they are unweildy) and monitor them carefully. When I think they are close to where I want them I trim away any leaves that are crispy and all excess stems so that lengths will fit in a 2 gallon ziploc bag.

They live there for several days to a week with a hygrometer and once there is no fluctuation in humidity I do a final manicure and they go back in the bag to get them to between 55 and 65% humidity. Ziplocs are not airtight and the bud will slowly lose moisture if they are still too wet so I check it once a week and once they are in the target zone I jar them for long term storage being very careful not to over tighten the lids or compromise the seal.

Always wanted to try some cob cured bud to see what the fuss was about.

 

[Limeygreen]

have you tried sweating them in plain paper bags? I always found ziplocs can add a funny taste to the flower.

 

[farmerlion]

Lost Tribe, There are several ways to get to a similar end result. Some say hang them until the twigs and or branches snap when bent. I feel this is to dry for best flavor and aroma. When they are still somewhat pliable. I remove buds from the plant itself. (I hang whole plant to dry). I leave the frosty sugar leaves on the buds for curing in jars. I feel the leaves help protect the trichomes on the buds from damage.(like shock absorbers). I use quart to gallon size jars depending on quantity of bud per plant. The first week I open jars for 4 to 6 hours under a ceiling fan if possible. Second and third weeks I crack them open for an couple hours at most. The smell of chlorophyll or hay smell should be gone by end of first week early second. Then the real aromas of your grow will start getting stronger. That's when I give out the first test samples. By end of third week I smell each jar and seal them for total cure time. Two months minimum I prefer a three month cure. If your not in a hurry let them go longer. Six to nine months is great, if you can wait. Don't harvest your plants to early to accommodate cure times. Peace